Ace Up My Sleeve

In 1974, I had saved enough money to purchase my first motorcycle. I even sold my prized possessions, my two bicycles.

My two bicycles were my only mode of transportation at the time, but I was motivated to have enough savings for the motorcycle down payment.

My mother told me she would sign the dealership paperwork (at the time I was only 17 years old) if I called my father and inform him. That night my father came to the house after I told him my plans over the phone. I realized he wasn't buying my argument, so I decided to pull an ace up my sleeve. I showed him the picture you see on top.

Mom had saved several pictures after the divorce. One of them was a picture of my father hanging out with motorcycles in Panama during the Korean War. He gave me a mean look, and growled in a deep and menacing voice, "I dare you .... you will only buy that motorcycle over my dead body", and left in a huff.

Of course I ignored him, I was motivated to buy my first motorcycle. The following Saturday morning, mom and I headed to the dealership. Mom signed the paperwork and off I went. The rest is history.

For months afterward my father would come to my house holding newspaper clippings of motorcycle accidents, trying to convince me to sell my bike. Unbeknownst to him, the week prior of buying the motorcycle, I attended a funeral viewing of a friend of the kid who taught me how to ride. The young man died while sitting on his motorcycle. A drunk driver crashed into him from behind, while he was waiting for the green light.