For several years this little bike was going to be my constant companion.
You see, this young boy was quiet, to say shy would be an understatement. His world was very small, had never traveled over a few miles from home, and that never alone. He had friends at school but not as yet the kind to hang out with. It wasn't their fault, just the reserved nature of this young lad kept him to himself.
He didn't participate in school sports, nor was he very athletic. His Dad had played basketball in High School and was quite good. So he tried out for ball once hoping to impress his Dad. However, being good at something doesn't just happen overnight, so he turned out to be a bench warmer. There was one home game his Dad came to watch, and as it turned out he got to play the last 3 minutes of the game. Yeah, we were getting beat that bad, he was just glad he didn't get the ball, he never really understood the game very well either. He knew if the ball was ever passed to him, he wouldn't know what to do with it. That's not the coach's fault either, for some reason in practice, it just didn't click. The coach would go over the plays and the game, but it just didn't fixate in the mind. He worked his way up the next year to water boy, at least that gave him some connection to the real guys.
The real thrill was getting through the day and getting home to that little green motorcycle. From the ages of 13 to 15, this little bike was the focus of fun. As boys do, He began to push the limits a bit as he circled the field in front of the house. He had mastered the clutch/throttle coordination quite well. The corner speed was increasing and using his newly acquired clutch/throttle control he began to get the front wheel off the ground from time to time. It's hard to express what those days were like, it was such a wonderful time. His cousin down the road still had his Honda CL 100, and now a tent. Oh, the nights they set up that tent and rode their bikes to the campsite. Right behind his house of course.
Soon another cousin had gotten a motorcycle, it was a Honda SL 90cc, it was a used one, but hey, who's complaining. It was then this young man's world got a little bigger. His cousin lived on the other side of town, but with a little pioneering spirit, they discovered an old farm road through the woods that would connect their homes. It had been abandoned for years and was several miles through overgrown and very wooded terrain. The traffic over the next several months would beat that overgrowth down to a nice path. He stayed a bit too long a couple of times, needless to say, it got quite dark in them there woods around dusk. He have never boasted of being a brave man, so he would always try to keep a watch on the time, didn't like those dark trips back home through the woods. Time would outdate the used SL 90 and his cousin's Dad would buy him a new 1973 Honda XL 250cc. He was extremely impressed with His cousin's new ride!
During this time something monumental happened that was going to change everything. There was a small community a few miles east of his house that hosted one of those old familiar country stores. His Mom asked him one day if He thought He could ride over and pick her up a few items on his bike.
This was a big deal, this would be the greatest distance away from home by himself he had ever gone. He was excited about the new adventure and soon made the trip successfully and that lead to a regular occurrence from then on. He thought it was something necessary, you understand they only had one old car and his Dad was gone in it during the day. However, years later, he began to wonder if his Mom really needed those items or if she recognized an opportunity for him to expand and grow a little.
Well, expand it did to limits he didn't even know existed in his world. On one of those trips, He met another motorcycle coming down the road. They got acquainted and discovered much in common, even their first names were the same. Like his side of the world, he had trails of his own and mentions other motorcycles and other boys. He invited him over to ride, so after returning home he told his Mom about the encounter and asked if he could go over and ride with him. She gave him an hour, so he was in motion immediately.
This changed everything, He would eventually meet Anthony, Mark, Gary, Ronnie, Brad, Rickie, Randy, Buddy, Phill, Greg, Jimmy, and Jeff, and the list would grow, and they all had motorcycles! He had red clay gullies, they had a gravel pit! He very soon discovered an hour was nowhere near enough time for all this. So after discussing the situation again with Mom, (omitting carefully the thing about the gravel pit) she gave him 2 hours. Of course, as He grew older and time progressed those two hours turned into all day. It was there He spent his summers, these new acquaintances went to a different school, so as it turned out. all his hang-out friends would be over there. He would develop friendships that would last for years. It was there he would meet a girl, who rode a motorcycle! He didn't know that kind of girl existed and he would make a fool of himself trying to impress her. He would ride wheelies down the road in front of her house, ride by standing up on the seat, laying down on the seat with his legs over the handlebars, ride by squatting down on the side of the motorcycle, hanging off one side with one foot on one-foot peg. He would turn around and sit on the seat sideways like he was sitting on a couch and ride down the road. He once faked a big crash, He wanted her to see how quick He could get up and how tough he was. I think sometimes he must have strapped his helmet on too tight and squeezed his brain too much. He thought he was being impressive, it was of course impressing her parents! Miss Edder next door called his Mom one day and told her what he was doing, she was afraid he was going to get hurt. It somehow never occurred to him what all this looked like, just another one of those things that didn't click right away. Somehow, his foolishness was overlooked and eventually, this evolved into his first date and his first kiss. It would be a short-lived romance, but Wow, had his little world grown during those summers riding that little green motorcycle.
He was so involved in riding this little bike he had not learned to drive a car. His Dad and Mom tried to encourage him, but he had his motorcycle, and learning to drive a car was quite scary in his mind. However, meeting this girl gave him some much-needed motivation. He was really wanting to ask her out on a date, but he couldn't drive. He would finally acquire his driver's license after his 17th birthday and was able to secure the date. He still couldn't drive very well, but somehow he managed to get to the movies and back without any mishaps. So much happened during those summers, it was during this time he made a profession of faith, was Baptized, and joined the Baptist church. This was more than a passing thing for the young man, it changed the way he would think for the rest of his life. The course of his life was being set in so many directions, yet at the time he had no idea so much was taking place. This girl thing would soon break his heart as most young hearts are prone to do, so he put his hands on the handlebars and kept on riding, maybe not into the sunset, but riding nonetheless.
I wish I could give you a picture of what these summer experiences were like. That old country store was a huge part of it. It was the go-to place, they would all eventually wind up there, gas up their bikes, get their snacks, and gather under the big tree that rested out front. Oh, the talk of trails, hills, mud holes, and crashes. The breeze would be blowing on their faces and the sound of a passing car and the rustling leaves among the laughter. A wonderful older couple owned the old store, and as this bunch of boys busted in buying snacks and talking with one another, they were always inquisitive about what they had been into. There was an oil can out front by the gas pump, one of those small cans with a finger pump on it. They would all grab it and give their chains a good oiling. He never thought about it until much later, but they never paid for that oil, and in all those summers that oil can never run dry. This young man had no idea how blessed he was for those times.
There were not many places in the world where young boys could experience such peaceful and innocent times. There are even fewer now, what a wonderful country we have known. I think about our children and grandchildren today, those old country stores are all but gone now. Those summers seemed to last forever, time moved much slower then. We had very few things to distract us from our bikes and shade trees, but now there is so much calling for the attention of our youth, it seems they are in a constant rush. I wish they could experience the slowness of the times we knew, I think they would enjoy it. We were somewhat shielded from the world's corruption in those days. We would eventually find out it's really not a perfect world, but we would be older and better prepared. Now there is a constant flow of all that is shameful and unhealthy for the young mind through our many media outlets. Among all the rush, they have all this to process as the course of their lives is being set. I know times always change, but should we not try and bring the best of what we have with us as we move forward?
It was during those summers He participated in his first enterprise in the economic market. During one of those shade tree sessions, a local farmer came soliciting for some young hands to haul some hay. He had never done anything like that, but some of the other boys had so he joined up. He was on the ground pitching the hay up to the stackers on the truck and that day discovered how much fun hard work can be, as well as rewarding! I think He got $8.00 for the afternoon, somehow, that money felt different than any money he had previously ever held in his hands. It's been more than 50 years and I assure you he still remembers that day and that old farmer handing him that money. They worked hard, they laughed, and they pushed each other to go faster that day. Seems there's not much of that around anymore, I'm glad he was there that day to experience it. The last of those summer experiences would include a gathering at one of the boys garage's in the afternoons and late evenings talking and working on bikes. His parents were very kind to them, I'm sure they messed up the shop, don't know how that could have been avoided. But it was always made available to them. Still, new adventures lie ahead, but that's another story.
Thanks for reading,
David
No comments:
Post a Comment