Motorcycles

To use a crossword puzzle word, I am "afeard" of motorcycles.

My dad had a bad experience in his youth and it involved a motorcycle. My friend (J) has lived her entire life with a father who was physically and mentally impaired due to a horrific motorcycle accident.

When the husband and I lived in our old house, the extremely wooded back yard butted up to a busy intersection. One night we heard the screech of tires, the scream of the sirens, etc. We ran to our little forest. There was a man who had skated through the intersection on his motorcycle and was lofted into one of our trees. He died.

Even after that experience, Big Daddy occasionally mentions wanting a motorcycle. He had one in his youth. I don't put my foot down about a lot of things but this is not going to happen.

(J) is married to a man with a motorcycle. They stopped by a few months ago and SHE WAS NOT WEARING A HELMET. Well, trust me. I read her the riot act. "What are you thinking?" I'm just grateful that she tolerates me.

Due to my father's accident and my mother's protective nature, I was forbidden to get on a motorcycle in my youth. Once (just once!) I broke the rule and went for a little spin with one of the neighborhood guys. I probably had a crush on him. I wore a helmet and we were very safe. My thought process was that I could do this and be home before the parents came home from work.

Then we pulled up to a stop light and my mother was in the car next to us. I was in BIG TROUBLE. It's almost 30 years later but I think I'm still grounded.