To Look for America (5)
He loved his bike more than many things and he wouldn’t trade it for anything. He considered it a reliable friend that always seemed to know just what to do to cheer him up. John slipped on his helmet and all at once felt invincible and incredibly bad ass. He straddled the seat and slid his hands over the handlebars before gripping them tight. There was something about mounting a motorcycle that reminded him of a race and he always savored the anticipation before starting the engine. Once it roared, he waited just a little bit longer before speeding down the driveway and onto the gravel road.
The beginning few minutes of his ride he still felt powerful, like he was famous, talented, and somebody else. But he quickly became completely engrossed in driving and any ego stroking was pushed aside. He loved riding his motorcycle down the country roads where nothing could stop him from focusing completely on the world around him. He loved nothing more than driving in the wind and feeling the speed. He loved every minute of it.
He stopped out of necessity after pulling into the driveway at Bree’s house. All at once he was plain old Johnny Walker once the motor shut off. He awkwardly walked towards the front door and rang the bell. He waited as he heard the side door open and then for Bree to reach the front door. She smiled.
“I’m going, Mom,” she yelled back into the house. “I’ll be back in time for dinner!”
“Have fun and get your work done!” her mother responded just barely before the door was loudly shut. Bree walked down the steps of the front porch and made her way to the driveway. John nervously followed her. Finally she looked up and paused ever so slightly but continued walking.
“My mom has the car,” he felt compelled to say.
“That’s all right,” she said almost too cheerfully. “I’ve never ridden on one of these before.”
“I brought an extra helmet,” he said awkwardly handing it to her. “And I’m a very safe driver.”
Bree flashed a small half-smile. “I didn’t think you weren’t.”
Author’s comments on post 376: I took a little bit here and there from the original Johnny Walker post. Mostly, I think I did a pretty good job of keeping his character off the bike as this awkward teenager. I’m pleased with how this turned out 
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 3:19 pm and is filed under End of Childhood, Fiction Prose, Realistic Fiction, Short Stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.