Leisure Wheel
[By PG Jonker]
It was one of those hectic days at home. To restore a measure of calm at home I got sent off to the library with Anita, 9 years old, and Chris-Jan, 2 years old. My wife reckoned it would be a lot better for her sanity if we rather go and disrupt the library than our home. Not that she had any gripe with the library though. Unlike the occasion when the chaps at the Home Affairs ticked her off slightly. So when we then all had to attend to the Home Affairs office all at the same time she gave permission (no, rather instructed) the kids to have a good time and to run around as much as they want. They duly complied. But I digress.
The library is closed. Some improvisation is required, thus. Fortunately there is a nice lawn in front of the library with a play park. Deserted, so we have it all for ourselves. Anita aims straight for the big horizontal wheel. One of those instruments designed to make you nauseous by just looking at it.
I am the energy source, tasked to make the thing go around. Chris-Jan is very suspicious, and resists all forms of enticement to make him join the fun. “Don’ wanna get up,” sayeth Chris-Jan.
It takes a while to overcome some stubborn inertia, but in due time I have the wheel spinning rather nicely, with Anita relaxing on board. As things progress Chris-Jan starts to develop some interest in the action. At first limited to watching intently, but later inching nearer.
Eventually “Don’ wanna get up” becomes “Wanna get up.”
OK, first things need to come back to a standstill. I mount Chris-Jan spread-legged across the double bar of the wheel. He now sits on the outer edge of this wheel, facing the direction in which he will be moving.
Obviously we need to tone down a bit on the speed now. The wheel is about a meter above the ground, which is rather high for a two-year old. I can now also relax, as the pace is now a lot more leisurely than before. Anita simply has to make do with the more sedate pace.
Chris-Jan gets the hang of things rather quickly. His little hands have the bars in a tight grip. As speed increases slightly he leans into the turn like on a motorbike. A real pro, ek sê.
With Chris-Jan getting the hang of things I start to increase the speed slightly. Soon he enjoys it even more than his older sister. As his balance seems very well, and he is holding tightly on, I increase the speed. And the faster it goes, the more Chris-Jan enjoys it. Well, eventually everyone is enjoying this leisure wheel.
OK, it was probably bound to happen some or other time. As the centrifugal force increased, eventually it reached the point where it overcame the hold of two-year old hands, and woeps! off the wheel Chris-Jan goes. He hits the ground with a rather hefty force.
An immediate and loud protest follows. If it was not for the fact that also his mouth was full of sand the volume of the protest would have been exponentially higher. It takes me a while to get the sand out of most of the orifices, between the tears and the saliva. Fortunately no injuries. The sobs eventually become quiet. Not that this is any indication of an improved mood on his side.
Eventually Chris-Jan is sufficiently composed to turn his wrath on the object of his discontent, which is obviously the wheel, not me. So he turns to the wheel, points it out to me and instruct me: “Hit him, daddy, hit him.”
So I hit him. The wheel now, I mean.
PGJ