this time i brought our camera

The following Thursday I returned, in our car, with the two chrome forks in the trunk. I remembered that I also had a set of handlebars in the trunk, handlebars I bought the first time I went to Plan B, sometime last year, with the idea that I would put them on my present bike. Never happened. Now I returned them.

The shop was not busy. I grabbed my bike, said hello to Marcos and set up the frame on a stand. This time I brought our camera. I took off the saddle and seat post. I stood back and captured the frame.

I checked all the headset pieces and they fit the new fork. I didn't think they would. For some reason I didn't think this would be so easy. I was getting the hang of it.

I tightened the headset, but not too much. Then I tightened the handlebars in place, though I realized they weren't in line with the fork. I left it for now.

I got the idea to change out the regular screw and nut that held the seat post with a quick-release type thing. I asked one of the guys, his name I don't know, if he thought that was a good idea.

"I want to change this out," I said, pointing. "I want, the, uh..." I couldn't figure out the word and this guy was not able to read my mind. Finally I found the words "quick-release" and he said he didn't see why not.

I looked for the pieces and ran across a filthy plastic bag I'd seen before but never examined. It was an unopened quick-release, I saw. I brought it over to the bike. This may not make sense to anyone else, but I felt bad opening that bag, tearing it open. It felt like a mixture of doing something wrong (I had this kid-like guilt telling me I should ask someone first) and a feeling that I wasn't worthy, that this had apparently lasted a long time and been through a lot and the person who opened it must be pretty dang important. Like it was the Holy Grail or something.

But it was just a quick-release thing. I put it on the seat post. Thought altogether it seemed a bit crooked, it tightened fine. I turned on the camera, stood back and snapped another shot.