One morning I visited twin Carol and her family in Huntington, Long Island. In the afternoon her boys and my oldest two could think of no more sports to play. Got plain bored! What could they do, I pondered.
Well, I had a motorcycle; seemed like I had always had one. Hmmm; boys and motorcycles? No, too big. Hmmm; boys and minibikes? Yes! In a jiffy, brother-in-law Buz and I climbed in the car and drove to the Honda cycle shop. A tough-looking Honda 70 stood there, raring to go. All right! Only $375! Gotta have it!
The dealer wouldn't take a check. We went to the liquor store, whose owner Buz knew well. I gave him a check and got the cash. Soon the four boys were no longer bored. I don't think the bike stood motionless the rest of the three-day weekend.
Subsequently, I took the bike to Twilight. My boys had a ball riding it on the former park golf course where they created trails and even jumps off the former 1st Tee. My two oldest were twelve and fourteen. There were eight other boys that age in the park and they soon lusted for that bike. Before you knew it, there were another half dozen minibikes in the park.
Now as a single father, I suppose I was more lenient than others. Plus I had a bike of my own down in the city. I guess you could say I was pro-active. Our house soon became park motorbike headquarters and service center. There were bikes in the yard, on the porch, even inside the house. I urged the boys to ride carefully and ride mainly down on the old golf course, which no adults went to or cared about.
But boys being boys, all but mine were soon riding the roads on all three levels of the park. Oh,Oh! Up-tight park folks and most of those without boys, hated the noise and exhaust fumes as bikes cruised all over. But there was nothing they could do; these were private roads so driving licenses, etc., weren't required.
Then one day Russell went and blew it. Blew it for himself, and for all the others. Young Sally Crimshaw was picking berries on the old golf course and Russell couldn't resist buzzing her – not just once, but two times! It scared the heck out of her. Of course she ran home to tell her mother. Oh, oh! Then her mother complained to Emily Fisher. Emily was park president! Oh, no! Here comes big trouble!
Emily drafted a NEW RULE: that henceforth motorbikes, motorcycles, motor-driven anythings, be banned from the park unless they were registered and driven by licensed operators. Emily presented her rule at the next Cottagers Meeting and it passed without a whimper of opposition.
Twilight's junior Hell's Angels were no more.
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