Now that it’s spring…
Everything’s sprouting up all over…
Flowers…
Weeds…
And leather!
I was sitting at a red light the other day…
When I heard a roar approaching from behind.
A familiar sound…
One that used to startle and sometimes annoy me…
Not anymore.
Now I feel a thrill…
From the thunderous energy…
Of dozens of bikers on the road.
And all because of a bunch of orphans.
Years ago, I used to be a DJ on a classic rock station.
One day, I was asked if I wanted to do a charity bike run for the local orphanage.
At that time my realm of reference for “bike” was a 10-speed.
“You do know what you signed up for, don’t you?” my radio partner asked.
“Well, I think I do.”
“Hello? Bikes—Harley’s—Hogs!”
“Oh!”
And oh what nervous wreck I was not knowing what to expect.
Would I have to learn to ride a Harley?
What if I spilled and messed up not only the bike, but me?
And what would I wear?
The charity event consisted of at least a hundred bikers…
(from every chapter imaginable in the area)
Who, having bought a toy for an orphan…
Formed a police-escorted motorcade…
To the orphanage.
Well, thankfully I didn’t have to learn to ride…
But I was expected to ride in a sidecar.
NOT!
“We’re responsible for your safety,” Big Mike said to me.
“Is any other woman riding in a sidecar?”
“No.”
“Then neither am I.” I ain’t no sissy!
And I also didn’t have to worry about what to wear…
Because whatever I had on was leathered up…
Jacket, gloves, boots, chaps, and of course a helmet.
Talk about feeling transformed!
And so off to the orphanage we all went…
Toys, boys, and me hanging on to Big Mike.
And when the bikes all started up at the same time…
The thunder rumbling from hundreds of engines…
Made my ribs rattle…
In a good way I can’t describe…
But recently, my cousin compared it to Nascar…
When you sit in the stands and hear/feel the cars zoom by.
One day this experience will find its way into one of my stories…
But for now…
When I hear that thunderous roar on the road…
I’ll wait to feel the energy and…
Transform.
Always, Em-Musing
