Olive felt terrible for what she had done. It was just that the motorcycle was going so fast, faster than Olive could react behind the wheel of her red Chrysler LeBaron. The accident wasn’t severe, he had just skidded off his bike. He had lots of bumps, scrapes, and bruises though, so the motorcyclist, a young academic named Shane Denton, was taken to the hospital for observation. He might have fractured a foot. It was Olive’s fault and so she went to visit him to try and make amends.

“I feel positively awful,” Olive said, sitting in the plastic chair by his bedside at St. Sebastian’s Regional Hospital. It squeaked when she leaned close. “Are you in terrible pain? Oh Shane!”

“I’ll be fine,” Shane said. “No big deal.”

“No big deal? My Lord, your foot might be fractured and it’s all my fault. I didn’t see you coming. I, well, what can I do, young man, to make it up to you? Our insurance companies will hash out finances but, for you, you alone Shane, what can I do?” Olive held Shane’s hand. He blushed.

“Nothing. Really. I’m fine.”

“Nonsense,” Olive said. “I’m going to knit you a scarf. The winter’s upon us. You need a good scarf. I’ll knit you one. How tall are you? 5′10″? 5′11″? Very well then, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll knit you a scarf.”

“That’d be fine,” Anything, Shane thought, to get this old woman to leave him alone with his hospital food and bolted TV where a Denver Broncos game was playing quietly.

In a knitting frenzy she finished in two weeks. It was a beautifully knit scarf, livened by orange yarn. She walked to his house (her license was revoked and he only lived a half mile away) just as he was leaving, putting on his helmet for a ride.

“A token,” she said. “Use it on your ride…You look marvelous. Let me take a picture of you in it. I have my camera here…You have another hat other than the motorbike helmet? Something more picture-worthy? Not to say that it’s not a fine looking helmet, but I’m just…Oh, that’s fine.”

“Thanks,” Shane said. “I’m going to go for a ride now.”

“You wear it on your ride. Be careful now.”

Shane whipped it around his neck again, it was way too long, started the bike up and motored down the street until the scarf tangled in the back wheel. He strangled himself.