I said goodbye to the family, and Marcia drove me and my bike across the bridge and into Louisiana. (No bikes allowed on the bridge) On the way we talked about bikes, the  first conversation we’d had that didn’t include Amway or God, and I learned that she was interested in riding her bike but there were some mechanical problems with it. 

They seemed to be easy-to-fix problems so we turned around and I took a look at it. 

From there we drove to a bike shop where we purchased some tires, derailleur and brake cables, and GrabOns (those big foam sleeves that go on handlebars). I worked on her bike most of the day, and taught her how to do some repairs, finishing about 7:00. 

Her parents seemed genuinely glad that I was still there, and I suspect they believed I was a good influence. It was nice they thought that, but I don't think so. My influence on her was about the equivalent of a soap bubble’s influence on a cactus.

That evening her parents took us to a place called Top O’ the River and we had our final meal together, that is, our FINAL final meal.