Fatherly Advice

Dear Dad

How’re ya doin Pop? Kinda weird getting a letter from me I bet. I suppose Mom will read this, but I kind of hope she won’t. If you’re reading this mom, try to stop now. Anyways, Hope you’re all well and all that.

Thing is, I got a situation here, and I’m kinda beat on what to do.  I mean, living in California is great. It’s warm all the time, hardly ever rains, but it’s all city. Takes hours to get anywhere, even on the freeways.

Julie has a new job. Pay is good, and there’s a free gym she can use after work. She says that’s a bonus — but I don’t get to use it. It takes her an hour to drive to work, so she pretty much needs the car. I needed a vehicle too, so I bought a used Harley. Wasn’t cheap, but it is cheap on gas and its a ride to work. Takes me back to when you would drive me around on yours.

My job is ok, and I got a raise which sure helps with the payments on the bike. I love riding it, and you’d be proud of me the way I keep her shiny— even though it’s not allowed in the garage. That’s where Julie’s car goes. She just gets mad when I even talk about it. It just doesn’t make sense to her I guess.

Anyways, Julie usually doesn’t get home until pretty late on work nights. She says she’s using the gym after work because she wants to keep in shape, but really she doesn’t look much different.

A couple months ago, she joined a book club that meets every Thursday. I’ve never met any of them but they must be rich, because she usually dresses up pretty fancy when she goes. I do most of the cooking at home, but it’s usually just for myself, cause she’s never there to eat. Basically she’s hardly ever home.

I’m trying to get along though. The other day I suggested we go for a ride. – Dinner and a movie or something.  It was weird, she actually got mad. She says, “All you want to do is ride that motorcycle. Why don’t you just go to the movie yourself if you want to go out so bad.” Then she says, ” I can’t be taking care of you all the time.” and “why can’t I just quit bugging her?”

So then the other day when she was in the shower getting ready to go to the book club, her cell phone kept ringing, so I answered it. Whoever was on the other end hung up right away. It rang again. I answered it again and some guy asked for her. I said, she’s in the shower. Wanna leave a number?

At that moment she came out of the shower and saw me with her phone in my hand. She yelled and grabbed the phone out of my hand and ran into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Wasn’t more than a few minutes later, she stomped by the kitchen on her way out. “Want some dinner before you go?” I asked.

But she just glared at me as she stormed by, got into her car and squealed backwards out of the driveway — and right into the neighbour’s car. Then she just gets out of the car and stomps away.

Well, I had to take care of everything. Call the cops, the Insurance, and get the car to the body shop! A good thing came out of it though, I got to meet the neighbor whose car got smashed. She’s a divorcee, real nice, and we had a good laugh about how that went down.

Me and Julie haven’t talked much since then. She has to use the bus to get to work now. Yesterday when she went out to the book club, she didn’t see me behind the bike polishing the chrome. She was wearing a leather mini skirt. She looked kind of hot.

As I got up to say goodbye, I noticed I had been kneeling in a puddle of oil on the ground. By then she was around the corner of the hedge. I went to the end of the driveway and watched her walk to the corner where a car stopped to pick her up. There was a guy driving.

So I went back to the bike. I think it must be the rear seal that’s leaking. Anyways, I cleaned up the mess, and was about to go in to change my pants when the neighbour called to me from over the fence. She had a Gin and tonic going and asked would I want one. Why not, I thought and went over.

When she saw the oil on the knee she asked, “Want me to clean those pants?” I said, “ No problem, I can do it, but hey, since you’re offering…”

Well one Gin and tonic led to another, and by the time my pants were dry, me and the neighbour were getting along pretty good. Turns out she rides too! It was late when I went back home, but Julie wasn’t home yet. In fact she didn’t come home at all last night.

So anyways dad, I hate to bother you with this kind of stuff, but I need a father’s advice about this.

Do you think I should try to fix that rear seal myself, or should I take the bike in to the dealer to fix it?