There Comes A Time When You Just Have To Trust

Newcastle Herald

Friday May 9, 2008

Frances Thompson

THE type of telephone call everyone dreads came in on the weekend.

We were in the middle of the annual north-facing window clean.

Rick had been bitten by a wasp. I was bored holding the ladder.

The call was an excuse to down tools.

It was a very noisy line. Sounded like he was in a bar.

Hopefully it was a shopping centre.

Maybe he needed some advice on sizes or colours.

He sounded exhilarated, kind of high, actually.

"Yes, I'm fine. We are both fine; treating a wasp bite but it's not serious, just a lot of complaining," I said.

"I'm surrounded by beautiful motorbikes. I think I'm going to buy one," he said.

Whoa!

"You had better speak to the expert," I said, and handed over the phone.

There was a calm exchange about power, colours and brands.

Then came talk about how you do a wheelie and how it used to work on the old Norton Commando.

Please, not a motorbike. The Subaru had been a little bit of a worry for someone of his age.

The electric pushbike, bought for environmental reasons, was a welcome return to normalcy but after a few speeding fines in the Subaru, it turned out to be a completely false dawn.

Now, on this bright sunny almost perfect autumn day, we had come to this. I knew I would remember what I was doing the day he bought a motorbike.

Let's call the rest of the family, I suggested and hoped someone would talk him out of it.

I was told there was no point because they would say he was old enough to make up his own mind.

Perhaps the salesman would think better of it, try to dissuade him but I could not convince even myself of this pathetic argument.

Another telephone call and more talk about the high cost of proper clothing and helmets.

We had all been so fortunate since he'd been on his own. Sure there had been the odd scare but he'd handled finding his own place really well, chosen some really nice new furniture without any style clash, got through the technology minefield of plasma screens and the internet.

He was really independent after his wife, Rick's mum, died.

We will just have to trust him.

After all, he is 86.

"He never did agree with mum buying the Norton for me," Rick said from the top of the ladder as he cleaned the streaked glass.

fthompson@theherald.com.au

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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