Tandem

“It’s my turn to pedal,” he called over his shoulder, though the wind tore the words from his lips. Ahead, the road rose sharply, climbing steeply into an overcast sky. He glanced back.

The route they’d left was riddled with potholes, each a pitfall of its own. She had steered them expertly, navigating the winding ribbon and dodging the gashes in its surface. Her breathing came fast and heavy. She had been exhausted by the effort.

It was then he’d suggested they stop and trade places. She agreed reluctantly, relinquishing her place in front to sit astride the back seat.

Now each breath from her tired lungs echoed in his ear and seemed to propel him forward. He leaned into the wind, willing strength into his tired legs. Gradually, he felt her own effort taper. First slowly pedaling, then coasting. Yes, she was tired now. Spent by the battles she had fought on the muddy road for them both. She had carried them safely through the lowlands.

“It won’t be long,” he called, and this time the wind carried the words to her ears. “You rest; I’ll get us there,” he added.

The road wound slowly, always at an incline, higher and higher. His legs burned and his lungs screamed, but he wouldn’t complain. Not when she had been the one to carry them this far.

The air grew thinner and cooler. The wind was sharp across his face. Each breath became a misty cloud, hovering in the icy air for just a moment before it disappeared.

His strength flagged. He became aware, all at once, that he would never succeed. He would never be capable of carrying them both to the peak. The effort was too great; and his strength, too lacking. He felt inadequate, weak. As though he had disappointed her and failed to do what she needed most: to carry them safely to the top. After all, she had been his strength in the valleys. Now it was his turn to be hers. And yet he could not manage.

“You’re not alone,” her voice came softly from behind him. “We are on this tandem together.”

“It’s my turn to pedal,” he argued. “It’s my turn to be strong for us both.”

Gently, quietly, she laid her delicate hand on his sleeve.

“We are twice as strong,” she said, “when we work together.”

With renewed strength, her feet churned the pedals. And as though the road had become smooth as glass, he felt them surge forward. As one, their legs turning in unison, their combined strength made short work of the remaining road.

At last they crested the summit. The wind died down. The sun emerged from its cloudy hiding place. They stopped and held one another as they surveyed the difficult road they had traversed.

The road they had conquered–together.