Triumph

Nicolas Willson

We used to have an old Triumph bike. At 16, my oldest brother was the first to ride it: a family event. We flocked to the field to observe. At 600cc, this was no kids’ bike. Pa explained the clutch, brake, and gears in agonizing detail. My brother was cruising, a steady pace, and dead straight towards the end of the field. Having expected him to turn around and become visible again, we began to jog to the bottom. There he was, in the hedge, the bike on top of him. My father had forgotten to explain how to turn.