I Want a Four Wheeler

My son Andrew was at the age where he wanted to test his wings a bit and be in control of something with a motor. Some of his friends had a four wheeler, a quad and he wanted one as well. The fathers of his friends used them for hunting and farming. I didn’t have the need for one and it was a luxury we could ill afford at the time. After several requests, he didn’t ask anymore, but he did drop frequent hints.

One day after he came home from school, I said to him, “We got a four wheeler for you today, but there are rules you will need to follow before you can ride it.”

A huge smile washed across his face. A sparkle appeared in his eyes and I could see this “WOW!” pop into his head.

“The first rule, you cannot ride it outside of the yard without special permission.” I told him. “The second, if you leave the yard, you must wear a helmet and number three, no hot rodding with it in the yard.”

Almost dancing, he agreed.

I pulled the key from my pocket. It was dangling on a ring. I tossed it to him saying, “It’s parked out back.”

It was almost as if he was launched from a catapult. He flew across the living room floor and out through the front door.

Now, I must confess something before I continue with the rest of the story. The four wheeler that I bought was a bright red lawn mower. I know it was in a way a mean thing to do. It was parked beneath a window at the back of the house.

I am proud of my son. There had to be some disappointment that it was a lawn mower and not a quad, but he took it in stride. He didn’t utter one word of complaint. He just hopped on, stuck the key in the ignition, and looked over the controls. Pushing the throttle into the start position, he turned the key in the ignition. He put it into gear, lowered the mower deck and shot off across the yard.

Speeding and wheeling the mower through the yard, it didn’t take long at all before the lawn was neatly mowed.