"This might surprise you, given how damn graceful I am in other parts of my life, but if you get this bulk on roller skates, you're gonna end up wheeling me around when I break both my legs."

But he's thinking about something else, too, about Christmas and what to get for Beverly. Maybe she'll be sixteen soon and he's intent on teaching her to drive, because everyone should know, but a bike might be a good gift for her, too.

It's a funny thing, thinking about Christmas presents again.