This has been building for awhile. It was a piece of Aidan trivia I filed away at the very beginning of us, but was able to keep in the recesses of my mind until . . . Ewan McGregor came along and opened a door that I would have been comfortable leaving shut indefinitely. . . Motorcycle dreams. This winter some friends of ours had passed along a series called "Long Way Around," involving Ewan and his best friend taking a trip around the world on motorbikes. I watched Dave and Aidan stare at the screen with hungry expressions on their faces and I knew that the dream was about to cross a threshold. You see, when one boy loves motorcycles, the dream often stays loitering within the realm of dreams, never moving on. But when two boys love motorcycles, they begin to talk about it, and pull up images on the laptop, and recite incredibly complicated model numbers, and make plans, and get licenses, and buy bikes. Ewan was the catalyst, and now we're doomed. I have to admit, though, it's a thrilling kind of doom.Just over a month ago Dave came by with a shiny red bike. After that, Aidan began to show visible signs of restlessness. When he heard an engine in the distance he'd perk up and glance out the window. I would find him researching bikes on the computor. And then he came home with his M1. He and Dave had gone for "breakfast" that morning at a Cora's conveniently located near the license bureau. Now he's riding every chance he gets. Dave throws him the keys and off he goes while I pray for his safe return.
It won't stop there though. Aidan's missing a bike, and they are both missing their ladies. The guys have been increasingly insistent that Kate and I learn how ride the things. And, because I don't like being defeated, I did it. I drove a motorcycle, if you call puttering along in first gear "driving." Dave took me to a long narrow parking lot in the south end of the city to teach me the basics. I cannot express to you how intimidating this was. These bikes are so HEAVY. And so DANGEROUS. And this one did not belong to me, so when I dropped it. . . "How many times have you done that?" I asked Dave, with a nervous laugh. "Never." Hmph. Why do men get this stuff right away? Anyone who knows me is aware of the competitive streak within me that demands sucess. By the end of the session, I was riding back and forth in first gear, but the experience will always be tarnished by the DROP. But hey, Ewan dropped his bike too. (Yeah, he was off-roading it through mud flats and sand dunes, but still.)
Our future with these scary machines seems unavoidable. Aidan says it's for the good of the gas budget, but we all know that is just an excuse. The plan is for Aidan, Kate, Daniel and I to take a course. It will help lower insurance costs, (and the mortality rate among us.) So, please add safety to your list of prayers because if all proceeds as planned, I will eventually be riding around on this:
