a tale of zin and miller

(zin and miller-all grown up taller) 
in 1976, "zin" moved from the country into town and started attending a new elementary school. the first person she met was "miller". zin was a chubby little girl with curly brown hair; she had a killer smile:) miller was a skinny little girl with straight brown hair; she had a killer sense of humor:b they quickly became best friends.  zin and miller were inseparable at school... as well as at home.

in the summers, they would awake every morning, ride their bikes a couple of blocks to the local market, dick's finer foods, and play ms pacman until their quarters were depleted (i have even heard on several occasions, when no one was looking, one would unplug and replug the midway game in order to rack up the "high score"). afterwards, they would catch up with hometown tennis legend, doc hosbach, and ride slowly along side him on his yellow tricycle to the local tennis courts, which were named for him. finally, they would make their way to the library and hang out until lunchtime before returning home...
for the most part, that is how they rolled.
however, there was this one day zin was hanging out at miller's house playing atari- (quarterless, they were deviating from their normal routine)- this was the day the duo "rolled" a little differently. miller's neighbor rode up on his scooter and offered the two a ride. miller hopped on behind her neighbor and moved up to make room for zin.

(zin's VERY strict mother had most definitely forbidden her from riding a "motorcycle"; but, she had never really said anything about a "scooter"...  no, she definitely had not.)

so, without much hesitation, zin straddled the back of the scooter, sat down behind the two, scooted forward (on the not-nearly-long-enough-seat), and wrapped her arms around millers waist. miller's friend gave his scooter gas and peeled away from the front of miller's house. as he did, he hit gravel throwing zin up from the back of the seat!

"HANG ON, DAN ZIN!!!" ame miller yelled.

zin dumbly hung on for dear life as the street's pavement began to eat the flesh from her knees and the gravel burrow itself into what little flesh left on zin's knees and shins... (it was years before all that gravel worked its way out of zin's legs!) when the short ride came to an abrupt stop (like before it ever even got started), zin had finally let go and was lying face-down on the street.   she was hurt...  BUT  more concerned about the wrath of her VERY strict mother  than about the bodily damage she had sustained.
zin's concern quickly turned into EXTREME concern about the aforementioned wrath! so, she got on her own (NON-motorized) bike and stiffly, painfully pedaled her way home. when she finally arrived at her house, she took a most tortuous shower and then club-footed her way to the den,  gingerly lowered herself into the recliner, and covered herself with an afghan. zin was hoping... PRAYING  her VERY strict mother would notice her injuries.   
however, 
after the VERY strict mother came in from work, after MUCH serious thought, and, lastly, after she realized she would be unable to walk to the dinner table without her wounds being noticed, zin confessed. 

PRAYERS ANSWERED,  zin's VERY strict mother must have realized zin had already more than learned her lesson... for, zin only received a glare and stern, "i-guess-you-won't-do-that-again."
thank the VERY good LORD!!!

that was zin's LAST scooter ride.

it was,  however,  NOT the LAST antic in which  she and her-best-friend-since-third-grade,  miller,  involved themselves...
no,  on the contrary,  i hear the dynamic duo are still in cahoots today.

love and blessings,
dani xxx