Part 4 - "Time to PANIC!!!"

My hand shook a little as I signed the credit card receipt for $3,710 and 23 cents. And it seemed to take forever for the credit card verification to come back. The whole time I was waiting, I was praying that Judith hadn't followed through with her most recent threat to cancel ALL our cards. But, when Bob got a great big ole grin on his face, I knew that the "" bike was really mine.

I rolled the "" out Bob's front door and into the back of my van. On the way home, I had to keep glancing in the rear view mirror to be sure it was still there and it was really mine. But, as I drove cross town, the reality of what I had just done started sinking in. Oh God, what will Judith say to a $3700 bike! Even if it was a gorgeous ice blue Carbon Fiber Y-33 mountain bike, I was still going to be dead meat. A little seed of doubt and panic started to erupt in me and I drove as fast as I could straight to Jim "The Animal's" house and into his open garage.

I started banging on Jim's door and he answered it with a big toothless smile. He was sweaty and breathing hard. He had on lycra shorts, a Polar heart rate monitor strapped on his naked chest and a Camel Back water sack on his back. "Hey Don, I'm so glad you're here. I've been down in the basement riding my rollers for a couple hours. I guess I just lost track of time. I might have been down there for a couple more if I hadn't heard you banging like a madman on my door."

"Jim, Jim can I hide a new bike here!" I spit out.

"I don't think so Don. The last new bike my wife found here, and even though it was not mine, it took 6 months out of my sex life."

He glanced in the back window of my van and when he saw the Ice Blue "" he whistled and said; "Oh Jesus Don, You can't take that home! THAT baby might take 2 years off YOUR sex life!"

"Then can I move in with You?" I almost screamed at him.

God, I was panicking now and Jim saw that I was almost out of control with fear.

"Calm down, Don. Maybe you'll only get a year, with time off for good behavior."

"Jim, I'm in real trouble here! I've bought a bike that cost more than both of our cars!"

"Calm down Don. We'll think of something. Come on downstairs, I'll ride the rollers and think, while you drink a cold one. I hope Bud Light is OK. I stopped drinking Coors when they dropped their Cycling Team."

"Bud, Bud, Bud Light is just, just, just fine Jim."