Hey, who is that guy? Here he comes again. This time I hollered at him, and he turned around. I’ve been seeing this man riding down the sidewalk in front of my house on Marginal Street almost daily.  

He rides one of those electric bikes. He doesn’t go by real fast, and guess what? He doesn’t ride alone. Standing on the middle bar right up against him is a 4-year-old girl with blonde curly hair. She holds onto the handlebars, and there is always a small bag hanging on it, too.

I told him who I was and I asked if he was from Cooleemee.  He said, “Yes ma’am, right down here on Davie Street.”The man’s name is Drew Cline, and the cute little girl who rides along is Bristol, his granddaughter.   

You’re probably thinking, well I see people riding bikes all day every day.  But this ride is different. Not only is the ride consistent, but there’s always a quiet and sweet conversation between the two. The grandfather comes across as attentive and has a soft voice, one that you would expect from a grandfather. Cline said she loved riding the bike; “It’s what she likes to do. She probably really likes stopping to get a few things, too, at the store.”

I thought, surely sometime later in life, she was going to reflect on those sweet, hot summer bike rides down Marginal Street with her grandfather and how happy she was. Picking Bristol a small bouquet of daisies from my floral garden was a given because she makes me stop and say, “Ahhh” every week.

  Please feel free to contact me at cooleemeenews@gmail.com, or call at 336.250.1133, I’d love to hear from you.