Get Your Rickshaw Ride With Me.

Zero Competition is the way to go to earn a tiny living...Issue #14

ifOnlyi…knew how much fun life can be when you’re not afraid of hard work or hold fear within your spirit. It can be the most amazing experience ever. But I wasn’t always this way.

My list of chores seemed to give me the will to want to make money! The school offered ‘workers experience’; you would walk into a small room and read the posting boards showing what grown-ups wanted or needed and how much they would pay by the hour or job.

Guess what? I had no car to get around in, yet, but I had a bike. Yes, I could bike everywhere, mostly going uphill to every job that was posted, so I would already be exhausted when I arrived. That was the landscape where we lived, so I decided I had to figure out another form of work experience.

I had a brainwave to give rickshaw rides. For now, as you can imagine, I would increase my workload more than seemed possible for a kid like me. I bet you're wondering what that is, or are saying, how in the hell are you going to do that without a Rickshaw? I got it covered, trust me!

My Dad had bought one in Hong Kong and shipped it to California, so I took advantage of that and went around knocking on doors, offering my neighbors rides right here, right now! They did not even have to go to Hong Kong.

Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879.[1] Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or trishaws), auto rickshaws, and electric rickshaws were invented, and have replaced the original pulled rickshaws, with a few exceptions for their use in tourism

Pulled rickshaw, Japan, c. 1897

Pulled rickshaws created a popular form of transportation, and a source of employment for male labourers, within Asian cities in the 19th century. Their appearance was related to newly acquired knowledge of ball-bearing systems. Their popularity declined as cars, trains and other forms of transportation became widely available.

I was busy, yes, indeed. I began to build up my legs and soon became like an Egyptian with leg strength: run, baby run, no worries. People would try to get four on board, and I would have to say it may break. Three, I could handle.

How many times a day can I book people for rides? I was good to go. I got so many people honking at me, laughing, and asking, “What is that?” I made money and tips, and they were happy to pay. I liked the work, the sweat, and meeting people.

I went through quite a few pairs of sneakers, so that didn’t go over well, as they were the ones I used for tennis. Now that school became easier, people started taking notice of me and would walk up and ask if I was the dude running up and down the street all afternoon and all night.

“That’s me, Ollie,” I would reply. “How in the world are you doing?” Care for a ride, no, not that kind! LOL. A Rickshaw kind. I’m your go-to for fun in the sun or rain, we can even put the top up.

Now, I was able to get rides to the football games on Friday nights with other kids' parents. These are the same parents I gave Rickshaw rides to. Strangers in the night turned out to be older kids whom the parents would drive to games.

ifOnlyi….short stories are published chronologically, and follow my life growing up in California from 4 years old. If you’ve just found me, the stories will come together when you start reading from….Issue #1