Branko insisted a tandem must be easier than two ordinary bicycles. Two people pedalled, one chose the route; the mathematics was simple. Nataša agreed, mainly because she liked the yellow frame and because they had not yet argued about anything more serious than a film ending. They had been seeing each other for two months. Their first outing was supposed to show how they functioned outside a café. It demonstrated that at the exit of the hire yard.
Nataša sat in front because she knew the trail. Behind her, Branko tried steering with his body, leaning into each turn before she did. The bicycle swayed. She told him to stop; he said he was only helping. The man who had hired out the tandem watched from the door long enough to make Nataša want to get around the corner even if they had to push. Both laughed, but their smiles no longer had the same intention.
At the first rest point Branko suggested swapping. Nataša agreed with relief that should have warned him. Now she sat behind, commenting on every gear, stone, and family along the trail. When he said he did not need navigation on a straight road, she took offence exactly as he had earlier. They stopped beneath a tree. Between them the yellow bicycle resembled an ill-chosen piece of shared furniture.
Branko said perhaps they were not people who could travel together. Nataša looked at him, breathless and red-faced. 'Perhaps we're not people for this bicycle,' she answered. Both found that smaller verdict easier to bear. They sat in the grass and ate sandwiches that had become completely flat in the rucksack. She told him she had spent years organising everything alone. He admitted feeling uncomfortable sitting behind and not seeing what was coming.
They discovered no miraculous rhythm. They simply agreed to announce turns beforehand and that whoever sat behind would stop correcting everything at once. They stopped several times. Once they pushed. Before turning back they managed a long, quiet stretch without a single instruction. Nataša felt the wind on her face and noticed the smell of cut grass for the first time that day.
They returned the tandem later than promised. Asked whether they had enjoyed themselves, both began answering, then stopped. Nataša said they would take two bicycles next time. Branko paid for the extra time and asked when next time would be. They held hands on the way home, walking slowly enough to be overtaken by an older woman carrying a full bag of tomatoes.