The Postscript: Riding together

My husband, Peter, and I are at my parents’ cabin in the woods. The weather was perfect for a bike ride so we took a long one. We had not all been riding together in almost two years and I am not an experienced rider. So, in order to prevent my butt from getting sore, I have a big, soft seat on my bicycle. My mother, an avid cyclist, does not approve.

“You wouldn’t need that big tractor seat if you had padded shorts!” she always tells me.

“I’m thinking this whole idea of padded seats might catch on,” I quip. “Maybe we’ll start putting the padding right in the upholstery...