Night Ride

It was near midnight when I pulled away from Dancer’s studio. I did not want to leave the comfort of her body so soon, but the pull of sleep was too great for both of us. Waving as I left her, I mounted my motorcycle and slid into the warm, dark night. Now most days when you ride a motorcycle in a major metropolitan city like Seattle you are spending all your attention trying to keep one step ahead of some idiot in a minivan who for whatever reason have decided that today they want to try and kill you. Thankfully that was not the case tonight. Tonight was one of those wonderful, and rare, nights when I owned the road. The day’s warmth still clung to the earth, but the cool night breeze blew past my face as I roared down the road. The world is a simple place at night no cars, no distractions, no deadlines, no death marches just the machine and me.

Normally I wear a full-face helmet, but on these rare nights I opt for my open face, police style helmet. The thick hide of my leathers keep my body warm, but my cheeks feel the night chill. Speeding along a deserted expressway, the yellow glare of the streetlamps dance across the polished nose of the sidecar and I feel… I feel uniquely alive. Separate from the world around me yet part of it all the same. I’m aware of every bump and twist in the road, with no car frame to surround me I can see and feel the night all around me. My hands and feet operate the machine instinctively. I don’t bother looking at the gauges; I can hear and feel the rhythm of the engine though my body, it tells me what I must do next.

The best part?

When the roads are not filled with other cars and the night is still, you can smell the whole world. The ride home is filled with the smells. Like a hound, I raise my head and inhale it all in. Warm fresh bread as I pass the bakery. Turn the corner and it is the unmistakable malty sweet smell of brewing beer from the nearby brewery and eventually and, as I near my home, the familiar salty brine of the ocean.

Once I turn off the main drag onto my quiet residential street I pull over and slip my helmet off. Cruising along slowly, I savor the night as it blows through my hair and sends chills down my spine. It may only be for a block, but for that short, sweet block I am the only soul on earth and the night, it belongs to me.