"Alright Squall! You got this!"
"B-But what if I fall?" Squall said as he tried to keep his balance on the bike.
It was the first time he was trying it without training wheels. Laguna still had one hand on the bike and one on Squall's back, but it still made him nervous.
"Falling is all about life! You fall but you can get back up and fall over all again. But it means you are wanting to keep trying."
"Is that why you fall all the time?"
Laguna chuckled sheepishly. "Totally! You know your old man never gives us! And you know what they say, 'when you keep falling, you need to get up to fall again'."
Squall tilted his head. "That doesn't make sense?"
Laguna hummed. "Hm maybe it was 'when you don't succeed, fall fall again'."
"I'm still confused," Squall whined.
"Hey, just don't fret it. You got your helmet, your arm and knee pads, and I'll be right by your side the entire time. You ready?"
"Ready!"
"Okay, start pedaling and I'll push."
Squall nodded and started to push the pedals on his bike, feeling the ground move beneath him. He breathed in deeply as he saw that he was starting to make a little movement. He smiled as he looked up to see that his dad was still by his side, still guiding him.
"Ready if I let go?"
"I'll try!"
Squall started to push on the pedals a little harder, he felt the wobble of his bike and the touch of his father leave his back. He was on his own now, and he was determined to show his dad he could do it. He could ride his bike all on his own with no help from training wheels or his dad.
But it was awfully wobbly and his balance became much more unstable. Before he knew it he had lost his balance and fell towards the ground. He yelped when his arm hit the ground, of course he would fall on the parts that weren't covered by the protective gear. He tried his hardest to hold in the cry he wanted to let out.
"Squall!" In a moment he was pulled off the ground and was wrapped up in his fathers's arms. "Are you okay? Please let me know if anything hurts. Any scars or booboos?"
"I'm okay… I don't think I got any booboos," Squall muttered as he buried his face into his father's shirt. "Just a little scared. Falling was scary."
"But you got back up."
"You picked me up."
"Same difference. Point is you got up from the ground in some way or form. And now you can go and try again."
"To fall?"
Laguna chuckled. "Maybe, or maybe you will be able to stay up cause you already fell once before."
"Okay I think I can try again."
With the help of his dad he got back up on his bike and they prepared to go at it again. Squall breathed in deeply when he felt his dad's hand slowly start to let go. It was now or never. He would ever fall again and get back up, or he would keep going. Either way he wasn't about to give up or be scared.
He kept pedaling down the sidewalk and looked carefully to see that his dad was walking briskly alongside him. "There you go, Squall! You're doing it! But keep your eyes on the road ahead of you, not on me."
Squall nodded and focused back on the sidewalk. "I'm doing it!"
He still wobbled a bit, and he started to feel a little nervous about the bike, but he kept going. He went all the way until he reached the end of the block to which Laguna reached out and helped Squall come to a stop.
"Alright! That was so great. Let me get a picture to capture the moment!" Laguna said as he pulled out his small pocket camera from his jacket. "Say bicycle!"
Squall giggled before he did just that. His father snapped the photo halfway through him saying the word. Laguna beamed with bright energy as he stared down at his camera, at the photo that was just taken.
"Aw, you look just so cute on your little bike!"
"Daaaaad," Squall pouted, feeling a little embarrassed.
"What? It's totally true! Just look at yourself!" Laguna said as he turned the camera around so Squall could see the photo. He was proudly sitting on his bike, his mouth half open in a grin from saying the word 'bicycle'. While Squall didn't see himself as cute like his father thought, he did think he was pretty cool at least, for having finally rode his bike without training wheels.
"Alright! You have made a great achievement today! You know what that means," Laguna said with a wide grin.
Squall threw his arms up in the air. "Ice cream reward!"
Right away, Laguna scooped Squall up into his arms. "That's right! Let's go pick up Ellone from her friend's house and all go together."
"But she's playin' with her friend."
"Well… her friend can come too! Everyone should celebrate your newest achievement!"
Squall hummed in agreement as he leaned against his father's chest, hugging him as best as he could. His father truly was the best. He had met his friend's dads before, and they were all great, but none seemed as great as his own. His father was the most caring, goofy, and loving dad ever! Squall knew he could never ask for a better dad, for there wouldn't be one as amazing as his.