Father’s red CCM bicycle

Father’s red CCM bicycle is an old family possession that carries Yolandi Von Riesen to the hospital for a late-night visit with her sister, Elfrieda Von Riesen. Its role is practical, but the ride also folds childhood into the present: the bicycle makes an urgent trip feel, briefly, like a return to an earlier self.

The Bicycle and Its Journey

Yolandi retrieves the bicycle from the storage cage in her mother’s basement and speeds along the path beside the swollen Assiniboine River. At the hospital, she flings it onto the grass outside the Palaveri ward without locking it, intent on getting inside with important news before visiting hours are over. The bicycle is not described as a treasured heirloom or carefully maintained possession; it is simply available, kept among her mother’s stored belongings, and put to use when Yolandi needs to reach Elfrieda.

A Return to Childhood

The journey recalls Yolandi’s childhood, when arriving late for the six o’clock start of The Wonderful World of Disney could make her feel like a child again. The bicycle supplies a physical continuity between that remembered urgency and the present crisis. After entering the ward, Yolandi finds Elfrieda asleep, lies beside her, holds her hand, and matches her breathing. The bicycle has carried Yolandi to this quiet act of closeness, though the scene’s stillness contrasts with the speed of her ride there.

Recognition and Departure

When Yolandi leaves, the bicycle is still on the dew-damp grass. It seems lighter than before, prompting her to check that it is the same faded red CCM three-speed; the recognition turns an ordinary object into something briefly strange and newly noticeable. She confirms its identity, climbs on, and rides away into the rest of the night. The bicycle thus frames the hospital visit: it brings Yolandi from the family’s stored past to Elfrieda’s bedside, then carries her back out into the night.