Crash

At the time I was living in a very small minded, big hearted town nestled between mountains and a dying rust belt city. The overwhelming stench of nearby mushroom plants, was something that was always there. The wind direction determined if it was your day. . Most people in my hometown did not like the idea of mushroom plants. Many people who worked in the plant were fron San Juan. Unfortunately most of the people in my hometown think that Puerto Rico is a far off country.

This paradox was a reason I enjoyed going for a ride in the place where I was born. I was a mess, and it took me a long time to find my helmet and my water bottle. The first mile was straight downhill and I was feeling energized and on top of my game. My mind wondered off to the hoagie I was going to enjoy after the bike ride. In Berks County, Friday nights are hoagie night.

I pedaled with trepidation, as I was never a master bike mechanic. The wind was annoying at best given my current bike riding ability. Confidence whispered quietly in my ears, urging me to go where I pleased. You never sit back and enjoy the place where you grew up and I was mesmerized by the beauty of the day. Light and color hit my senses perfectly, I failed to notice the warning signs ahead. Admittedly, I took my eyes off the road , as a woman in a flowing cotton dress strolled confidently down the street. I knew that woman from many years ago. We would talk about music and art. I remember talking to her wanting to know more and more about her. This girl was so different and I liked that very much. It made me a much more curious person. It was the first time in my life I was deeply interested in what somebody had to say. There would be many more. I had completely forgot about her existence until I saw her strolling down the street on that day.

We all have moments of carelessness, I found myself blindsided by the truth in the form of a speeding energy efficient automobile. It wasn’t a direct hit rather a tangential nudge into cinders left over from a winter storm. With every catastrophe, it came at a bad time.

Confusion pain and wonder engulfed my senses as I slowly regained consciousness. I honestly expected to be dead. Dazed and disoriented, I found myself lying amidst what I perceived an interview at the pearly gates. I think heaven is a made up concept, yet my mind went there anyways. My bike was mangled and admittedly no worse for the wear. Initially utter panic and despair gripped my heart however something deep inside me hinted that everything is going to be all right.

We dream all our lives so when we stop dreaming who are we to know the difference. A sparkling woman emerged from the crowd. More likely she emerged from my slumber, while concerned onlookers gathered around the accident scene. A man in his mid fifties, looked at me for awhile and said, “Didn’t you used to play third base for our local ball team?” I picked a few rocks out of my soiled thigh and a presence was illuminating the darkest corners of my distress. It floated in the corner of my consciousness with grace and ethereal charm. Somebody comforted me and tended to my wounds. I was a lot less hurt than it appeared. I had a bunch of stones in my legs and the sweat stung acrid like. A certain beauty seemed to emanate a healing energy that transcended the physical realm.

I knew of her presence radiating in the street. It was a wicked accident and it certainly could have been a lot worse. I had never been through something so close to death other the when I had a heart attack forty years later. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time.

Like a water color in the rain she simply disappeared or maybe she was never there.

And it is pretty much like riding a bike. You simply have to get on the bike and most everything will come back to you. From what I remember, I asked the guy who recognized me as a star third basemen, to give my partner a call. Back then we had a few phone numbers memorized and we used them often. It seems like I crashed in his front yard. I gave him a number to call and he proceeded slowly to walk up the lush green lawn that led to his house. He certainly took his time or maybe he saw little urgency in the situation. More likely, he was on old man and it took him a long time to get back to his house. In retrospect, how he got to the scene of the accident is still a mystery.

My brain wasn’t quite working quite right as I sat sprawled next to my bike. At least it seemed that way. The sky seem a deeper blue than usual and I sat and listened to birds talking from tree to tree. It was never something I would have taken the time to listen to.

And the girl seemed to appear it out of nowhere. She looked me deeply in the eyes like we knew each other from a different time and place. He was mesmerized for a second or two until a voice broke through what felt like an illusion.

“Are you going to be all right?” She said while giving a gentle furtive wink. They stood and looked at each other without saying a word. She smiled broadly. He smirked.

“Yes I am.”

At that point, the man in search of the phone returned carrying a large glass of lemonade. Not trying to be purposely hyperbolic, It was probably the most delicious glass of lemonade I ever had. I was so damn thirsty.

“Your ride home will be here soon. She seems like a nice girl.”

“She is the best.”

“Did you ever learn to play third base.”

“No”