Those on the side of the road and food

Someone with whom I have an immense respect for once told me that he never gave money to beggars on the street. Yet, when someone would come around to the back of his restaurant he would find a away for them to earn it.

This left a question in my echoing brain...If he really did not need the work done, why make a bum work for it, why not just give them the money? The restaurant owner went on and on about making them earn the money and how it would teach them responsibility.

It came down to never give anyone a free lunch.

Today I was in a funk, depressed about the way everything is going and totally unsure what I could do about it. I'd had a shitty day yesterday and was basically in a blue haze. While I was driving to my next delivery I got off the highway and saw a guy with a sign asking for any contribution. "Anything Helps," was what his placard said.

Usually, I ignore these guys, I think there is some kind of organization in the area that sends people out to beg for money and then pool it all together. Somehow this seems dishonest to me. At any rate, I thought that maybe I needed to do a random act of kindness to help elevate my fowl mood. But the words of my mentor echoed in my brain.

So, I pulled my hand away from my wallet and decided to give him my lunch. After all, I had some money to buy lunch later, right? Yeah, I know, "Never give a free lunch." I thought, what if this guy really is in need, maybe this food would help more than cash?  At least he could not use the food to buy booze just to get drunk.

Usually when I do this, give my lunch to someone, I feel like I have done something good. But my suspicions about some kind of organization working the streets for money spoiled that gratification. Also the knowing that the only reason I did this was to make me feel better helped to spoil my euphoria.

So, why do we give to charities? There are a number of reasons, or symptoms for this behavior: Philanthropic, the desire to help the down-trodden, some people have an excess of cash, some just want the look of gratitude they get.

I guess I am of the latter category. I don't have that much to give, nor do I have a whole lot of happiness. One of the few times I know that I have done something good is when I give something to someone who has less than me.

In a way this is a very selfish thing I do. By giving, or helping someone in need, I am giving happiness to me. Now this can create an inner conflict, like the one we talked about above: should I give to someone knowing that the REAL reason I am doing it is to ease my inner turmoil? Or should I keep my lunch and let others feel the bliss of giving?

This is compounded by the knowledge, or feeling that there is some kind of scam going on, thus negating any good I may be giving the individual.

When I got through the light I had given the guy my lunch, yet felt no euphoria. Later in the day, I bought lunch at Hardy's or someplace and realized that in effect I had given the guy $10.00 and had gotten no real emotional boost.

olc

No Real Choice Part 3

Sam let his mind wonder as it does when he gets stressed. His rollercoaster mind went to overdrive, bouncing from one thought to another. The ride started, as it does with work and his current project, the development of a software package coordinating various data bases to make corporate research more efficient. His firm had been hired to create the interface. It was an interesting coincidence that his client was a non-profit supporting the LBGTQ community.

Then the roller coaster in his mind had started going up the first hill. One day Sam asked his daughter if she had seen or met any boys that she wanted to date. He remembered her response as  peculiar in that she said nothing really, she just shrugged her shoulders and changed the subject. No, he thought it was not really strange for her, it was how she dealt with conversations she did not want to deal with. 

Kammie and Sally had been friends for as long as Sam remembered. They met in school he thought, and had always been close since. He thought Kammie was a good kid and he knew her parents. They'd had many cook-outs over the years. He never told Sally how he felt about her homosexuality, he just told her that he supported her and loved her. Yet, he had to admit to himself that it disturbed him a little. 

He grew up in a world where men and women got married and lived happily ever after. Yet, his first job was in a restaurant and most of the waiters were gay. At the time he did not know about gay women except what he had seen in Playboy. That brought a smile to his face, all those magazines between his mattresses and the ones he found in his fathers dresser...

He remembered reading some sci-fi story that dealt with over population and how the society dealt with it. It turns out, in the story, that there was a decline in fertility in women and a raise in declared homosexuals, both men and women due to overpopulation. He wondered if that was happening here and now.

About that time, Ed made his way back and slumped into the chair with a sigh. The two men, the two fathers sat in silence for a time. Sam let the quiet continue while still wondering down his own internal road.

The hospital waiting room made him a little uncomfortable. Just waiting, made him itchy to do something. I am a man of action, that thought made him smile. In truth, he always felt that he had to be moving and doing something, Batman he was not, but it always felt better moving. Sam looked over at his friend and saw his discomfort.

Being a man of action, Sam said, "Let's go outside, this hospital is getting too close for me." He saw Ed's hesitation and stated, "You know it's gonna be couple of hours before Mandy is released. And just sitting here is gonna drive us both crazy."

Ed hesitated a moment. "Yeah, there's nothing for us to do here, let's get some air, clear our heads," Finally, he stiffly stood up and made his way to the exit. Sam motioned to the girls where they were going. Sally nodded and turned back to her girlfriend. 

The day sky had darkened with the threat of an impending storm. "Just what we need, a tornado to blow this stinkin' place off the map," was the quip from Ed.

Sam saw the anguish trying to take over his friend, yet hesitated to reach out. "Does Alice know yet?"

 "No. I am not sure where she is right now. We talked a couple weeks ago. She said something about going someplace for a while for work." He rubbed his eyes. "I was not really paying attention. You know how she rambles about shit. Oh yeah, I think she said she was going to Topeka, their office is there, or something like that. I kinda envy the way she travels. She says it is a pain living out of a suitcase, but I think she really enjoys it..."

"Ed?"

Ed continued, "Yeah, I know I ramble a little too.

"I got the call about when I was finishing lunch. I was outside the warehouse, sitting at one of those stone tables. We were talking about canoeing. It's just about that time of the year," A slight smile slipped past his worried eyes. "They called me to the office over the speakers. I've done that more than once; called someone to the office for an emergency. Just about that time Dan, you know him right? Dan came out the door and started over to our table. I flashed on Mandy's clothes, but tried to deny it. As Dan got to our table, I remembered it was Gym day." His head dropped a little. A deep sighing breath shook Ed's frame.

"Ed?"

Ed continued, "He said there was an incident at school and that I should go. That was when he said I should come here, not the school. And now here we are."

The two fathers stood in silence starring out over the mountains surrounding and their stormy clouds over them. 

"Wish I had a beer right now," Ed finally let out. Sam looked at his friend. "No I don't." he thought a minmute, "I have always said that when I really need a drink is when I need to stay away from it." A little  grin escaped Ed's worried mouth and Sam could see he was visiting a memory. "My Chief always said just that when we were on liberty, or if one of the guys was having girlfriend troubles, tis was when we should stay away."

Sam waited.

"How long have you known about Sally?" asked Ed. "I mean...you know what I mean."

"You mean when did she tell me, or when did I begin to know she did not like boys?"

"When did she tell you, I guess."

Sam took a deep breath and said, "I don't know, maybe about 6 or 8 months ago."

"How did it go?"

"Her mom messed around that way."

"That way?" said Ed managing a little smirk.

Sam looked at him with a chagrinned smile. "Yeah I know, we're supposed to except how they are and not question it. But, you know me. I don't think of it as a choice, but you know I think some people DO have a choice, and some do it just to mess with some people's heads."

"Have you heard from her lately?"

A deep sigh, "No. The last I heard, she was with some older guy in Chicago. I think I don't really care. I got the prize. I won. I guess because of that, I sometimes wonder if Sally is really gay, or just experimenting." Sam thought a moment and continued, "You know, I remember when I was that age," he looked at his friend, "Do you? I remember wanting to experiment...with everything. Of course we did not call it experimenting. Sometimes I wonder, I kinda hope, that this is what Sally is doing...what is going on in Sally's head, maybe she is just trying something out."

"Kinda like going after the black girl, instead of the blond?" finished Ed.

"Yeah, I think. Now, because of all the equal rights chatter, it is more OK to be gay. Come out of the closet, I mean."

"OK? No. I don't think OK is the reason. Maybe 'challenging' is the right word, or 'exciting'."

"You know Ed, I really don't care how she feels, I mean boys or girls, I just want her to be happy, well grounded. I don't know how to say it...Maybe 'At ease with herself'."

"But you would like her to have kids someday."

"Yeah. And I have to admit, I want them from a 'traditional' relationship. I think that may not happen though." Sam paused a moment, then jumped into it and said, "Ed, why is it easier to except a gay child, than it is for a trans one?"

A sharp glare from Ed made Sam begin to understand some of the shit his frien was going through. He is all turned around in his head. This thought brought a heaving sigh.

"I asked her to keep quiet about it for now...until I could get a grip on it. I'm still working on the whole concept." A little smile of chagrin spread across his face. He looked up at his friend and said, "I think it has to do with this, I mean her having a cock, thinking he is a she. I'm sorry, but that confuses the hell out of me."

"Imagine how Mandy feels," said Sam.

"It may be easier than you think, Sam. Let's remember, they don't have our years of prejudice to overcome."

"How did you find out about Mandy? I know it must be hard to get into that mind set. Calling Andy---Mandy."

"Yeah, I know. I still slip up. I hope after a bit it will become more natural."

Sam kept quiet, waiting for Ed to continue.

"She was acting kinda funny walking around in her mothers' clothes. I keep some around for when she comes by. She was spending a lot of time in the bathroom and when Andy came out his face was always squeaky clean. In the beginning, I thought maybe it had to do with with missing her mother. At least that is how I wanted to believe it. After a while, I got up the courage to ask her what was going on. After some talking and even tears on her part, it all came rushing out. Truth is, I am glad it took time for me to get my head around the whole thing, 'cause I don't know how I would have responded otherwise. That was about the same time I think, that Sally told you."

Sam was proud of his friend, he could tell the man was on the very raw edge of his emotions, frankly so was he, yet he kept the ball rolling. 

"It was a little shocking even though I kinda knew, "said Ed. "At first, I thought he was gonna come out as gay. Then he told me he identified as a girl. I gotta admit, that set me back on my ass. The truth is, I didn't know there was a difference."

"I think that the next generation of parents will have it easier," said Sam. "We are the first ones who have to deal with openly gay and transgender people. Our kids are the ones who will be the next set of parents and they are the ones experiencing our tribulations."

"'Tribulations?"' laughed Ed. "Now that's a ten dollar word! But it works here. We are new to this aren't we?"

"I love my kid, she knows it, I know and every one who knows us, knows it too. But, I gotta admit, I think it would be easier to deal with boys, than what I am going through right now."

Ed's big paw of a hand cuffed Sam's shoulder, "I hear that, my friend."

"Why is it so hard to except all this?"

Another sigh from the big man, "Maybe because we have to except all this," Ed turned around and looked back at the hospital."

"Yeah."

No Real Choice Part II

His mind wondered back to the days when he was a dishwasher at some restaurant in town. Those were fun days, he'd had a motorcycle and a couple girlfriends. There was one draw back though, he also remembered the waiters trying to get him alone in the walk-in so they could "talk". After a time his "gaydar" was honed to the point where he knew when someone was gay and trying to hit on him. His gaydar saved him from one or two potentially dangerous situations. But he also learned that just because someone was gay, did not mean they were any less of a man then a straight one. He made some friends with those guys.

Recently, Sally had told him that she did not like boys. In fact, she said she was seeing another girl and she thought it was fun to be with her girlfriend. Sam tried to take it in stride. Kammie, her girlfriend, was nice and Sam thought they looked comfortable together. Sally assured her father that they were not having sex. But, he had seen them snuggling and kissing goodnight, looking very comfortable. He tried to let it go, yet his mind kept getting stuck. 

"So guys, what's this all about?" Sam thought he knew, but did not want to jump to any conclusions. He felt they needed to tell, clear the air. It was not really a confessional, but a catharsis. He nodded at some chairs. Sitting, Sam waited for one of the two to start talking. All he got was silence.

"So?" He prompted. Only doe eyed silence. "Come on, why are we here?"

Now it turned to teary eyed silence as their doe eyes liquified.

Finally Kammie said, "They beat the shit out of Andy. Now is he here and so are we. She, I mean he would be here for us..."

"She? Hmm, Sally made that same slip earlier. Is there something I should know? Kids don't go around beating people this bad for no reason. It almost sounds like they were trying to kill him, or were afraid of him somehow."

More silence, but their body language especially Sally's, told Sam the dam was about to break. This is the hardest time, waiting for them to find their words, he sat patiently.

Before the moment completely passed Sam said, "There is more to this than a locker-room beat down, right?" He tried to show as much compassion as he could without going over the top. It seemed to work a little, both girls seemed to relax some.

Sam waited some more. Finally Kimmie took a deep breath. Sam had to admit to himself that he wished it had been his daughter.

"Andy likes to call herself Mandy. We all call her Mandy. Mandy is short for..."

"Amanda, I know. Do you think Mandy was hurt because of that?" He took a deep breath of acceptance.

Good, now we have that hurtle passed. And the tears started flowing.

After a long moment, Sally was able to ask, "Did you know? How did you know?"

Sam sat back in his chair and thought about his answer. He took a deep breath, "I didn't really know, but I suspected it. Maybe the way Mandy dresses, maybe the slips everyone makes when talking about him?"

"HER!" came the immediate retort. "You need to say, 'her' when talking about Mandy. She thinks of herself as a girl even though she's in a boy's body."

"OK. I'll try. But you gotta remember I knew him as a boy until just now, OK? It will take a minute to get used to. So you think he--she, I mean," Sam saw both girls getting ready to jump on his missed pronoun. "So you think they beat Mandy because of all that?

"Well, yeah," was Sally's indignant reply. "considering what they were saying."

"Oh, I see. I'm thinking; 'queer,' 'freak,' 'fag,' That kind of thing?" That brought more tears and sobbing.

"And worse things. I'm not going to say them and I hope I never hear those awful words again!" said Kammie. Sally’s eyes were filling with tears, but she managed to nod at Kammie’s words. Sam thought,  Me too, But life gives us a hard road to follow.

After a long sigh Sam managed, "Do you know what the doctors are saying?" Sam asked looking up.

While the three were talking, a big and burley man had entered the waiting room . Mandy's father walked into the patient lounge joining them. Worry lined the parents' face, his normally keen and excited attitude was muted. Anxiety lined his every movement, it filled his words. "Good news, bad news. How can there be anything good out of this shit? The Doctor says the good news is that there no  serious internal injuries. Her Liver is bruised and stuff like that, nothing that can't be healed with time. That's the good news, I guess.

"A couple of ribs were broken, his---her ankle somehow got sprained and fingers were twisted badly." It was hard to see this strong man so visibly shaken. Sam had known Ed for many years, known him as a decisive and focussed man. They had gone fishing and hiking many times with the kids, yet today he was raw with anxiety and concern for his son(?)daughter. 

This brought up another concern for Sam, did he know about his son's gender identification? Sam did not want to be the one to inform Ed about his son. Today was hard enough as it was.

Many's father kept going on, "They tell me the broken nose and cheekbones will heal with little scaring. One doctor said he did not think plastic surgery was going to be needed. I guess that's good." He pulled a bandanna from his back pocket and wiped his eyes, then nose.

Sam reached out to his friend's shoulder motioning the girls to stay behind. The two men sat in a corner facing each other. He could feel the anguish flowing from the man. "Why did this happen?" asked Sam, trying to gage what Ed knew about his son/daughter.

"Mandy wanted to try on a camisole under her shirt. It was the first time, that I know of, she had done this." Sam drew a slight sigh of relief. "You knew about this right, That my Andy thinks of herself as Mandy, right?" He could see that Ed was regaining some of himself.

"I had my suspicions Ed, but no one really ever told me."

Ed nodded, "I forgot that today was gym day. Having to change in the locker room." Ed sat up a little, "Remember that? It was like something we did to prove we were becoming men. I guess maybe Mandy had something else to prove, I dunno. They tell me that Mandy started to change and someone saw the camisole. I told her that we could make some kind of arrangement to change for gym, but she said no, not yet. I think she forgot about gym today, too. At least I hope so..."

Ed cleared his throat and said, "Excuse me a minute, I gotta use the head." Sam remembered that he had spent time in the Navy. 

"Yeah, sure. I'll be here."

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No real choice

"They beat up Mandy...ah...Andy today!" Sally exclaimed as she burst through the door.

Her father Sam, sat up a little straighter. He had been reading the paper, having a short beer with the radio on some driveling news report...actually he was just trying to let the workday escape. IT ended at 3 o'clock, which was nice because he could be home for Sally while still doing a little work via computer."What? I thought all that crap was behind us, what happened honey?"

She crumbled into her beanbag chair, the sound of the Styrofoam innards crushed away by her sobbing words, "They had to take him to the hospital..." Her words trailed off, replaced by  muted tears filled with anguish.

"We need to go to the hospital, honey. Do you know where they took him?"

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During the ride up to the hospital, Sam heard his daughter sobbing. He tried to get her to talk, but she was having nothing of it. They finally got to the ER and found out that Andy was going to be OK. He had scratches and a broken rib. His nose had been bent the wrong way and both of his eyes were severely bruised, but the doctor said in time the boy would be OK. 

Sitting and waiting for the boy to be discharged Ed began to wonder what really happened. He hoped that kids in high school did not just attack each other randomly. It was not like that when he was  in school. He did remember the knife fight on the school lawn...was it about drugs, or a busted relationship? He could not remember. 

"What's this about honey?"

"I don't know Daddy, it's complicated," was Sally's reply.

Sam knew when is daughter was not telling the whole truth. He kept looking into her eyes, trying to pull the whole truth from her.

Sally's eyes shifted from her father's as Kammie walked into the family lounge. The two girls sobbed into each others  arms. They worried over it all, whimpering and moaning, tears flying. Sam watched as the two talked out their fears and feelings.

Sam's mind began to wander while he waited and watched. Sally had told him a while ago that she did not like boys, that she was gay. When she had said that Sam had swallowed deeply and tried to accept it, but he knew, deep inside that he did not want to believe it, that she was merely trying to get a reaction from him. This is what he wanted to believe. Yet he knew, that her words were really how she felt, they were the person she really was. He also knew that in time he could embrace them,

He tried to accept this, yet in truth it was harder than he thought it should be. He kept reminding himself that it was not about the "traditional" relationship that mattered, but how one felt with the person they loved. That conclusion always stopped his thinking right there.

When Sam was younger, maybe 12 or so, he remembered going to his sisters high school and catching a girl and boy making out, being the fool, he asked her what they were doing and were they really going to do IT. He remembered she got flustered, but answered honestly that they were making out, but not doing IT.

Sam asked his older sister if they were in love. He remembered that she looked back at him laughing a little and said, "Teenagers don't fall in love, they just make time together."

This was one of those incidents which stuck with Sam throughout his life. Even now, during this crisis at the hospital, he thought of that conversation. He wondered why. He knew that mind wondering, or daydreaming was a coping mechanism for when times got rough, so he let it happen. 

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Hatin' Life

I am learning that I am not the open minded person I have striven to be. It is a hard lesson.

Memorial Day 2015, My rant.

In a past life I was in the United States Navy. My time serving our country was a difficult one, at least for those of us serving. It was post Viet Nam, and moral was low, one may say it sucked. As we all know though, "Life is what we make it."

I am not a good creator, though.

When I was assigned to the USS Wainwright, I was young and naive. The truth is, I have not grown very much since then. Now I am older and am still kinda stupid, yet I have an understanding of the roll my ship had in the global theater. It was minor, yet my ego makes me wonder just how critical.

The Wainwright, while I was aboard, made many political manoeuvres, yet we never really did anything overtly aggressive. We participated in the subversive and closed wars of Reagan. I don't know what would have happened if my ship had not been where she was, yet I know we would not be where we are now.

Yet, looking back at our choices back then does not change the reality that we live in today. Our world is even more fucked up than in those desperate days of the early '80s. We cannot deny this obvious fact. It truly is not the fault of the military,  they have executed their orders faithfully. They have done their duty without a hitch. We have the best armed forces in the world, bar none.

One of my closest friends participated in the Panama fiasco, another was critically wounded in a "training mission" in "South America" as a SF member, And another was in Iraq and was wounded while on patrol and even now deals with PTSD and other related brain injury issues. They all have wounds which will never be healed. What did they sacrifice their bodies and minds for?

Like religion, our political outlook is manipulated by those whose selfish interest supersedes those they serve, that would be We The People. 

I salute those who serve. I salute those who have made the choice to self-sacrifice for our way of life. I was a fuck-up back in the day, and maybe still am. Yet I understand that my country needs young women and men to step up and fight and sometimes kill, to keep our way of life a real and evolving dream. Those who have served did what they were told to...without question. They did as they were told, without without reservation. 

Do you, the reader know why?

Maybe it is because our country, our ideals, before being perverted by self-interest groups, ARE the ones everyone should strive to achieve.

Our country, The United States of America, is the greatest place in our whole wide world, bar nothing. We should never forget this, we need to live it and earn the privilege of saying those words honestly...Every single day of our lives.

We are the best because we earn that privilege. We are the most important nation in the world, not because any deity has said so, but because we work for it. We are the best because we earn it. It is not a god given right, but one that we work for.

Our men and women fight for our right to say these words, they give their bodies and minds for the privilege we take for granted. Let's think though, what did those young and somewhat naive solders and marines and sailors and airmen do to ensure our freedom?

They trained for so long in a formal school while training in the field, sweating and bleeding. Then they get sent to an emotionally and physically dangerous environment with little instruction. When they come home, they are stigmatized and labelled as outcasts.

These people gave all of themselves to protect our way of life.

By Definition, they are heroes. So, let's treat them as such. When you see someone on the side of the road, please remember the choice they made and please don't just pass them by thinking, "Oh there is a guy. It is so sad that they live like that." Just remember he or she, may have done a profound act to protect our way of life and possibly suffered for it.

Every single one who has served is a hero, they would have done as they were told. Many gave more than we can understand, more than their lives...they gave their very essence as a person. They gave for US, and our way of life and now it is time for us to return their honor, to show them that their duty and service was worth their personal and group sacrifice.

My salute and respect is what I can give to those who have given of themselves. I stand in honor to all of you who have given yourselves to the glory of what we call THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA.

Thank you, Neil M. Turner.

olc

Yesterday was a gorgeous day. It started put sunny and ended starry. The air was crisp and clear. The kid had a thing with her choir at some early hour, so I dragged her out of bed. After dropping her off, I walked around downtown and maybe got a few good pics.

I was able to get the bike started and ride a little a little later in the day. Then I went home and wrote a little more on the profile on yourcaring.com. Finally I have completed it and can restart our moving campaign, Yeah!  

The Runtyun got home and we had some supper. I was moved to mount the Grinner, camera in hand, and take some pictures. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a great place to ride. I know it well enough so I don't have to worry about the technical side of the ride, so I can let my eyes roam a little and really enjoy and unwind.

Having been lucky, I pulled up about 45 minutes before sunset. I finally found the turnout that has a wonderful view. Sometimes fate works in my favor.

I pulled my camera gear out and started to take a few shots of the bike. In the back ground was Looking Glass Mountain. The sky was had some clouds which are pretty incredible. I'll post something soon at From the Wondering Lenz of OLC, in the next day or so.

About this time a beat up old pick-up pulls in and parks on the other side of the area. Being the paranoid that I am, I kept it in my peripheral view, but thought nothing more about it. After a bit a lady and child got out of the pick-up. The kid was young, maybe 8 and the lady, his mother, I assume, was short and attractive. 

I only noticed these things because they where the only moving things in the area. They meandered in my direction and we talked a little. She spun a story about camping and being wary of bears. We talked more, then she finally dropped the Boyfriend bomb. I don't think I was being suggestive in our conversation. Actually, I was trying to pull away trying to get good pictures of the world.

She said she was not sure what she was going to do, so I made a few suggestions on where to stay for the night. During our talk I made no overt, or subvert attempt to coerce her. Yet, again she found it necessary to tell me that she had talked with her BF. I squelched the urge to tell her that by saying these things about her BF, she was making herself more vulnerable to people with less scruples than me.

She kept trying to go, but then coming back and asking questions. I began to wonder what was going on with her. I built a story of a woman who was trying to escape from something. I tried to come across as safe and trust worthy. I even gave her my card and told her to contact me for some pictures if she wanted.

Finally, she got into her pick-up and started to go. But when she got to the road, she just at there for a long time. It seemed like she was trying to decide something. She must have made up her mind because she finally drove off.

Guess I didn't make the cut.

Yet, I wondered what was really going on in her life. I feel it must have been something pretty profound to put her out in the middle of no place contemplating throwing in with the likes of me. I feel that she was reaching out to me, but I was unable to make the connection.

I went on and played around with the camera and got some interesting shots of the moon. While I was taking those pics, some guy pulled into the pullout and talked my ear off about shooting the moon. He had several portfolios of his work. It seemed he showed them all to me.

Actually, they were interesting in their own way. It seems he uses an inexpensive Point and Shoot camera. But his technique was what was most interesting to me: He would shoot the camera at the view finer of a telescope and take his picture. 

His images came out amazingly well!

Finally, it was time to go, yet, I could not get that woman and her child off my mind off. I guess I was wondering what was really going with her. Yeah I know, there is a little stalker in me.

I tried to put myself into her place to figure out where she would have gone. I considered her alternatives. Finally, I it put all aside side and just rode the Parkway home. After all, it really was not any of my business. If she really wanted me to help her out she would have asked, right?

The ride home was totally uneventful, kinda like a dream where nothing happens, but when you wake up there is a smile lingering. The sky was darkening to the deep purple of night, yet no stars were out. The bike flowed through the curves smoothly. Though I felt a little concern for the woman and her child, I understood there was nothing I could for them. That feeling of inability lingered.

Finally, I made it home to the loving embrace of The Runtyun. I woke up a couple of times in the middle of the night a little curious about the fate of my short-lived friend and her child, but I quickly fell back to the slumber I so needed.

That is it for now. Let me know what you think. Should I have been more forward in my concerns with her? Should I have even talked to her in the first place?

Let's have a discussion.

OLC