Why did jim have an unexpected reaction to his present in the story the gift of the magi?

Read this excerpt from leah missbach day's foreword to wheels of change.bicycles have long played a role in my life. as a young woman, i rode one year-round before i had a car. but it was later in adulthood that the bicycle became more than a source of transportation for me. the bicycle actually began to truly shape the way i saw the world.what is the author's purpose for including this in the foreword?