Dan Taylor stepped out of his truck into the warm sunshine of another glorious southern California morning. As he took his road bicycle out of the back and prepared it for the ride--checking tire pressure and loading his equipment-- a large SUV pulled up behind him. He glanced up to see a pretty young woman get out and go around the back to get her own bike.
"I've never seen her before," Dan thought to himself. That was not unusual. The club was always accumulating new riders. But Dan had reached that age where he had become invisible to young women. That had been a blow to his ego, because all his life he had been good with the ladies. Now, if they were under 30 he might as well be a tree or fire hydrant.
Not that he hadn't kept himself in good shape. When his doctor told him he shouldn't play basketball with the boys anymore, he started jogging. After his knees went bad and his hip started to ache after each run, he turned to biking for his workouts. He rode with the bike club twice a week and got to the gym as often as possible. But he was 52, and no amount of exercise could change that.
Which is why he was so surprised when the young woman approached him.
"Hi," she said, "I'm Goli." She pronounced it 'golly.'
Dan stared at her, not quite sure she was talking to him.
"I've never been out with this club. What do we do?" she asked.
"Oh, uh, well, we just meet over there," Dan replied, pointing to the parking lot at the university, "and then we join whichever ride we choose."
"That sounds easy enough...what is your name?"
"Oh," Dan said foolishly, "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Dan Taylor."
"Nice to meet you," she said as she shook his hand. Her grip was firm, warm.
"What kind of name is Goli?"
"Israeli."
"Really? What part?"
"Tel Aviv. But I'm going to college here."
"What are you majoring in?"
"I'm only a freshman so I haven't really decided," she said, "I'm leaning toward political science."
"Wow," he thought, "brains
and
beauty."
"Great," by now Dan was ready to go, "Shall we ride?"
They pedaled over to the meeting point and Dan introduced her to the other riders. She was friendly and outgoing, so different from the women he usually met in Los Angeles. Dan surreptitiously checked her out, being careful not to let her catch him. She was 5'4, with long auburn hair that she kept in a pony tail. Her eyes were a sparkling green and she smiled easily through her flawless teeth and succulent lips. Her full breasts were covered by a wife beater t-shirt and an overshirt that she tied at her waist. Her tight biking shorts accented her perfect bubble ass that gave way to shapely and muscular legs.
They left on their ride and Goli was full of questions about biking. Dan answered her questions patiently, mildly surprised at the amount of knowledge he had accumulated. They fell into a brisk pace but soon, her bike started making a noise in the gears. When they stopped for a break at the 15 mile mark, Dan used his tools to adjust her derailleur. Goli was very interested in the whole process and watched closely over his shoulder as he worked, so close that Dan could feel her firm young breasts against his back and savor a tantalizing trace of her perfume.
The problem fixed, they continued their ride. Goli seemed taken with Dan, laughing easily at his jokes and genuinely interested in his life. Too soon they reached the college where they had started. Now it was just a matter of crossing campus to the parking lot.
But campus roads were a mess, having been torn up for a new sewer system, and neither Dan nor Goli saw the uncovered trench across the road until the last second. Because of his riding experience, Dan was able to react immediately, braking and turning his wheel to avoid the trench. Goli was not so lucky. She hit her brakes but the front tire slid into the trench, pitching her over the handlebars. She landed on a sidewalk, sliding on her hands and cracking her head into a huge pump in the road.
Dan jumped off his bike and ran to where she lay, prostrate and motionless on the sidewalk. He rolled her onto her back, checking her pulse and breathing. Her fractured helmet had done it's job, probably saving her life, and her gloves had protected her hands when she landed on them. Her knees were skinned but nothing seemed to be broken. Dan carefully removed her smashed helmet and examined her headβno lacerations, no major contusions. He checked her pupils and found them to be reactive. He tore off his shirt and soaked it in water from her bottle, using it to clean and cool her face.
"GOLI! GOLI!" he shouted at her, "GOLI, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
She moaned and turned her head slightly. "GOLI! WAKE UP GOLI! GOLI CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
By this time students were coming to his aid. Someone called campus police and they arrived just as Goli opened her eyes. Dan stared intently into her face.
"Goli, look at me." Dan said as he examined her eyes. "Can you hear me?"
Her eyes focused and she looked confused, but managed to nod at Dan.
"Good. Do you know who I am?"
She thought for a few seconds, "You're Dan," she said, "What happened?"
"You took a fall from your bike," he said, "Do you think you can stand up?"
"I think so."
Dan helped her slowly get to her feet as the campus cop held her other arm. She took a step and her knees gave way.
"We better take her to the infirmary," said the cop.
************
Half an hour later, Dan was pacing in the waiting room as they released Goli. She walked slowly into the waiting room with a doctor.
"How is she?" Dan asked the doctor.
"She'll be all right. No broken bones or signs of a concussion. Just a few bruises. She'll probably have a headache and be sore for a few days," he said, "Are you her father?"
Goli and Dan exchanged glances.
"No. A friend."
"Oh, well she should go home and soak in a hot bath to relieve the soreness," said the doctor, "but someone should keep an eye on her for a while. Don't let her sleep for the next couple of hours, just in case."
"Okay, thanks," Goli said.
Dan helped her outside to her SUV that he had brought around from the parking lot. Both bikes were in the back.
"I'm going to drive you home and ride my bike back," he said, "is there someone who can stay with you?"