Now, as you know, I am a student of people...some are fun to look at...and others, well, seems like somebody should be keeping an eye on them. I study people whenever I have the chance, and riding a motorcycle gives you more chances to observe, and in turn be observed. One of these opportunities happened this morning.

When people are in cars, they lose their identities. To the other motorists, they become what they drive. Drivers become red mustangs, blue pick-ups, and gray Chevys...you become encaged in a cocoon of steel and plastic, and lose all identifying features. This is not the case on a bike.

This morning, I had just finished filling up at the gas station, and I was waiting at the light to re-cross Rt. 51 to get to work. Another rider pulled up to the light on the other side of the road, and I observed him.

This was the sort of man who would keep his identity, even in a car. He was mad at the world...maybe even furious.
He was wearing a flat black, open faced helmet, with a cheap pair of safety glasses protecting his vision. He had a mustache and a grim expression on his face. This was not the sort of man to be trifled with. He looked like a heavy equipment mechanic, wearing a wife beater type A-Shirt, blue, grease stained work pants, and steel toed work boots planted firmly on the ground. He looked like he swung a sledge hammer on a regular basis, and was not the sort of guy who would use two hands to do it.

He looked to be a hard man, with a name like Chuck, Jake, or Lou... those names would have fit him. If it was something like Ephraim, or Wally, I bet no one would have called him that since the first grade...even his own mother. This was the sort of guy that we all knew back in grade school...If he took your lunch money once, you made sure to seek him out every day, and give it to him again. Just the thought of him coming a looking for you to "ask" twice was...well...you just didn't want to go there.

He straddled his ride, and waited for the light to change...as I waited for the same on my side of the road. He had a cold icy stare, and you could tell that he was just one bad comment away from doing a violent crime.

He was a man on the edge. He was a man on a scooter...that's right, a scooter...with floorboards and everything. It was white in color, with blue splash decals, and pink trim. It probably wasn't his bike.

The light changed to green, and I nodded to him as I kicked up into second gear while crossing the centerline of Rt.51. It's the sort of thing bikers do when they pass one another. There was no acknowledgement of the nod, and there was no eye contact, although I know that he saw me. He was pissed. I didn't even think of smiling.

So, if you forward this story to anyone, don't send it to anyone who lives in Mississippi...he may not see the humor in this, and he did get a good look at me.

Keyword: A moment a Light

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Comments (6)

Posted by Tarhead Mugwump 2008-08-15 19:30:04 been there i've been rolling motorcycles since 74, and am now in the retired (goldwing) mode... i read the story and was fully expecting anything other than the end. i smiled when you described the scooter, and could imagine his predicament maintaining his manly status. oddly, i have been eyeballing vespa's lately... and for some strange reason that i cannot begin to explain, mini coopers are beginning to look cool to me. i think i need therapy. write on! + Report this comment
Posted by r.e.potter 2008-08-15 19:42:21 .... Yea I guess I can see the humor in this. A big harley dude having to ride a pink trim scooter for some reason...no wonder he look pissed. Fun story + Report this comment
Posted by resistanceisfreedom 2008-08-15 20:54:21 .... call me lame..but i didn't really see the comedy in this. or should i say that i did see it but it just wasn't good enough to make me laugh. + Report this comment
Posted by wcromart03 2008-08-24 22:37:03 Now thats funny Now thats funny. It may took a while to get there but that was really funny. I love the ending the most, about Mississippi. That was hilarious, mainly because its so true. I mean I'm 6'5 and have been really thinking about a scooter. So all in all I thought that was a really funny story. + Report this comment
Posted by schlaedgen 2008-10-14 09:30:11 .... Very well written with good descriptions and a very funny twist at the end. I have no trouble picturing the whole thing! Excellent job. + Report this comment
Posted by Ruby Whispers 2008-11-03 22:29:11 Enjoyed From the first sentence to the last. I really enjoyed this. I saw a tough looking biker sliding onto his harley at a restaurant one day. Told him what an awesome bike he had. His attitude went from tough guy to proud as punch kid with his first toy. Thanks for a great read. J + Report this comment

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