Strange Things Happen

My daughter and I were taking a walk in our neighborhood. I began to hear a noise. I assumed it was a weed eater, until a small motorbike pulled up next to us.

An exuberant young man jumped off the motorbike, whipped off his helmet and began jabbering. My daughter and I stood there, somewhat stunned. We couldn’t understand what the young man was saying to us. Whether he was speaking a foreign language, or just talking too fast, we could not tell.

The most confusing thing, and also the most distracting, was the naked baby-doll bungee-corded to the back of his motorbike. I did my best to pretend I did not see it, but I was having trouble keeping my eyes off of the doll.

Finally I realized the young man was asking a question. “Do you know where (indiscernible word) Street is?”

I asked him to repeat the name of the street again, yet for the life of me, did not understand what he was saying. It sounded like Magnolia or Hydrangea, and since there are no streets with flower names in our neighborhood, I told him I did not think it was anywhere close-by.

As quickly as the young man had jumped off his motorbike, he replaced his helmet on his head, remounted the motorbike and away he went.

If I had been alone, I might have questioned if the last few minutes had really occurred; and surely no one would have believed me.

My daughter and I were dazed. We wondered if the young man was playing a joke. Was he on a dare from friends? What kind of young man drives around with a naked baby-doll bungee-corded to the back of his motorbike? We looked around for hidden cameras as if we were being filmed for a comedy television show.

It was dusk and darkness was quickly settling in. My daughter and I walked quickly, watching all around us, and listening for the sound of a motorbike engine. We arrived home without any more excitement. We have not seen the young man since that day.

Some days we go about life, minding our own business; then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, strange things happen.