Eleven years ago today, Mike and I met for the first time on our way to freshman orientation. We went on a long walk that night, and two years’ worth of walks later were engaged and then married a year after that. According to Mike, we never dated, but for our one-month “we’re not dating” anniversary he bought me a gift.
Sure, mud guards for a bike aren’t a traditional gift, but they were much appreciated. We were in Northern California, and it was raining a lot. And who knows when I would have found room in my budget to buy them myself… The mud guards were sold with my bike to a graduate student who, when bidding for my bike against another grad student, rejected my offer of a second price sealed bid auction (where the highest bidder pays the second-highest price), insisting instead on the winner paying the higher bid. And this was an economics graduate student in one of the highest ranking economics programs in the country. No wonder our country is suffering an economic crisis. And no, he wasn’t hitting on me; I was married and selling my “husband’s bike” because when I tried to sell a men’s bicycle as my own nobody wanted to buy it…
Thank you to everyone who entered, I got a lot of entertainment out of your answers. Random.org chose Katrina, whose use of logic I quite liked anyhow. Congratulations, Katrina!
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
@LiEr – What a nightmare! I'm glad you got most of the artwork off. I found Johnny drawing on the walls with a whiteboard marker last week. I got it off, thanks to Magic Eraser.
What a delightful post! I loved reading about how you and your husband non-dated. I would never have guessed the gift – very practical gift and also very sweet.
Also very much enjoyed the picture of Emma in your very cool fabric-covered box. Kids and boxes go together, and fabric completes the picture.
And yes, Johnny and Kate would be good friends. Today Kate climbed onto my sewing table, found a permanent marker and decorated the table top, as well as some small (fortunately unwanted) bits of fabric. Rubbing alcohol on the table top removed most of the artwork, but not before I almost collapsed from the shock.
@Cascia – some bikes come with them on – they are round and plastic or metal, not flaps like on trucks.
I have never heard of putting mud guards on a bicycle.
Very practical, and a terrific story for your grandchildren one day. :)
I too am worried about the grad student who wanted to pay the higher price…
Ok, NEVER would have guessed that, but it somehow fits him (and you) perfectly! What a neat story!
That was pretty unguessable! :) Just posted an award for you on our blog.
I kept thinking it had to be something to do with your bike…it's obviously been too long since I biked in those California downpours…I'd almost forgotten about the "freshman stripe"!
@Stephanie – I know. After all, mud splatters can be very artistic…
I would have never guessed :)
What? Your husband doesn't think huge spatters on the back of your clothes is attractive? What gives?
That is great! I was not even close to that!!! Thank you for the contest and I can't wait to give the crayon-roll to my daughter!
Wow! Bicycle mud guards is something I never would have known even if I had tried to guess. What a funny gift. :) And useful I'm sure.