The last couple of afternoons/evenings in MA, there have been intense thunderstorms....had a couple of hours yesterday afternoon to go for a spin...dropped my daughter and her 3 friends at a local state park for a picnic, skibbled home, hopped on the bike, went to meet a friend for a little ride and lunch. Gave myself 20 minutes to get home (no problem) to get the car to go get the girls....nice sunny ride, yummy lunch....coming home I saw the rain clouds over by my way, but what's a little wet....
Darker, darker, and you know the story, suddenly it's a wall of rain, wind, lightning, and hail (I swear I saw the Wicked Witch on her broom go by)...Shoulders of the road flooded so quickly, I hate that, got to a parking lot to pull over, no cover, I'm soaked to the bone, freezing. Quickly got my phone out of the fork bag cuz I've gotta reach another mother to pick up the gils at the park (one of whom is petrified of storms) cuz now I'm going to be late...A guy stopped in a minivan, opened his door, said "I ride! Hop in!"... Hooray! I was trying to decifer the other mother's phone number which I had on a napkin which was all soggy, ink running...dripping all over the guys seat...checking my messages, my daughter, while I was riding home before the rain wall, had left me a message informing me that her battery on her phone was just about dead, but being 14, it didn't occur to her to leave me the number of one of her friends..
....
Meanwhile, my Good Samaritan was talking at me a mile a minute trying to tell me every caught in the rain story of his life and convince me to rent his condo on Lake Winnepesaukee....DUDE! Sorry, but I'm in MOMMY MODE!!! Couple of wrong dials, I get the other mom, she went to get the girls, ok, good...Another 15 minutes, and the storm had let up well enough for me to thank my Good Samaritan and get back on the bike to get home....then stuck in traffic until the next intersection cuz lightning had hit something and the lights were out, limbs down. Cops directing at the light, which I swear doubles the hold up. (I could be wrong.) You know the head down, determined, teeny wave without letting go of the grip that wet bikers give when they're JUST TRYING TO GET HOME cuz that was just no fun...that one, exchanged with a couple of other bikes that passed.
Got home, poured out the boots. Made some coffee. So now, My Pretty Bonnie has been christened! And really, isn't it so true that Bikers Help Bikers, even if they talk your ear off.
