bicycle...bicycle...flat tire

The rain stopped and I let Dudley borrow my car so he could meet up with his dad for lunch. I figured if anything happened when I rode my bicycle today, such as getting too tired or getting a flat tire, I could call him and he'd pick me up with my bike.
I got my gear - my Camelbak, my iPod, and my sunglasses. I looked professional, I was just missing the helmet. Oh well. It was a steady route downhill. I got to ride downtown. Unfortunately there were no bike lanes on the street so I had to use the sidewalk and yell at the pedestrians that my presence was right on their heels. But I had good tunes, it was overcast so it wasn't hot, and I got my cross-training workout. It took me 50 minutes to ride a little over 8 miles. I wanted to do it in 90 minutes or less.
I thought near the end of my trip to work my backside seemed bouncier than usual. So when I finally pulled up to the gym next door to my work, I saw that my back tire was completely flat. Great. Good thing I let Dudley take my car! I called him and asked him to come pick me up. I thought I'd hang out at my work's breakroom until then, but all my managers were having a meeting. Perfect timing.
Dudley came and got me, and I dropped him off back at his place. He still kissed me goodbye. :)
I talked to my brother's girlfriend, Coreen, about the bike. She was excited that I'm getting into bike riding. She also told me I just needed the back tire tube to be replaced, and because I just bought the bike, it should go on Target's bill. So I'll call them or go there Friday with my bike problem.

Non-bike revelation that should have been put in my last entry: Dudley said he would be going out to California next month to visit his friends before he left for boot camp in October. I assumed it was just for a few days but it may turn into a month. I read a message on his Myspace that I shouldn't have read. But he was still logged in on my computer so it's not entirely my fault. He was writing a message to his friend Christina (and I saw that he had typed "I MISS YOU SO MUCH," which made me sad) and he told her that he was planning on going out there from September 15-October 15. Usually what Dudley says, he doesn't usually do, so it may turn out he won't go for the entire month. But it wouldn't surprise me if he did. He said that boot camp is a couple of months long, and then he has tech training. Both could last together as long as four months or so. He'll be back for Christmas. He may be stationed at Luke AFB. He said if it all went like that, then we could be together, but if it didn't work out that way, he doesn't want me to wait for him, especially if I have the opportunity to share my life with someone else. He wants me to be happy. And even though I didn't say it, I feel the same for him. If he finds someone that makes him happy, I want him to pursue it. I just don't want it to be Christina!
I do believe him when he says he'll never forget me, and that he'll think of me everyday. I'm just not ready for him to leave yet.