LIGHT TRAFFIC

Slide 1: Blanche Rousseau-Drapeau is 8 years old. Three years ago, her family moved from Sherbrooke to Park Extension, in Montreal. The only white kid in her new school, Blanche was picked on a lot. (It didn’t help that in French, “blanche” means “white.”) Her mother says she became fearful and remote, a ghost of herself. Now in a different school, Blanche is starting to get her mojo back. This spring, her parents decided to teach her how to ride her bike without training wheels, to boost her self-confidence.

Slide 2: In Jarry Park, where the lesson is to take place, the competiton is fierce. Many young cyclist are already riding without training wheels. Blanche assesses the scene, readying herself for her début.

Slide 3: Blanche says she is more excited than scared about learning the new biking technique. “I do things that are just as dangerous,” she says, mentioning in passing plunging her head under water at the pool and ice-skating without holding her mother’s hand.

Slide 4: “The only thing I really don’t want is hurting my mouth,” Blanche explains. Her mother tells me Blanche bumped into a tree while sledding at the tender age of two. She still remembers. The first day of lessons is relatively sucessful, but Blanche still needs help with her balance. “You just have to trust yourself,” she says, very seriously.

Slide 5: Two days later, Blanche’s father joins his wife and daughter at the park for Lesson Number Two. “I like it better when it’s Mom,” Blanche says. “My Dad, he’ll just give me a push and that’s it.”

Slide 6: After a pep talk from her father, which Blanche repeats under her breath like a mantra (“You can’t stop me from doing what I want, fear!”), Blanche rides into the sunset, not even realizing her father is no longer behind her, holding her up.

Slide 7: Blanche savors her victory by running straight to her Mom for a hug. Before her mind drifts to the ice cream she was promised, she admits it was silly of her to be missing her old pink-and-white bike, the one with the training wheels. “I thought it was like a lucky charm, cause I had it for so long, but I think this one is gonna be even luckier.”

Slide 8: Blanche is exhausted but happy as she makes her way back home from the park. She says she’s excited about sharing the news with her friends, when she goes back to school, after the Easter break. “My Dad says that when you learn to ride your bike, afterwards you can’t forget,” she says. “That’s so cool.”

THE END