Day 402 | Guy on a trike: last day in Esperance

Esperance Day 105

So what did you do? Well, before that, pointing in the direction of my bike.

There’s a smirk on his face, a dumb word, but really the only one to describe the look. You idiot, it says, but I’ll have a word to the pedal guy to show my superiority.

That’s the only time I’ve been asked the question first up by the 100s of travellers I’ve engaged with on my trip which is almost invariably led off with, How Far? (For some reason it bought to mind a similarly stupid question I was asked when I was desperate for a job in London a long time ago: what does your farrrther dooo? My reply, my father’s not wanting this position didn’t snaffle it for me, but at least I knew I didn’t want to work there by that stage.)

The Ulysses Club, (mature age, ie over 40, motorcycle club), gathering in Albany is now over and 750 motorbikes are returning east over the Nullabor. 3200 people turned up apparently, must have been some geriatric party.

This guy must be a junior member, he’s close to my age and looking expectantly for my response.

I pick an occupation at random.

Oh, you guys make shitloads of money.

So that’s it. Let’s talk toys, except he’s chosen the wrong guy for that topic of conversation.

He had come in on his trike a couple of nights ago. And I thought boys stopped riding trikes when they were around, umm, four. I don’t say that, I switch the topic to his favourite: himself.

Yes, it’s got a Subaru 1600cc in it, not the usual VW. How fast? from me but he thinks I may be a policeman and he’s lost interest. It’s clear I have no balls and won’t do the rams head clash that he’s looking for.

I saw him giving the tinnies a bit of a nudge last night, staggering around just on dark, after having consumed his 6, (12 or 18) cans of Bundy and Coke, (the local bad boy favourite), before he tucked himself in bed about 8pm.

Basically my antithesis, destination travel, speed freak, with the biggest, noisiest, bike in the crowd, toy driven, deeply unhappy and not knowing why.

I’m having brekkie here in Bathers Paradise and he packed up in 15 minutes and roared off.