The Journey

The Journey

Cheech was riding along I-90 across Minnesota on his way to Sturgis. He had
never been there and had spent the last 3 years building his scoot (a 1950
pan) to just the way he had dreamed as a kid.
For being August the weather was really cool, but nothing Cheech wasn't
used to being from the U.P. Tooling along about 70 was really exhilarating,
especially knowing he did not have to be back to work for 3 weeks. Cheech
was a truck driver where he stayed on the road for 6 weeks at a time,
knowing someday he would be sitting in the saddle of that old pan heading down the road.
Cheech stopped for gas in Luverne around 6:00 pm where he spotted a lady
sitting on the steps of the gas station, looking all alone. When he was
finished gassing up, he put the nozzle back in place and headed inside to
pay, walking by the lady at first but on the way out stopped and asked if
she was alright. She lifted her head and with a slight smile said yes, I'm
ok as her head fell back to a lowered position. Cheech thought for a moment
and walked away. As he was about to kick his pride and joy to life he felt a
hand on his shoulder. Turning around not knowing what to expect, seen the lady standing
there, looking at him with a blank stare, she tried to get out the right words to say,
gave him that half smile and just shook her head and turned and walked away.
Cheech went to put the kick stand down and turned back to see her but she
was gone. Shaking his head and thinking to himself "that was weird", started the
bike and headed to the interstate for he was going to Sturgis and nothing was going to stop him.
About 55 miles down the road Cheech got a chill that ran through his whole
body, damn near shaking him off the bike, he pulled to the side of the road
and stopped. The only thing he had going through his mind was that lady back
in Luverne, that he felt was trying to convey to him something "but what!",
for the life of him could not get hold of what it was. After awhile he felt
more composed and got back on his bike, just as he was about to kick it
over, felt that same chill come over him again. Now he was shaking, it was
70 degrees and sunny, not a cloud in the sky but shaking out of control.
"Damn it" he thought to himself. What's the deal here. He sat on the seat
and tried to figure out why all he could think about was that woman. What
did it mean? Why did she come up to him? What did she want to say?
Well an hour passed and it was getting dark, and from past experience it
would get cold real fast after the sun went down. Figuring ok, if I stay
here I'm going to freeze to death, so he started his bike, and he sat there,
bike idling. Cheech was thinking do I go forward and hope there's a room in
one of the small towns to rent, or do I head back to Sioux Falls and try to
get a good nights' sleep. Deciding to go forward he kicked the bike into gear and headed west.
The ride seemed to be going smooth, but he just couldn't shake that chill.
But like he thought to himself "nothing is going to stop me!"
Well it's around 11:30, only 2 hrs to go and I'll be in Sturgis he thought
to himself partyin' and having a good time. Just then that chill came back
in away that paralyzed Cheech to where he could not move. Doing 70 Cheech
missed a turn and went into a ravine. As he lay there in a pool of blood
with a pile of twisted metal that was his pride and joy laying on top of
him, Cheech thought to himself Well I now know what that woman was trying to
tell me, "I guess I won't make it to Sturgis after all" he thought as he drifted into uncontiousness.
Three weeks later Cheech woke up in a hospital bed, not being able to
remember any of the events that led him there. All he knew was his leg was
in a cast in the air , one arm casted and his head wrapped up like a mummy.
Finally a nurse walked in and tried to convey to cheech what had happened
and that he was lucky to be alive.
Not long after there was a knock on the door. The door opened and
immedietly the room was filled to capacity with strangers that Cheech had
never seen before. One woman who seemed to be the spokesman for the
strangers came over and took Cheeches hand, and with a warm smile stated,
"We all wanted to come and say hello after we had gotten a call from your
employer Angel Trucking. They were concerned that you had not returned home.
So we checked around and finally found you here. Nobody knows how you got
here but an Angel must be watching over you!"
After awhile the woman said to Cheech, " We have something for you. We
found out that for many years you had worked hard to build a dream bike for
Sturgis, well it's not quite the same as yours but look in the parking lot
anyway!" The woman drew the curtain and when he looked out he seen
glistening in the sun a beautiful '50 pan. Not
knowing what to say the woman whispered in his ear " I am here for you,
whenever you need me I'll be here!" Just then a loud applause swept through
the crowd, and before he could say another word the woman was gone.
A few months later he was headed for Michigan with a grin from ear to ear.
He was going to listen to his heart from now on, for he knows his angel is
riding along with him in the wind.