Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

THE BIRTH OF A NORTON By Nancy J. Krumm Illustrator: Jon DIIh1strom ~ ohnny shoved bllck the sawed-off k1Dderprten chair and straIcbtened uP, thec:e1l1nClIcbtcJamed ott tile crankca 58 he bad been burt1nC. Be turned around to show It to bis wife and frowned. Her eyes were pointed at a science fiction nonl she was reading. "You used to belp me wlthtb1s,KatbY,"he said, edging his voice with criticism. Glancing uP, perplexed to find herself back In the real world, Kathy struggled to absorb wbat he was saying. "Darn It Johnny, you know I can'tbeDdeas1ly anymore. Remember, I'm nine mooths pregnant!" He scratched his leavlne a black 011 streak acroas the tip. "I keeP forgetting." He picked UP his scattered tools and caretully Inserted them In their correct pockets In bis canvas tool pouch, whlcb he then rolled and tied, aDd placed Into a freshly oiled saddle brig banging over his motorcycle's rear feDder. "'Ibanks for letting me bring the bike Into the bouse to work on", be offered as a sort of apology. "It really looks creat, doesn't It?" Kathy looked at her husband aDd smiled. "You should have seen Rita's expression when she saw your bike In the UvIng room." She laugbed, recall1ng their nelgbbor's reaction UPOD walking through the front door aDd smack Into the Norton Atlas. "Yeah, well you're something else, you know." Kathy was silent with tb1s, knowing It was just more butter to sUde the fact she bad been pusbtng Johnny for months to buY a car to drive bar to the hospital when the baby was due. Johnny didn't Uke being nagged but then Kathy didn't feel she really was 1IlIgg1ng, only stating an obr1ous fact. After all, she couldn.'t ride to the hospital on the motorcycle, despite Johnny's arguments that a cycle could baDdle anything. Until a few months ago be bad biked her to the doctor for her monthly cbeckuPs, picked uP the weekIy rrocerles aDd hauled turn1sb1ngS to their st1ll ball-empty ranch house; and a week ago he actually came tooting down the long dirt drlve1ill1 with a stack of boxes three feet b1gh crowned with a small Christmas tree and s1ng1nc "JIngle Bells" loud enough for all the neighboring farm dogs to chorus In. He bad proved a bike could do almost anything. But, as Kathy cont1nued to remind bim, the trip to town aDd the hospital might prove to be the exception. The nelcbbors bad recently been voIunlleer1ng their cars aDd took turns taking her In for her DOW weekIy checkuPs. Kathy 'Ra!I becoming embarrassed at her dependence on them, and the same embarrassment was beg1nn1nc to eat at Johnny, despite his stubborn 1ns1stence that a car wasn't needed. "I was looking at some used cars today", Johnny ID!lO'JDCed. Kathy tensed, afraid to say anything that mlcbt 8llllO88 her enthusiasm and bllck b1m Into a cOrDer again. "I have my eyes on one that's sell1ng for Sl!OO", be continued. "We'd have to PlI7 only Sl!5 a mooth." "DJd you try It out?" "Yeah, the muffler drags a Uttle but the salesman promised he'd have It f1xed before we bought It." Jobnny SDIIllP8d the qcle _ t bllck Into place, then Kathy held open the front door as he eased the lltke bllckwards down the long narrow plank placed over the cemeat stairs and wbeeled It towards the garage. nose. T he following day was cold for the valley. Frost coated the leafless grapevines and whitened the == brown, sandY soU that Sl,U'rounded the bouse. .Jobnny bad lett for school already, where he taught a 5th grade class at the local elementary school nearby. Kathy could hear the shouts aDd laughter 01 the school's recess PlaygrouDd on a st1ll day. She liked the emptiness she felt after Jobnny lett, and would follow the bike's tracks out to the rural mltJbox to Insert the da1ly letters to friendS and relatives Into the dented metal box wII&cb still carried the last occUPant's faded name. Sucking In the cbll1Y morning air, she smiled as bar eyes wandered over .the vastness of the country soutude. She Ustened caretully to detect the cruncb In her walk bllck towards the bouse. Pressing against her bulging womb as the baby stirred, she pulled upwards. It felt comforting as sbe walked, reUeving the beavlness of the full term load. She walked faster as she came closer to the bouse, impatient to get on the phone to t1ie neighbors to tell them of Johnny's dec1s1on toptthecar, aDd to relleve them of the ImPOSed tax1 respons1bWty. The fol1ow1ng even1JlC Kathy was startled to spot headUghts mckerlng UP the night-darkened drlve1ill1. Having no T,V. to _lx:b and tired of read1ng,she bad been breathIng against the cold w1Ddowpane and drawing stick figures In the moist fog, daydreaming of things to come. Forgetting she was so heavY she sprang off the courcb, w1nc1ng at the sharp pain that resulted, then waddled slowly to the back porcb to see the "new"car. The salesman bad . volunteered to drive the car home, caretully following the bike lights along the unfam1Uar country roads. Aftlir a few beers and assurances that It was a good "arouDd-the-town" car, Jobnny drove bim bllck to the city. Kathy bad the bed warmed when he returned. SnuggUng UP to b1m she murmured her thanks. "We can get rid of It as soon as the baby Is h1g enough to ride the bike with us." "Sure, Hon," be answered, not too convinced. Days followed, then weeks. They were both getting nervous and worried. The baby was IIOW two weeks overdue, according to the doctor's rough estimation. She bad first come to bim already four monthspregDllDtand unsure 01 when It was actually conceived. Jobnny called from school eacb luncbtlme to ask If anything new bad happened. then he'd race directly bome after school to ask the same question. But now school was over aDd Christmas was only two days a1ill1. The tree sat respleDdent In the corner of the UvIng room, casting out Its multi-colored glow from the new lIcbts and plump colored balls scattered throughout the needles branches. QJ1et boUday music from their pretransistor radio filled the bouse as Kathy and Johnny halfheartily played a game of tldc1lyw1nks on the bulky wooden table whlcb dominated half the UvIng room. The plastic discs cl1nkei:I as they bounced ott tile shot glass occas10111lly bit their mark and plopped Into It. "You're getting better, Kathy", Jobnny smiled. Kathy started to smile bllck, but suddenly blanched, then walked qulckIy out of the room. Returning to her chair a few minutes later she II8I"VOUSl7 remarked, "Johnny, I th1nk my _ter just broke." "Any pains?" he asked, m1ss1ng his t1dd1yw1nk tarpt by a foot but stW trying to keep cool. "Yes, but IIOt bad ones." Kathy aimed caretully, and the t1dd1yw1nk rang no1s1ly Into the shot glass. "Maybe I'd better call Rita", she sugpsted. TelePbon!ng UP quickly, &be returned wbItefaced to Jobnny, sure DOW In the kDOwledge this was 110 false alarm. or "She said I'd better pt the bell to the bospital." Johnny wasted 110 time. He grabbed the small suitcase Kathy bad prepared and raced out to the car. Kathy quickly c:baDced bar clothes and burried out to joID b1m. She arrange her fresh maternity dress as Johnny tumb1ed w1th the keys• The car made It as far as the eDd of the dr1ve1ill1, then came to a grtnd1ng, crullCbIDC baIt. Johnny searcbed carefullY about uDder the hood. "I don't understand, Kathy, we have gas, the spark plugs are okay, but It's delId. I don't kIIOw, I just don't kIIOw", he sighed, bold1nC bar gaze In bis dumbfouDded despair. "'Ibat's okay, Jobn, Rita will drive us In. Go call bar, I'll walt here." Kathy spoke calmly, DOt wanting to further rattle bar busband or herself. Sitting quietly, Kathy stared Into the blackn1gbt, twItcbIng sUghtly with each pain and ta1Idng softly to the unborn baby. Fifteen minutes passed. She examined bar thumb •nau, DOW bttten past the skin, then studiously started In on ber Index t1npr. The hlllldUgbt blinded her for an Instant, and she quinted away the Uttle white bubbles that floated around In bar eyes. Johnny pulled bis Norton UP beside the car and commanded Kathy out. She looked at bim Uke he was mad. "You must be nuts", she sbouted. "Where's Rita"? "Ml.ke took the car to town. I called two other nelgbbors but go no answer." Kathy was crying now, but she dragged the suitcase resignedly off the front seat of the car and banded It to Jobnny to secure on the luggage rack. He felt bad, he really did. He spoke tenderly to Kathy, asking her If the pains were very bad yet. "Not bad, John, DOt too bad", she assured bim, grimacing a btt atter the last one but trying to convince b1m with a weak smile. "I'll have to sit side-saddle, Jobnny. If I face front It'll burt too mucb wilen I press against yan." Johnny bad thoughttully brought out a pair of his thermal long- johns and bar cycle boots. PulUng the webbed underwear UP uDder ber maternity dress aDd beavY winter coat she started laughing and sobbing at the same time. "Gosh, Jobnny, they won't let me Into the maternity ward. They'll cart me straight over to psycbo." "Hurry UP, Kathy. Just shut UP and get on the damn bike." Helmet, wool scarf, leather gloves, boots, aDd she was readY. She sUpped onto the seat, clutcb1ng bar husband UCbtly around the waist and begging bim to go slow. The hie engine missed the first kick, the second caught the spark and the mufflers began their deep, sure rumble. Cold btt Into Kathy's face, Iak1ng her mind off the IIOW sharper aDd more frequent pains, Squeezing her reddened eyes UCbtly sbut, she Ustened to the soothing roar of the motor and bUlled her busband's warmth to her bodY. "'IbIs Isn't really bappenlng", she ariUed with herself. "It Isn't, It Isn't", synchronizing her Isn'~ with the crackthumps In the road until she was half hypnotized, then Jerldnc her bodY awake as she felt berself slipping off the _to "You okay?", Johnny called bllck. He slowed down momentarily until Kathy strengthened bar sltt1DC position. "We're almost there", he encouraged. The empty countryside gave 1ilI1 to city streets, stop signs, aDd Christmas sboppers. Brlcbt UgJIts were bang1ng from street arches aDd stores were crowded with the frantic last-minute crush. A few sboAlers looked uP from their tower 01 bundles to point at the tunny fat lady on the motorcycle, nudging their COlllllll"loos tolookaiso.Desplte the cold Kathy felt a bot blush creep over bar face aDd she wh1&Pered to the w1Dd for .JoIum1 to please hurry. PuWng off the darkened side street aDd Into the h0spital parking lot, Johnny shouted bllck that they ba4 made It. Kathy sUd ott the - t , her legs almost bucJrltng UDder bar. Jobnny grabbed bar under the arms aDd stra1ghtened bar UP. "Come on. It's just a few more feet." ~

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