This was written with the permission and coordination of Iza.
Meeting Iza.
As I started getting older, I stopped running and moved to biking. After running most of my life, including some marathons, my body needed more non-impact workouts, to save my knees.
I liked travelling to other places for the sights, but also getting in some biking to keep healthy and fit. I had decided to take a trip to Canada and I did it in the summer. The weather would be pretty nice up there compared to the hot, humid Florida days.
I had my mountain bike on the rack on the back of my car as I drove north. I made it as far as I could the first day and stopped just as I got into Virginia. The second day I pushed up to Lake Placid, NY. I was planning on heading to Montreal first to take a slow ride up the Le Chemin du Roy, or King's Road, towards Quebec. I had my mountain bike, so I was not going to go fast, but I brought it along because many times I'll do unimproved areas and trails.
When I got to Montreal, I went along road 138 for the views and historical references. I drove to Trois-Rivières and began looking for a hotel. I found a place and looked around the town. I got up the next morning and did a short ride, about 15 miles out and back for an acceptable 30-mile workout. It felt good and I stayed there another day, checking out the history. I also found out that my high school French from many years ago, and then my attempt to use it in France when I was stationed in Germany, meant that it was almost useless. Thankfully, everyone spoke English and put my rudimentary French to shame, so I could at least communicate.
I moved on to Quebec and got there early, staying in a hotel in the southwest of the city. I wanted to look around, and found everything interesting and inviting. I went to bed early that night and decided that I was going to ride southwest on 138.
I headed out and was making good time for an older guy on a mountain bike, when I came upon a woman working on her street bike on the side of the road. I had just passed a Sophie Hebert something-or-other, and was almost upon the biker when I saw her pull her hand back and heard what sounded like loud exclamations in French. She jumped around and was shaking her hand.
Rules of the road have always said that you help out a biker in need. I pulled over and she smiled, but it was a bit of a grimace as she held her right hand in her left. She was wearing bike shorts and a bike jersey, and looked pretty fit. She wasn't a youngster, but was a little younger than I was.
"Bonjour," she said. Then there was plenty of French and pointing at her bike and then pointing at her hand.
"Bonjour. Sorry, my high school French from long ago doesn't cover most of that. Having problems?"
The woman stopped and took a deep breath. She seemed to calm herself. "Yes, I am having problems. I won't make you try your French and have to listen to you butcher it." At least she grinned when she said that. "Now, I had just finished changing a flat on the back of my bike. When I was putting everything back together, my hand slipped while putting the chain over the rear derailleur and the correct sprocket, and I caught my palm on one of the teeth of the outer sprocket. I cut it and it's bleeding. I was having a little cursing fit when you pulled up."
I chuckled and leant my bike down on the shoulder. "Well, I just happen to have some band-aids in my pouch. Is it cut bad enough for one?"
She grinned again. "You have band-aids?"
"Yes, I always carry some gauze, band-aids, and medical tape in my pouch. I've been on too many trails on this bike that suddenly dumped me on my ass to not carry medical supplies."
"Yeah, I see that that's a mountain bike. Not too fast for riding this road."
"I'm not concerned about getting somewhere, just exercise."
"Okay. Yes, I'll take one of the band-aids."
I leaned over and opened my pouch to pull out the band-aids and one of the small sealed alcohol packets. I tore open the alcohol packet and pulled out the small pad. "Here, hold the band-aid and I'll clean it first."
"You have alcohol pads, too?"
I shrugged. "I've had a few accidents that required a little more than a band-aid, and I like to clean and cover the bleeding portion."
She chuckled. "I guess so."
She held out her injured hand for me to fix. "My name is Izabel, but you can call me Iza."
I took her hand in my left. "I'm John." I turned it so that I could clean the cut on the heel of her palm. I wiped it with the alcohol wipe, and then held out my hand for the band-aid. I tore it open; she held her hand so I could see the cut, and I put the band-aid on. When I looked up, she was smiling at me.
She looked at the band-aid. "You have a good touch for that."
I shrugged. "Besides having to patch myself up, I had three kids who often required repair."
Iza laughed. "Let me guess, you had little boy terrors who were always getting hurt."
I grinned. "I didn't have any boys. Three daughters. All athletic and competitive as hell. They were quite the handful."
Iza laughed louder. "Good for you. Is your wife athletic, too?"
I gave her a somber look. "Ummm, she was, but I'm widowed."
She went quiet. "Oh. Sorry."
"No, don't be. It's been four years. You had no idea. At least I have three beautiful copies of her to hopefully give me some grandchildren."
"Not yet?"
I thought she might be fishing for some indication of my age. "No, not yet. Freshman in college, junior in college, and one in graduate school."
"Good. Get that education."
"They are smart, competitive, and tough, just like their mother."
Iza eyed me up and down. "And their father?"
I shrugged. "Well, I'm the stubborn one, which, unfortunately, they all got, too. Anyway, I'll let you get back to it."
"I'm going to cut it short today. But tomorrow, I'm going a little north for a ride. Maybe if you want, you can come along?"
"All I have is my mountain bike."
"We'll take some trails and I'll use my gravel bike." She looked at me like: is that okay?
"That would be great. Just text me where and when to meet, and I'll be there. I'm here for a few more days and also want to spend some time in the city." I got off my bike, took out my phone, opened it, and handed it to her. She opened a contact page and entered her information. Then she sent herself a text and verified it.
Finally, she turned back towards me. "Excellent. You should definitely see Quebec. See you tomorrow."
"Wait!" I said as she was climbing back on the bike. "I don't know the area very well and I could use a recommendation."
Iza had straddled her bike by now and turned to me. "Sure. What is it?"
"Where should I go to find a good French restaurant?"
"It's Quebec, so there are many. Where are you staying?" I told her. "Okay, there's a good one near you. I can text you the name and address, okay?"
I smiled at her. "And would you like to join me? I really don't want to eat alone. Let me treat you to dinner before you take me out on the dirt trail and kick my ass."
Iza looked at me with a little grin for a couple of seconds and then nodded. "Yes, that would be great. 1900 good for you?"
"Perfect. See you there."
Iza snapped her shoes in, waved to me, and took off.
I completed my ride and had to admit that I was really looking forward to dinner. Iza was not some skinny model type, which was good for me. I always liked women with hips and tits, and in her bike wear, it was obvious that she qualified. She looked like a nice comfortable ride. Shit. Here I was thinking about sex and we barely knew each other. Well, fuck, I had only had sex three times since my wife died, so I was becoming an old perv. At least that's what my smart-ass daughters told me.