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| HARLEY DAVIDSON |
The only thing Mom didn’t like
about David was his motorcycle.
“Gloria,
I do not want you on that cycle! Now, I
have told you before how dangerous they are.
When you were only two years old, Tommy Terrell came by the house in Magdalena, and took me for a ride on his motorcycle. We were
going to take you with us and then I decided not to. Thank God we didn’t or you would have been
killed!”
I
knew the story well; the motorcycle had collided with a car. Mom had been thrown from the bike and
suffered a concussion, which put her in the hospital for weeks. Her friend had walked away with minor
injuries.
David
drove up to the curb, sitting on the seat of his black Harley Davidson. I was standing in line for the school bus.
“Want
a ride home?” he yelled. His green eyes
sparkled good naturedly and he smiled his cocky grin. I looked over at him, and then at the
bus. It wasn’t hard to decide.
“Okay,
but you’ll have to leave me off at the corner or Mom will have a fit.”
“Your
Mom doesn’t need to worry. “I’m great on
this chunk of metal!”
It
was true. David and his cycle welded
together as one mechanically smooth machine.
He had confidence and full control.
I
swung my leg over the seat and tucked my cotton skirt under my legs to maintain
my modesty. Holding the books in the
crook of my left arm, I placed my right one around David's waist and hung on
tight.
“Ready?”
“Ready,”
I answered.
The
engine revved, the side pipes smoked and we were off. The wind blew my face causing my eyes to
sting, so I leaned my head against David's back.
My long hair whipped in the wind and I wondered if I’d be able to comb
out the tangles.
Wyoming Boulevard
flew by as David guided the cycle through traffic. We turned at the Constitution intersection
and a few minutes later the bike came to a halt.
I
climbed off the Harley, straightened my skirt and combed my thick tangled hair.
“I’ll
call you later,” David yelled, as he spun his bike toward home.
“You
here already?” Mom asked as I entered the front door.
“It
didn’t take as long today,” I answered, hoping she wouldn’t notice my cheeks
were red from being wind blown. (And from her question.)
