Almie Rose

 
	It was at least two months before Christmas, when nine-year-old Almie
	Rose told her father and me that she wanted a new bicycle.  Her old
	Barbie bicycle was just too babyish, and besides it needed a new
	tire.
	 
	As Christmas drew nearer, her desire for a bicycle seemed to fade--
	or so we thought, as she didn't mention it again.  Merrily, we
	started purchasing the latest rage--Baby-Sitter's Club dolls--and
	beautiful story books, a doll house, a holiday dress and toys.  Then,
	much to our surprise, on December 23rd she proudly announced that she
	"really wanted a bike more than anything else."
	 
	Now we didn't know what to do.  It was just too late, what with all
	the details of preparing Christmas dinner and buying last-minute
	gifts, to take the time to select the "right bike" for our little
	girl.  So here we were--Christmas Eve around 9pm, having just
	returned from a wonderful party, contemplating our evening
	ahead...hours of wrapping children's presents, parent's presents, a
	brother's presents and friend's presents.  With Almie Rose and her
	six-year-old brother, Dylan, nestled snug in their beds, we could now
	think only of the bike, the guilt and the idea that we were parents
	who would disappoint their child.
	 
	That's when my husband, Ron, was inspired.  "What if I make a little
	bicycle out of clay and write a note that she could trade the clay
	model in for a real bike?"  The theory, of course, being that since
	this is a high-ticket item and she is "such a big girl," it would be
	much better for her to pick it out.  So he spent the next five hours
	painstakingly working with clay to create a miniature bike.
	 
	Three hours later, on Christmas morning, we were so excited for Almie
	Rose to open the little heart-shaped package with the beautiful red
	and white clay bike and the note.  Finally, she opened and read the
	note aloud.
	 
	She looked at me and then at Ron and said, "So, does this mean that I
	trade in this bike that Daddy made me for a real one?"
	 
	Beaming, I said, "YES."
	 
	Almie Rose had tears in her eyes when she replied, "I could never
	trade in this beautiful bicycle that Daddy made me.  I'd rather keep
	this than get a real bike."
	 
	At that moment, we would have moved Heaven and Earth to buy her every
	bicycle on the planet!