Brian's Last Ride

by Marianne Curtis

facing a group of kids who could also be my judgmental fellow classmates easily intimidated me. But that was quickly forgotten when the leaders Bev and Walter Flanders welcomed me warmly to the meeting. I had never felt such warmth from a group of strangers, in my entire life. My nervousness soon fled.

  I sat through the program without really paying attention, while I covertly surveyed the crowd. I spotted a couple familiar faces from school a few months ago, but there was little real recognition. This eased my fear and boosted my confidence. At least for the evening, I was being noticed and welcomed instead of being forced to move around the room like a wraith.

  After saying a few prayers and singing songs we were dismissed for a brief break before drinks and cookies were brought in. I searched the room for Candace but she looked busy. I scanned to room for other welcoming faces but everyone was occupied and I didn’t want to interrupt. Noticing several people heading outside for fresh air, I eagerly bolted for the stairs. In some ways, I felt like a fish out of water. Smiling and pretending to fit in had taken a lot out of me and I needed a moment to recharge. When I got outside, I noticed a group of kids standing outside the door smoking. It struck me as comical that we were at church and the majority of the group was outside smoking cigarettes and talking about drinking parties. Spotting me, they called me over.

  “Hey - you new here?” One boy asked, stating the obvious.

  “Yes, I moved to Landmark a few months ago,” I answered. He offered me a smoke, which I took even though I was not a smoker. As I puffed away he introduced himself before turning to introduce his buddies. I said hello to each but quickly forgot their names.

  “Where do you live?” another boy asked. “How come we haven’t seen you before?”

  Having nothing to hide, I told them.

  “I live on a little horse farm east of town,” I eagerly answered. I wanted them to know that I would be around for awhile and was not just blowing through town. I didn’t know how long I would be around but at this point even one friend would make the time less lonely.

  “We know the place,” a chorus of male voices responded. I was excited - a connection!

  “Isn’t that where Tanya lives?” One of the boys inquired. Tanya was one of my foster sisters. She’d lived in Landmark for a few years already and went to school with most of these kids.

  “Yes, she’s my foster sister,” I hung my head in shame. Not because she was my foster sister but because I lived in a foster home. It was nearly as bad as admitting I was homeless.

  “Where do you go to school?” another boy asked.

  I could not answer that as easily. I had not attended school since before I ran away. As a matter of fact, my expulsion from school had led to my frantic escape from home. But I was not ready to share that information with these strangers.

  “I don’t go to school at the moment.” I should have started classes in Landmark a few weeks earlier, but circumstances with Child and Family Services would delay my return to school for at least another year – but none of us knew that yet.

  While we were chatting several more boys pulled into the church yard on dirt bikes and joined our group. It was obvious that everyone knew each other – most had been friends since before kindergarten. Being the new girl in the center of a group of handsome farm boys, I tried to be the life of the party. I wanted them to know who I was and remember meeting me. The way my circumstance’s lay, who knew when I would next see these strapping lads. There was a lot of chatting and flirting going on and soon raging teen hormones gave way to reason. For once, instead of standing out, I fit right in and it was wonderful!

  Time flew by and we never did go back inside the church for juice and cookies. We were having too much fun outside. It was a glorious September evening and the sun was just starting to set. The smell of freshly combined fields hung in the air. It was a lovely evening and the boys wanted to go out and play.

  At one point this very tall boy wandered over and introduced himself as Henry. He told me he lived in a tiny hamlet a few miles west. He asked if I had ever been there. I admitted I had, but I didn’t know where he lived.

  “You should come over sometime,” he suggested. I already knew it would be impossible; my foster parents monitored me closely and allowing me to wander off with a boy was not on the agenda. I may have been sixteen but I was not emotionally ready to date. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have fun.

  “It’s getting dark, I should go home soon,” he said. Looking around I noted that dusk was starting to fall.

  “That your bike?” I asked, pointing to one of the dirt bikes propped up in the lot. I had enjoyed our conversation and I didn’t want him to leave just yet.

  “Yep, and I should be heading home,” Henry continued. “Have you ever been on one?”

  My older brother had dirt bikes when I was growing up but I had never been one before; but I was not going to admit that.

  “Want to go for a little ride?” he asked. I may have just met Henry but he seemed harmless. I tried to rationalize the situation, weighing the pros (the ride) and cons (the punishment I could face for taking the ride) and decided the risk was worth the possible punishment. What the heck, why not, who would we hurt? But I still hesitated.

  “Tell you what, I just live down the road, let’s go for a little ride and I will show you my house; that way you can come visit me when you have a chance,” he offered with a welcoming smile. I looked at my watch. It was getting late and I was afraid my ride would leave without me.

  “Hang on, I have to see when we are leaving.” He nodded in agreement and I dashed into the church to find my ride. She was talking to some of her classmates when I found her.

  “Are you having fun?” she asked, after introducing me to her friends.

  “Yes, I just met Henry and some other boys,” I volunteered. “Are we going to be awhile yet?”

  “Dad still has some work to do so it could be another hour or so,” she answered. “Why?”

  “The guys are outside and Henry wants to take me for a dirt bike ride, I’ve never been on one.” Telling my friend, I grew more excited.

  “So go, just be back here by 10PM,” Candace offered. She looked happy to know that I had connected with a few people. Before she could change her mind, I dashed back outside.

  “So, you ready to go for a little spin?” Henry asked as he tossed the cigarette butt across the parking lot.

  “Yep, as long we don’t go too far, I am good to go.” I was feeling uneasy, but I chalked it up to inexperience and shook it off. I was also nervous about being alone with a boy and I wasn’t going to admit that either.

  “Like I said, I live only two miles down the road – we will be there and back before you know it.” He sounded so sure of himself I was compelled to trust him. I followed him to the bike and waited as he kicked started it to life. I stayed out of the way. My brother’s dirt bike would only start if he held on and ran beside it until it fired. Once it was running, Henry moved forward onto the one-person seat and patted a spot behind him. Trying to appear fearless and experienced I climbed up and wrapped my arms around him tightly.

  “You ready?” He asked, thumbing the throttle with impatience. I nodded. There was no passenger pegs so I had to place my feet on where his should be. At one point, my foot slipped and hit the hot muffler. I squelched my yelp; I would check to see how bad the burn was later. It was not very comfortable and I hoped the ride would be as short as he promised. Before I could protest we peeled out of the church parking lot.

  On the highway, the evening was much darker than it appeared while we were standing outside the church. The fading harvest moon cast an eerie light on the blacktop highway. I held on tight, as Henry turned west and kicked the bike’s speed up a notch. It wasn’t until we got further out of town and away from the streetlights that I noticed the bike had no headlights. I started to get nervous as we sped through the darkness at what I considered a dangerous speed. I clutched onto him tight
ly, at the same time regretting being so impetuous.

  It didn’t seem like we had gone very far down the highway when the pavement turned into gravel. Without headlights or streetlights as guides, we had drifted onto the shoulder and were heading towards disaster. Henry must have sensed my inexperience. Instead of steering the bike back onto the road, he let it gently roll down into a deep ditch. Our momentum kept us moving until we finally coasted to a stop in a farmer’s field. When we stopped moving, I put my feet down. In my thin sneakers I could make out the furrows.

  “Oops – I guess we got off track,” Henry laughed said as he climbed off the bike. “Hang on a sec, let me turn this baby around and then we will get back onto the road.”

  I was starting to feel nervous, but I managed a gruff “okay” and a brief nod. Satisfied, he quickly got on then gunned the bike around to face the road then patted the seat.

  “Get on and hold on tight!” He shouted as he gunned the engine a few times.

  Swallowing my budding fear, I climbed back on and hung on for dear life. The bike suddenly lurched up the embankment and we were back on the highway. Despite my false bravado, I was relieved to be back on solid ground again. Heading westward our nervous laughter was lost in the night as we continued our adventure. The night was glorious and I was enjoying the wind whipping at my