"Hey. Do you guys need a ride?"

This new year I have one major resolution and that is to try new things and take more risks. Now, granted, those are on sliding scales and the theory of relativity (that all things are relative) applies, yada, yada, and what not, to and fro all the live long day. SO in that vain I decided to fill in for a guy at a ricksha(w) company in Charlotte.
Now of course with the likes of Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz rocking out a concert in the new Bobcats Arena there would be plenty of traffic (foot and otherwise) Uptown and a ricksha is the perfect remedy to said problem.
Having biked hard this A.M. at the YMCA (young man, are you listening to me?) for about 30 minutes because I thought that would be the extent of my exercise for the whole day I was a bit reluctant to take the spot riding for 4 hours in streets and sidewalks through traffic hauling up to three people, "kids ride free." At this moment my legs would like to interject their thoughts on calling peddling a huge tricycle thing "riding." I guess it's like heavily schooled doctors and lawyers who "practice" law or medicine. But I digress.
Never-the-less I acquiesed in my decision and met up at 6:30 with Bobby. I was given a shirt, a radio, a ricksha and blinking lights for the front and rear of the bike. I was off. I was greeted by the other guys with questions such as, "how often do you ride?" or, "do you mountain bike much?". They all, of course, were met with my inability to lie and confess, "I actually don't ride." These were short conversations.
I finished the night (really biking for about 4 hours with roughly 30 minutes of cumulative inactivity) by taking a couple down two one ways, on a muddy sidewalk that was too narrow and nearly striking the chap in the head with a rogue branch. Then after 2 miles, a red light, two half-serious/half-joking screams and 15 minutes we landed at their place. Thankfully they tipped well.
So that was my night. I wasn't able to hold out until the very end when the concert would let out. Partly I regret this missed opportunity to hang with true Aerosmith fans denimed to the brim. However, in the heat of the moment as I looked back to the city 2 miles my aft and 190 horses in a comfortable German seat in front, I decided a Cajun fillet sandwich and seasoned fries from Bojangles via the drive-thru would be the real "riding" I was ready for.
I hope to ricksha it up again though.
Don't you worry about that.