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this?” When she spoke, her eyes blinked rapidly, her neck snapped from side to side, and she looked less than thrilled. She might as well have been looking at a blow-up doll rather than a bike.
    His heart sank. “I just bought it,” he explained. “It’s a BMW motorcycle.”
    â€œI can see that.” She folded her arms across her chest, expressing her disapproval. “Why did you feel the need to get a motorcycle? Are you going through an early midlife crisis or something? My God, if you do this at turning thirty-five, what in the world are you going to do when you turn forty?”
    Her words stung, and he found himself questioning his motives for wanting that bike at this stage of his life. How did she know that a part of him felt like he was getting old and turning into his dad? Nothing against his pops; he had the utmost respect for him as a man and a father. As far as Greg was concerned, he couldn’t have asked for a better role model to teach him how to be a man. Greg’s point of contention was that he never knew the biker side of his dad. He only knew the disciplinarian and provider side. And now, here was his father, well over sixty, and no matter how much the family moved around and changed residences, that beloved bike remained covered up and parked.
    He refused to fall into that same trap. Before he and Shania started having children, Greg wanted to cross off a few more items from his bucket list, like owning a bike. What was the point of only existing in life when a person had the opportunity to actually live it?
    â€œI—I,” he stammered, unable to get his words out. He couldn’t believe that she had tripped him up like that. He felt like punching himself in the face for acting like such a coward. Franklin was right. Man up , he demanded.
    â€œAnd furthermore,” Shania continued, still working her neck, “how dare you make such a major, and dangerous , decision without consulting me?” She rolled her eyes. “But I can’t solely put the blame on you, because I know that Franklin put you up to this foolishness.”
    Greg felt the need to defend his friend. “Franklin might’ve rooted me on, but I’m the one who made the final decision.”
    â€œOh really? So what should I do, applaud you?”
    Greg sighed and dropped his shoulders. He pinched the bridge of his nose and stared up at the sky. “Babe, I don’t want to argue with you.”
    â€œThen you shouldn’t have purchased this bike.” She dug her hands into her hips. “How selfish and inconsiderate can you be?”
    â€œWell, it is my birthday, sweetheart. Can I buy me something that makes me happy? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
    â€œExcuse me?” She took a step away from him, and her face had lost its color.
    He clenched his jaw. He and Shania didn’t usually argue, and he didn’t like hearing her speak to him in such a harsh tone. And the look on her face wasn’t helping, either. He stared down at his feet and pretended to become entranced by a tiny weed that had sprung up from a thin crack in the pavement. A million thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to figure out a way to restore the peace in their relationship while keeping his bike.
    â€œShania, I’ve been wanting a bike for a while now, and I know you might not—”
    She halted her hand inches from his face. “The last thing I want to do is stand in the way of your happiness, but I wish you would’ve talked to me about this first.” Her sable eyes stared into his light brown ones. She tossed her hands up and sighed. “You had to know that I wouldn’t be okay with this. For Christ’s sake, my parents have already been taken from me. I couldn’t deal with another phone call telling me that someone I love so dearly has been taken from me. I can’t, Greg . . .” Her voice trailed off, and she