ON THE MOVE

Two years ago, my wife and I started looking for a new vehicle. Our little Chevrolet HHR SS panel had over one hundred thousand miles on the odometer, and it was time to give the thing some slack where every day driving is concerned.

Joleen wanted a Jeep, so off to Anderson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram we went. Instead of buying a Jeep Wrangler as intended, we opted for a Grand Cherokee. I especially liked this rig because of it being an “Oscar Mike” special. Knowing what Oscar Meyer represented, I wasn’t exactly sure what Oscar Mike stood for but it sounded cool. Turns out this is military lingo for: On The Move. That fit just perfectly with me, because I can never stay home for very long.

The Gray Jeep came with a huge star on the hood and small American flags on the bottom of each door. I was okay with that as well and so was Joleen, with both of us quite patriotic. This Grand Cherokee to some folks evidently resembles a police vehicle, because people start to whiz by and after seeing that star, quickly hit their brakes. The other day this happened, and after the woman driving a BMW noticed me behind the wheel, she put pedal to the metal and quickly disappeared.

At a gas station near our house, almost every Saturday or Sunday morning, a contingent of motorcyclists assemble for a “run.” I suppose they’re either heading to Parker or perhaps Oatman, with both being popular biking destinations. I’ve been wanting to do something for some time now regarding motorcyclists, yet never found the courage. Last week that all changed while in this Jeep.

Slowly driving by and seeing at least twenty cycles off to the side of this station, with their riders comfortably talking and drinking coffee, I rolled up beside them with my window down. Motioning to one fellow wearing a leather jacket that I had something to say, he walked over, and in a loud enough voice for most everyone to hear, I said,

“Flo wanted me to let you know that she’ll be a few minutes late!”

The muscular looking fellow gave me a most puzzled look before replying back,

“Flo?”

I repeated what I originally told him, then gave the guy a thumbs up. He acknowledged me, evidently believing that I was sincere. Keeping a straight face helped in that department and being on the move got me out of harm’s way. I’m sure seconds after I left, a light bulb suddenly came on, because others standing behind him had already caught the humor.

Had I not been a senior citizen I wouldn’t have tried such. Smart alecks pulling jokes on perfect strangers sometimes aren’t looked at as being funny. In this case, it seemed like the right place and perfect opportunity to pull things off. I’m sure Flo thought it was hilarious, that is after she finally got there.