4116
Pt. 1
I have previously written a blog by this or a similar title, and I suppose this might be thought of as a second installment.
I pedal
I pedal a lot
10 miles "at a whack"
5 days (or nights) a week.
50 miles a week. 2,500 miles a year
And suffice it to say, I have had some pretty "strange and wonderful" experiences out there in the wee hours of the morning. Some strange and wonderful experiences, indeed!
A young lady standing in the landscaped area of a bank, holding a leash attached to her little pooch, and singing the "eeriest" song I ever heard in my 70+ years on this planet.
A young man standing in the front yard of his (or someone else's) home, and darting behind a bush when he realized I had seen him.
A woman walking along the sidewalk who appeared to be abducted by two men in a large truck, and who, as I began to pedal my bicycle in that direction to assist her, was (apparently) pushed into the vehicle, and quickly whisked away.
Another young man limping along the same sidewalk, but on a different evening, plodding along with a cane. Bringing my bicycle to a stop, I asked him where he was going. He explained that he'd been released from the county jail hours earlier, and that he was walking home; a total distance of about 10 miles. Offering to transport him the remaining 2 miles, I pedaled home, retrieved my car, drove back to the area where I'd first met him, retrieved him approximately two hundred yards further down the sidewalk, and five minutes later delivered him safely to his domicile.
And then, and then there was the time when I stopped my trusty two-wheeled conveyance at a stop sign; preparing to cross a major four lane highway. I looked left. I looked right...
And that's when I saw him. What appeared to be a 6 foot something, well built male walking towards me on the sidewalk; approximately 50 feet distance. And although it was about 4am, I had no problem seeing him, as there were streetlights all along the highway.
On his left was a 6-8 foot wall. On his right was a well-lit street. Now, I looked left again; preparing to cross over. And while "left, right, left" was my standard method upon entering an adjacent street, I purposely looked right again due to the approach of this stranger.
And as I glanced towards the east... only an empty sidewalk, and the high wall greeted me.
And as you might imagine, it took me all of three and a half seconds to surmise I was part and parcel of a miracle. There was simply nowhere for the "man" to go. If he had been capable of climbing the wall, he wouldn't have managed it in the time it took me to look left, then right. He hadn't walked across the street. Had he done so, I would have seen him.
A week later, a young woman was involved in a one car accident at this intersection. She succumbed to her injuries. I have understandably wondered if the young fella might have been none other than the Death Angel; scouting the area, and engaged in a dry run.
(Shortly thereafter, I told my grandson about the foregoing experience, and Noah laughed and quipped, "That was just some guy dressed up in an angel suit")!
Pt. 2
Whereas, the previous five years and 10,000 miles which I have described was more on the eerie side, the following two years and 5,000 miles have been more on the scary side.
In the movie, "Karate Kid II" Daniel travels to Okinawa with Mr. Miagi. While they are there, each of them are accosted by their own respective bullies; who insist on challenging them to a fight.
In Daniel's case, he exclaims,
"Hey man. I'm not looking for trouble."
To which the bully responds,
"Maybe twouble lookin' for you!"
I can relate to the way Daniel felt that day
It began as I was pedaling down that same major highway in which I encountered that heavenly messenger. As usual, it was "O dark city" as I was in the process of completing my ride, and as I was preparing to turn down the street where I lived. Suddenly, I was almost blinded by a light from above.
Well, not exactly from above. I struggled to stay upright. It was all I could do not to fall from the sidewalk into the parallel lane of traffic next to me. And then, the light went out, and I glanced across the four lane highway. A sheriff department vehicle had slowed to a crawl, and had nearly put my eyes out with his spotlight. I can tell you, I was not a happy camper.
My next encounter with "the boys in blue" occurred several months ago. As I was approaching the other entrance to my neighborhood, a light of a different color shone around me. I quickly brought my trusty steed to a halt.
Glancing over my shoulder, I was greeted by a white and green cruiser; lights flashing. I dismounted my bike, and waited for the deputy to walk over to me. A minute later, he invaded my "personal space." I spoke first.
"What? Is there a curfew?"
To which he replied,
"Oh, no. (But it is darn early). There's been a robbery at McDonald's," (which I had passed not two minutes earlier).
(and)
"Have you seen anything suspicious on your ride?"
(I had).
"Matter of fact, I did. As I pedaled past the bank, (the same bank where the lady serenaded me), I looked across the street, and saw a couple of guys parked in the lot of that empty building, next to McDonald's. When they saw me, they jumped back in their vehicle, and departed the premises."
Ultimately, the deputy asked me for an ID, (which, I explained, I never carried on my nocturnal excursions). In lieu of an ID, my newfound acquaintance asked my name, and address. And as we went our separate ways, he reminded me,
"I'll come looking for you, if I have any more questions."
I nodded, jumped back on my bike, and made my way home. (Apparently, he, subsequently, declared me "not guilty," as he has yet to make his appearance in my driveway).
Pt. 3
And then, there was the situation this week.
I decided to pedal an alternate route which I take about once a week. As I was nearing the large church parking lot where I tended to do figure 8's, I noticed a sheriff department helicopter overhead. (Thankfully, he didn't beam "the light from the sky" on me). And then I noticed six or eight sheriff department cruisers across the road, "doing a blue light special"). Uniformed officers were milling around a couple of small businesses.
Now, I reached my destination, and began pedaling the perimeter of the parking lot. (While I "moved on" in 2008, every time I find myself in this location, I recall the 15 years and thousands of clients whom I counseled at this particular church).
A few heartbeats after I arrived at "The People's Church," (you guessed it)... a white and green vehicle pulled up next to me. I peered inside, and a twenty something year old female deputy greeted me.
And I thought, (to quote a well known comedian of our time)
"No respect. I get no respect!"
Now, she spoke.
"Hmmm, what are you doing out here on a bicycle at this time of night?"
(I must have blinked, and got this "rhetorical look" in my eyes).
I responded,
"I don't sleep at night."
(and)
"This is the time of night I pedal."
(and)
Well, no, I didn't tell her that I had walked in and out of the doorway to the building behind us several thousand times. (But I thought about it later).
"Do you have an ID on you?" (That age old question again).
To which I replied,
"Uhmmm, actually, no, I don't. My wife has told me I should carry one."
And then, I received the same old momentary inquisition, as before.
"What is your name?" (and) "Where do you live?" (and) "What is your date of birth?" (She asked me this question twice. I think she could hardly believe someone on the brink of 75 purposely pedaled around an empty church parking lot at 1am in the morning.) Perhaps she mused to herself, "How has he lived this long?"
All the while, the pretty lady in the green uniform punched information into the screen on her dashboard.
I spoke again.
"I can assure you I don't have a record." (and) "At least, not unless you put the cuffs on me."
Eventually, the deputy brought my impromptu interview to a conclusion, put the car in gear and rolled away. And I thought I heard her say, as she disappeared into the night,
"Maybe twouble lookin' for you!"
by William McDonald, PhD
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