By RON MALY
My Neighbor Al, the Health Nut called me on the phone last night, wondering if I'd be around this morning for a cup of Italian Dark Roast.
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| Amalie C. Nash, courtesy of Twitter |
"I have no plans to be elsewhere," I told Al. "I'm glad you called and I'm glad we'll be having coffee. There's just one rule. I don't want to talk about the bicycle ride across the state. Not one word."
"I'm disappointed," Al said. "The bike ride is exactly what I want to talk about."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I just heard that another old guy died on the trip. They found him dead in his tent. That makes two riders who have bitten the dust on this bike ride. When's it going to end?"
"Well, the damn thing is supposed to be over Saturday, isn't it?" I said. "Hopefully, no other 60- or 70-something guys will croak by that time."
"One other thing about that bike ride," Al commented. "The other day, when I was reading the paper at Hy-Vee, I saw that the the editor, Emily-something, was planning to do the trip."
"Al, the editor's name isn't Emily, even though it sounds something like Emily. It's Amalie, and I don't think she's doing the whole trip," I said. "Just one segment. She wrote that's she's got a new bike. New shoes, too, I guess. Probably put 'em on her expense account. But she doesn't want to overdo her mileage on this trip. Evidently, she doesn't want to be found dead in her tent."
"Well, I'm just glad Emily or Amalie C. Nash wrote that she'd be on the trip,"Al said. "I was starting to wonder if she was still working at the paper. She's been anonymous to the state ever since she wrote during the winter that she could be found running the trails of Des Moines and watching ballgames."
"Don't believe that bullshit," I told Al. "It's all part of her public relations act. Don't forget, Amalie's full title at the paper is editor and vice president of audience engagement."
"I don't know what that means," Al said.
"Neither does Amalie," I said.
"I'll see you at coffee."
