Of course, the first call I made when I got back from CA was to Get a Grip, to see when I could bring Sálome in to get those damn aerobars changed, which they hadn’t had time to do before I left. So I call, and of course, YCBG Matt answers:
YCBG Matt: “Hello, Get a Grip Cycles, may I help you?”
Me: “Matt, it’s Tasha. How are you? But more importantly, how are you in relation to fixing up Sálome for me? And most importantly, how quickly?”
YCBG Matt: “Well, if you...”
Me: “I mean, if I bring her in today, Friday, do you think you could get her done by, say, Tuesda....”
YCBG Matt, interrupting: “AbsoLUTEly, we can have her done by then. Why, my schedule has magically opened up, I could probably have her done by tomorrow even.”
Me, munificently: “Oh, no need, Tuesday is fine. I’ll stop by in a little while.”
YCBG Matt: "Great, can’t wait!”
Now, if I were truly delusional, I would tell myself that YCBG Matt is so eager to get my bike back to me quickly because of a combination of my winsome charm and inescapable beauty, that has people leaping to do my bidding, particularly when it comes to assisting me in my athletic endeavors.
I am not that delusional.
I head on over, and Eric is behind the counter – and while I’m sure Eric is a great person and all, he’s not my regular “go to” guy, and let’s face it, he doesn’t really understand the criticality of getting me out of the shop and out on my bike as quickly as possible. The fate of small nations rests on this premise.
So I trundle in there with Sálome, and because YCBG Matt is helping out some other folks, I’m dealing with Eric – who greets me with a look of trepidation and a slight tic in his eye. His hands seem to be shaking as he grins slightly, wanly, a smile that speaks to a combination of wariness and fear.
Eric: “Hi, can I help you?” (I can tell he’s thinking, you again? Now what?)
Me: “Just the aerobars, need to be changed out. I talked to YCBG Matt about it a little while ago.”
Eric: “Okay.” (enters info into computer) “We can have the bike back to you next Friday, is that okay? Maybe?”
Me: “Next Friday, hmm. Maybe, can we split the difference and, say, get the bike back to me by Tuesday?”
Eric: “But...I....”
Me: “Great!” (grinning broadly) “Tuesday it is!”
You see, this is why I garner the kind of respect I do, everywhere I go. It’s that no-nonsense approach, coupled with a sense of generosity towards the “little people”, that takes me where I need to be. As I leave the shop, I notice that Matt is somehow still busy with this family, and he seems to be slipping the little boy something, a folded bill, while glancing nervously in my direction. Hmm. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the boy then asks YCBG Matt to show him all the bikes that GAG has in the other room, thereby keeping YCBG Matt busy during my visit. Yes, just a coincidence I’m sure.
In any case, I’m happy to report that Sálome was all done, ready to go, waiting by the door, when I went to pick her up on Tuesday. Tomorrow, our first outing in the great outdoors. I’ve already contacted IDOT (IL Dept. of Transportation) to inform them that I’ll be traveling with her out to Huntley at precisely 5:15AM, and that perhaps they might want to post something on their traffic update website to warn people to STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY CAR. Haven’t seen anything yet, but I’m quite sure it’ll be there come morning. If not, I will just have to start going with the bubble wrap approach to driving.
Anyway, I will report back on this momentous event – our adventures await!
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