Neil is embarrassed with my hopelessness

I’ve been a passenger on many a motorcycle in my time, but I’ve never been the one to drive / ride these two-wheeled monsters.

That is not about to change.

Very recently, someone I work with offered to let me have a go on their 50cc Vespa. I’ve always fancied myself as more of a scooter gal than biker, so I was happy to accept.

The only thing I did not screw up at (and I was so convinced I would) was turning the throttle and moving off without losing control or balance. I could go into the whole sordid story, but I shall just say that being short and not very heavy means:

1. I had no momentum or leverage to speak of to roll the scooter off its stand to begin with — always a bad sign.
2. Turning involves leaning — a slight incline meant an inevitable disaster, but I comfort myself with the fact that I didn’t drop the scooter, I lowered it slowly to the ground.

• 29 Jul 2007

• Thinking