The Long Way Home

Bea cycled home along the river every day. One afternoon, a sign said the path was closed for repairs. She had to ride through a part of town she did not know well.

At first, she was annoyed. The other route had more traffic and took ten minutes longer. Then she passed a small shop with bicycles outside.

For weeks, one of her brakes had made a strange noise. The bigger repair shop near her office was always busy. Bea stopped and asked the man inside if he could look at it.

He fixed the problem in a few minutes. While he worked, Bea noticed a map on the wall. It showed several quiet cycling routes.

The man gave her a copy. The next day, she tried one of them. It was not the fastest way home, but it went through a lovely park. This time, she did not mind the extra minutes.