~The Vette~

~Mike's Dream~

Well, it's time I got this image and the associated words that go with it posted and put behind me, for it is weighting heavily on my heart and mind. The sadness and companion grief are hard to bear, I have never had to deal with such sorrow in my life. If you were reading this on paper, it would be unintelligible as the ink would be diluted and run off the page from my tears.

The reason I went to Visalia, California last week was I got word that my best friend in the whole world was dying, 'The Sticher' was leaving us. I just saw him 2 months ago and all was well, we laughed, and reminisced, we rode our motorcycles to the coast and back. It was a great three days!

This time the visit was our last meeting in this world. Mike hardly moved, gaunt and frail, he just lacked the energy. Jack, the third member of our life long triumvirate, rode up with me to see Mike. We both agreed that we really didn't want to be doing this ride to see our fallen brother this one last time. When it came time to leave, we both agreed that we didn't want to leave. Thanks Jack, you made an unbearable situation almost bearable.

The visit lasted two days, surprisingly we laughed and joked and reminisced. We cried and hugged and tried to smile, but the smiles were there to hide the tears, and the smiles did a poor job of concealing our unbearable heartache.

Toward the end of our visit, Mike tossed me the keys to his new Corvette and said to Jack and I, "Go out and run it hard, get the oil warm and lube that engine!" We hit 110 miles per hour out in the cornfields of Visalia. We did it for our friend, who never got to run it up. When we got back to his bedside, we smiled and he smiled, Mike knew we had just given the 'vette a work out.

I couldn't say the words "Goodbye". I smiled, I held his hand and I kiss my best friend, he knew without the words that words were spoken between best friends. I'm sure he heard No.9's straight pipes as I gassed it leaving his neighborhood, a final salute to my friend, The Sticher. I'll be going back to Visalia shortly for the funeral. I don't think it will be as sad and as troubling as this trip.

Damn it, I am so pissed off, how could Mike leave us?
I love you, Mike, more than words can ever express!

I'm so sad I had to write this, TucsonJim :o(