Anything you can do, I can do

This story began several years ago....almost 15 years ago to be exact. Brek and I were newly married and living in Canada. Brek's parents owned a lodge in Mountain View, Alberta, which we ran for them. It was a great summer job/extended honeymoon.

Every weekend or so, Brek's parents would come down to the lodge. It was fun to spend time with them and get to know them better. Aside from the great things I still love about them (their kindness, their unselfishness, their acceptance), I also learned this...

Janice does not like it when you throw food away. Even if you think it's no good....don't touch it!

One day, as we were getting ready to leave, Janice came out of the lodge demanding to know who had thrown out the muffins that had been in the freezer. The look on her face told me that she was not happy, and I immediately decided that confessing would not be in my best interest. In all actuality, Brek and I had both thrown the muffins out, deciding that they had a bad case of freezer burn. Oops!

Now for Kent. I learned that aside from his wife and kids, Kent's greatest love was a shiny hunk of metal, otherwise known as a motorcycle.

Kent's motorcycle, an FJ1100 (bullet bike) resided at the lodge. Sometimes Brek would take me for rides, wanting to show off his manliness. Actually, I think he just wanted me to ride behind him so I would wrap my arms around his waist. Very romantic, you know.

Secretly, I wished I could drive the motorcycle. I've never been much of a sit back and watch kind of gal. But secretly, I was a little afraid. However, this all changed one day. Kent had sent his bike to a nearby motorcycle friend for a tune-up. When they were finished, they brought it back. Or, should I say, his wife brought the bike back! As I saw that woman pull up on Kent's bike, I decided if she could ride it, then so could I!

That was my first mistake.

I told Brek I wanted to drive the motorbike, and he hesitantly agreed to teach me. We climbed on the bike, and he gave me the quick How to Drive a Motorbike lesson. Soon we were on our way. I was a bit shaky, but once we got onto the main road, I began to feel a little more confident.

That confidence, however, was short-lived. Soon we encountered road construction, and I panicked. I decided I'd better pull off the road until I could figure out exactly where to go. One thing I was completely unaware of was how much that darn motorcycle weighed!! As I pulled off the side of the road and stopped, the bike's weight set in, and the bike tipped over. I tried to stop it, but all I managed to do was twist the throttle. When the bike landed, the tire was spinning furiously, spitting rocks everywhere. Brek sprang to action, "throwing" me from the bike, and saving the day.

We quickly drove home (me on the back this time.) Once we were back at the lodge, we did a thorough examination of the bike. Everything looked A-OK, except for a small silver plate with the word YAMAHA written on it. It was quite scratched. Big deal, right? WRONG! As I said before, this was Kent's baby.

That weekend when Kent and Jan came down to visit, Brek and I talked about what to do. We decided that we would confess. Just as we were going to find Kent, we heard,

"BREKKKK!"

We both froze, recognizing his dad's angry voice. Brek went to face his dad, and found out it had nothing to do with the motorbike. However, we decided from that point on, that we would tell no one of our little adventure! I was not one to keep secrets, but I was also not ready to be disowned from the family after a mere two months of marriage!

Finally, two years later, when we learned Kent had sold his bike, we confessed. Kent laughed and laughed, amazed that little ol' me would even contemplate riding that big, heavy bike. He said he had blamed Brek's brother all these years.

Last week, Kent pulled up on a little scooter he had purchased in Utah for basically nothing. It's a little more than a powered bicycle, but not much. Great for saving on gas money. Anyway, Kent pulled up with a little grin, looked at me and said, "Why don't you take it for a spin!"

Ha-ha. Very funny Kent. I happen to be a pro at driving scooters....I think.