Aprender a Andar de Bicicleta aos Quarenta

A Susana Melo tinha quarenta anos, dois filhos e um emprego de contabilista numa empresa de Setúbal. Era uma mulher prática e eficiente, que aprendia tudo rapidamente — a usar programas novos de software, a falar inglês por autodidatismo, a cozinhar pratos complexos. Mas havia uma coisa que nunca tinha aprendido e de que se envergonhava de falar: nunca aprendera a andar de bicicleta.

Susana Melo was forty, had two children, and worked as an accountant in Setúbal. She was practical and efficient, someone who learned everything quickly — new software, English by self-study, complex dishes. But there was one thing she had never learned and was embarrassed to mention: she had never learned to ride a bicycle.

Em criança, o pai tentara ensinar-lhe, mas ela tinha caído duas vezes e desistido. Desde então, sempre que os filhos andavam de bicicleta no parque, ela ficava num banco a observar. Os filhos perguntavam-lhe porque é que não andava com eles, e ela inventava desculpas: dores nas costas, muito trabalho, falta de tempo.

As a child, her father had tried to teach her, but she had fallen twice and given up. Since then, whenever her children rode bikes in the park, she sat on a bench watching. Her children asked why she didn't ride with them, and she made up excuses: back pain, too much work, no time.