Snow & Sun

The days went by, one by one. Her hands were aching from the pressure towards the handlebars but she tried to think of what one of the participants had said to her earlier. Pain is just in your head. Could it be like that? What about love then? Was that also something only in your head? Maybe, and in that case, what did it mean? The tarmac road never ended neither did the kilometres in front of her. She had lost him somewhere after day three. He was tired, they all were of course but she knew herself pretty well and felt comfortable every morning she rolled out her bike towards a new day ahead. She didn't really understand how she never hardly felt it would be a hard day, even if she had to go 250 kilometres before the nightfall. She thought back of the other day when he still was there together with her. They seemed to be synchronized whether it was about cycling or eating. Some of the participants seemed to think that food was something that would take your power down, she didn't understand why it should. But with him it was different. He seemed to enjoy the food stops as much as she did.

It was never something special, just ordinary Indian food. But all the hard work made it like taste like an upper-class dinner like those you only allow yourself at very specific moments of life. Or what she thought of she would do. She never did in real life. That real life of her back home, far away from these never-ending roads, was a pretty boring history. Not that she misliked her life it was only the fact that nothing ever happened. She had a good job, a kind husband, two well behaved and sweet children but still she was restless and always looking out for something to happen. And now it was. This journey of cycling had woke up something deep inside her that she never knew she had. A kind of raw power that no matter how the circumstances were along the road, she just knew nothing could stop her. This primordial force had surprised both her and people around. Suddenly sitting back home after work wasn't an option any more. The longing for the roads took over everything and she couldn't even remember any longer when both she and her husband realized that she had left him far behind in life. That was how he, the husband, looked at it and she couldn't blame him. Still, it had never created any conflict between them. Maybe because deep down they had both known for many years now that something radical had to be changed or it would all melt away like the snow back home when spring is entering the stage.

This was how her thoughts shifted forth and back while the morning turned to lunchtime, to tea time, to dawn. Sometimes she did change a few words with other cyclists she made company with for shorter or longer distances. But it never turned out to be like it was with him. She was surprised he didn't show up but at least he tried to call her now and then to try to catch her. She never picked up the phone in time and she was too unsure of riding by herself in this enormous country. Maybe she should stop and wait for him, but in that case, what would she tell the other ones? They would probably not even let her stay alone by the roadside waiting for how long? She couldn't even tell. Better then to keep on riding.

Finally, the last day showed up and it was time to reach what they had been going for now for six long days. Only 160 kilometres were ahead of them when she woke up the last morning. It was a beautiful day, the desert chill felt far away and the humidity from the coast side had started to address itself to them. No need for an extra layer of clothes anymore and nature had gone from brown to red to lushly green with colourful flowers decorating the nature around them.

She saw him already from a long distance. He was standing on the side, taking shelter from the sun beneath a huge tree. He had something in his hand to eat. She felt like a big smile when she stopped and asked how he was. Strange enough he didn't look happy at all like he didn't care about the fact that he would soon have put 1500 kilometres behind in only six days. How was he even able not to smile? 'Are you coming with me?' 'No, you go ahead. I will come later. I'm too tired'