Passion is Ageless

I’m sitting comfortably on a sofa at the dealership, typing away on my iPad, while my car is being serviced, when a young man approaches me and asks;

“Does that thing work?”

“The iPad?”

“No, the keyboard. Cuz I’ve read some reviews that were not that favorable.”

“It works great!” I tell him.

I continue on telling him that I use it all the time because I write.

“In fact, I’m working right now writing my next article. I’m a contributor for a public website. “

“What do you write about?” he asks.

“Motorcycling.”

There is a moments silence and he blinks a couple of times.

“Really?” he asks.

“Really.” I say.

Then the usual questions about what I ride, and where I ride. In mid-sentence he holds up a finger in a “wait a minute” gesture and disappears into an office. He reappears a moment later and holds out for me a color snapshot, edges cured, of a vintage Triumph. We start talking bikes and the both of us are really enjoying ourselves.

“I had an unusual upbringing,” he tells me.

“I think most kids would say that.”

“No really, my Dad is a bit different.”

“Again, I think most kids would say that.”

“Do you know Sammy Hagar?” he asks.

“I’m not too sure,” I say.

“He was lead vocalist for Van Halen before he went off on his own. My Dad is a musician and played back up for Sammy. I grew up a roadie. My Dad’s passion is vintage bikes. Indians, the real ones, Panheads and Triumphs.”

He spent his youth restoring bikes with his Dad. His favorites are Triumphs. We’re really enjoying our conversation, swapping tales of motorcycling. His description of his Dad has me telling him that he sounds like all my classmates. This has us looking at each other suspiciously. It turns out his Dad is only a couple years older than me, and he himself is 30 years old. There’s a pause in our conversation.

“Please don’t be offended,” he says. “But…”

“I’m old enough to be your mother?”

His cheeks turn a bit pink. He shrugs an acknowledgement.

“Yes, but we’re talking bikes, and you get it!” he says.

I do indeed get it.
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Note: Next time you’re at MacMulkin in Nashua, be sure to look for Doug Wiltz. He’ll want to sell you a car, but I know his love is motorcycling. Tell him I say hello.