Fixing Bikes with Kids

On Saturday mornings I volunteer at a community bike shop where kids can earn a free bike by learning to fix one. I'm a retired machinist, so this is pretty much my dream.

This spring I worked with a quiet twelve-year-old named Andre. For four weeks he barely said a word. He just watched my hands, then tried it himself: tire levers, brake pads, chain links. He got grease on his face and didn't care.

The day he finished, he took his bike for a test ride around the parking lot. He did three loops. On the fourth he took his hands off the handlebars and yelled "Look!" with a grin I could see from across the lot.

Now he comes back every Saturday to help the younger kids. He talks a lot more. He's patient with them in a way that makes me so proud I have to pretend to be busy with a wrench.