CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - The Plan

I was up before either one of them and took care of the morning weekend routine. Got the paper from the foot of the driveway, started coffee, fried up some bacon and made toast.

"Want a couple eggs?" I asked Kim as she rounded the corner to our kitchen. Being in a bathrobe after sitting naked in a hot tub at night is one thing, but this morning she had showered and changed for our guest.

"I'll wait til Lance gets up. We can all eat together. I heard him moving around up there." She nodded her head in the direction of the upstairs guest bedroom. "You think he'll be up to this trip come spring?"

"I dunno. He told me he had some preliminary treatments he was going to go through and then just start the trip in time for Daytona and go for as long as he could." I really had no idea if this was gonna come off as planned, but the hopes and dreams of this trip might make things easier for him. I fell into deep thought for a moment, trying to envision how bad things might get on the road with his illness. I vowed to do a little research on the Internet to see the various forms this kind of cancer took.

Lying in bed last night listening to Kim's rhythmic breathing as she lay sleeping next to me, I thought about the various "What If's". What if we got half way across the country and he couldn't go on. What if he lost control of his bike due to his weakness? What liability was I taking on in doing this? The main question was, 'What would I want to do if it was me?'

I could smell the body-wash scent on her skin as she came close. It was cute to watch her giggle at his jokes, ask personal questions about his life and dress nice on a Sunday morning. I suppose Lance had this affect on many women. I didn't find that it offended me at all, in fact enjoyed seeing her have a little fun with a good looking guy hanging around the house.

"Well, honey, I know this is something you've always wanted to do," she said "and I think maybe it's best you do it while you can enjoy it." She poured a cup of coffee and put her cream and sugar in it as always, grabbed the paper and sat at the kitchen table in silence while I watched her. There was no 'But I get a big trip, too', and no sign of regret in her decision. I always enjoyed coming home from my trips, sometimes a day early, just to be with my family. She was the reason why.

I was eager to discuss the options and routes and places I wanted to ride to, but kept my silence, reading the paper beside my wife, hoping for another 25 years with her when I returned from this new Quest.

When Lance walked into the kitchen and eyed the bacon and coffee, and the carton of eggs on the counter, he summarized the breakfast situation instantly and said, "OK, I'm making the eggs - how do y'all want yours?" Without waiting for a reply, he cranked the electric burner to HIGH and began cracking eggs into a bowl. Kim and I ordered ours 'over-easy' and the conversation turned to social bullshit like how we slept, and the tub was nice, and weather for his ride home. It was like we were both afraid to broach the topic of the ride. Didn't want to jinx it, ya know?

After flipping our eggs and sliding them onto a plate, he whipped up a few in the bowl for his scrambled version and turned to us as if to say something.

But Kim broke the ice with, "Lance, why don't you stay the night, and you guys go get some maps and spend the day planning this out. March will be here before you know it and we still have some things to take care of before you guys go." Her smile was contagious.

We talked through breakfast, and sat at the table nearly til lunchtime going over strategies and discussing places we wanted to see and in what order. Kim wasn't the slightest bit surprised when Lance pulled out his atlas and highlighters, and saw we had already marked several places across the country for visiting.

Always the gallant gentleman, Lance made sure we asked Kim where she would want to visit and found the nearest airports before and after those places for her portions of the ride with us. We all agreed the ride would change over the next few months, but the beginning formation of the cross-country ride was taking shape on our table, and I hadn't felt so alive in years with the prospect of a couple months on the road, riding back roads across country.

We vowed not to take an Interstate if there was an alternate route, and agreed a 250 mile day would be the most we would ever go, usually shorter. We agreed that we would spend more than one day in some places, just to enjoy the scenery and meet some people as we went. It didn't take long to also agree that we would take camping gear and take advantage of the National Park system. There's just something peaceful about waking up with the sunrise shining off your chrome and the smoky wisps of last nights campfire swirling up to meet a new day.

Visions of "Easy Rider" swirled in my head, bedrolls laid out wherever the night caught us, and long stretches of narrow highways as we tooled along side by side into the horizon. This will be good.

"No camping for me, thanks." Kim was quick to add. "I don't mind some small Mom n' Pop motel along the way, but I'm not flying out to lie in a cold tent someplace."

"Don't worry", Lance assured her, "You guys get your own room when you come out, and I'll make sure I'm on the other side of the building so I don't have to listen to you all night!"

Kim giggled again, and blushed at the obvious reference. "You mean you don't want to watch? I thought all you perverts like to watch!"

This one even shocked me, coming from her. She's an experienced tease, but rarely so blatant about it. She winked at me with a twinkle in her eye, "First night out to visit you will be in separate rooms maybe, but we can split a room the rest of the nights. No sense in wasting too much of your money." I do think she was beginning to enjoy the thought of riding with us in various parts of the country. She's big on riding with me through the scenic parts, but tires easily of long boring rides, so this should be good for her.

March through June was our tentative plan. South to Daytona for Bike Week in early March then hit the keys and sweep up the southern coast as we headed out west, taking advantage of the southern climate until summer broke for a northern route home. Four months on the road, with Kim flying out to meet us once or twice a month for a few days. We talked about her bringing a friend out with her to ride with Lance, but a '53 Pan with riding gear for a long ride wasn't the kind of bike a second rider would enjoy. Lance said he'd prefer to do this trip solo and I could certainly understand that. I just don't think he was up for establishing a last relationship on this ride… it was truly about the ride itself.

Knowing Lance he would have very little difficulty entertaining himself in small town America if he needed any companionship. I'd be happy to tag along and hear his stories afterwards - you know how guys talk, but I wasn't interested in any one-niters on the road. I was already looking forward to Kim's visits. I enjoyed the solo rides but it was always good to have her along from time to time as well.

We discussed gear, riding in the rain, tents… and after a short time we decided I was going to buy a trailer for Ol' Huck to haul our stuff. Especially because I needed to keep a back seat and one side bag open for Kim's visits. Lance was going to get a sissy-bar and T-Bag for his bike along with leather toss-over saddlebags. The trailer would hold the tools and camping stuff as well as haul food and beer for the long stretches of western highways. I also needed space for my camera and computer gear to keep in touch back home.

I've often thought about riding with a trailer behind me for the comforts I wanted while out camping, and this was the deciding trip for me to get one. I had my eyes on one of those little one-wheeled trailers because they ride in the same tire track as the bike, eliminating the need to worry about three tire tracks. It was hard enough to avoid rocks and potholes with one tire. And I also didn't want to haul a big-ass trailer behind me either - just something to hold a hundred pounds or so, so it didn't affect handling and the classic lines of my Electra-Glide.

Without batting an eye, Lance pulled out a checkbook and cut me a check for a thousand dollars. "Muthuh, this probably won't cover it all, but consider it my share of using the trailer for 4 months." He looked up in mid-signature with a stern eye, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't give me any shit about it either!"

"All right, but you get to pick out the personalized tag for it." I always had some sort of personalized tag on my bikes. We joked for a half-hour about the various tags we should get for it. Lance laughingly came up with "1WAYTIK" and "LASTRID", but eventually, because it was hauled by my bike with the tag "MUTHUH" on it, we settled on "LIL'MUT".

Within 20 minutes of searching on the Internet, I settled on a streamlined one-wheel trailer that I could have painted to match my bike. It was called the Uni-Go and it fit my concept of sleek one-wheeled trailers perfectly. At only 70 pounds empty and holding over 110 pounds in a streamlined 5cu.ft fiberglass shell, I ordered it immediately, painted to match my bike colors, with carpeting and an interior light for just over twice what Lance gave me as his share. Four weeks from today I would get a DHL Ground shipment with my new toy in it.

The rest of our day was spent on planning, marking the maps, riding to lunch, working on the bikes, riding to dinner, and sitting on the back porch smoking cigars - at least I was - while talking about everything from Rallies to Religion. Kim was with us off and on throughout the day sitting by my side, and I could see she was fascinated by Lance's stories and attitude about his life and what was left of it. With what the doctors described as less than a year to live, he was making every hour count, and by the end of the day I was exhausted.

By 9pm, we had towels and glasses of wine and my little pipe all packed up ready for the hot tub again. Conversation in the tub was spirited and it became clear that Lance had won Kim over and were becoming friends. She didn't often warm up to my riding buddies. I've gotten over the green jealousy monster years ago, and knew that she was still a vibrant sexy woman. A little playful teasing was good for all of us.

At one point, I pulled Kim onto my lap and began to do a soft face rub. She offered her feet out towards Lance for a sought-after foot rub. We had turned off the water jets this time because they do get annoying after time, and the still waters betrayed a soft-focused glimpse of her beneath the surface. She still looked good after all these years.

By 10pm the wine was gone, the pipe empty and the towels warming enticingly on the outside towel-rack heater. Conversation slipped towards the medical aspects of his condition, something Kim was lapping up, but I had little understanding of. I gathered through it all that his options were split between marginally longer life with reduced quality, or shorter time span relatively healthy till the end stages. It was clear he was at peace with his decision to enjoy the final moments doing what he loved most.

After a long day, I felt like toast and began to reposition Kim off of me saying I was gonna go to bed. Neither of them made a similar move to leave, Kim's foot still in Lance's grip, so I excused myself, reminding Lance to cover the tub when they got out. Kim leaned over to kiss me. She looked at me questioningly; I was sure she was more than willing to follow me upstairs if I had asked her to. I had no real concerns leaving them in the tub alone. I doubt Lance would do anything to screw up our long ride together, and Kim simply enjoyed his attention. I sure didn't want to take that away from her. "Make sure the jets are off and the cover back on." was all I said. It was all I had to say.

I fell asleep almost immediately and never noticed what time it was when she slid beside me in bed, but sleepily remember the instant warmth of her body from being in the tub so long as she cuddled up naked beside me. This will be a long wait till March!

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