“Did you pick up my filter?”
“Dang! Why didn’t you remind me?”
Well, I thought I had, but he’s a husband and I don’t need to tell you ladies about that. Saturday, we get up and I pull Blaze out for her oil change. At least I have a case of oil from the Biker Makeover so I’m all set with that. Andy takes off on his own bike to pick up the oil filter. I set up and begin draining the oil. Andy arrives back with the filter and as we wait to make sure the oil is all drained, I ask if he remembered the light bulb.
“Dang! Why didn’t you remind me?”
Again ladies of long term marriages, no explanation needed. Again he gets on his bike and heads off to pick up a light bulb for me. While he is gone, I look at the filter in preparation to remove it. The filter I’m looking at on Blaze does not look like what I’m holding in my hand. In addition, I can’t find the tool to take it off anyway. I wait.
Andy gets back with the light bulb and we install that. Any bike owner knows this is never as quick as it sounds. You unscrew this. Then you unscrew that. Then you pull this off and then that off. Make sure not to touch the bulb and repeat the whole process in reverse. The bulb is finally in place and all seems to be working well. That is when I show him the filter. I mention I can’t find the tool either.
“Dang! The lady looked it up. I can’t believe she gave me the wrong one!”
I make a call and sure enough, we’ve been given the wrong part. Andy looks for the tool so I can remove the old filter while he’s gone and discover it’s broken. “Good thing” he says, at least he won’t have to make a special trip for the tool. Again, he gets on his bike and heads out returning with the right filter and a new tool. We remove the old oil filter, install the new and put the right amount of oil, per the manual into Blaze. We stand back and admire our work. That is when I open my mouth and say,
“I can’t remember when I last changed the air filter.”
We pull of the cover and the air filter is in a state that leaves us wondering how this engine is breathing at all!
“Dang! Why didn’t you say something before?”
OK, I’ll eat that one. We both get on our bikes and head out. After all, the Kawasaki dealer, who is closer to us can’t help us with that, and we head off for a 45 minute ride to the Yamaha dealer. We get there before closing and install the new air filter in the parking lot. Yes, you read right, just before closing. This simple task has now taken us all day. Andy is moaning that as much as I have cost him today, I might just as well own a Harley.
After the filter is on and we can’t see anything else we need, the next thing to do is ride for riding sake. We are in Hudson and its September 10th. We wiggle our way to Benson’s where a new memorial will be unveiled tomorrow in memory of those lost on 9/11 ten years ago. We pause silently and stand before the 9 ton beam from the World Trade Center. I am thinking of my colleagues lost on that day; a day that feels like only yesterday. At first, our day seems to us to have been a waste due to poor planning, yet I think the universe had other ideas. The events unfolded as they did to put us in this very spot. I realize then just how many women would be happy to have their husband say one more time.
“Dang! Why didn’t you remind me?”
