The following morning
Sunday
Well it was kinda useful meeting those two new British vigilantes, I suppose.
They got under my damn skin though!
I really needed some stress relief, so I was glad that I had arranged something fun for today.
The Farm
"Hi Jack!" I called.
"Morning Mindy! Josh is inside, on his laptop; please go in Chloe!" Jack replied and Chloe rushed in.
"Those two are almost inseparable!" I laughed. "How's Josh doing?"
"He's doing good and he's a great help around the house; a perfect gentleman! You look shocked, Mindy."
"Well, Josh isn't always the 'perfect gentleman'! But, it seems, he knows when to be well mannered and when not! He's a good kid and I don't regret recruiting him; at least not yet!" I said.
"You are a good judge of character, Mindy and your training of Josh and Chloe is first rate; Damon would be very, very proud to see what you have built. Marcus says the same; you do know we talk regularly? I'll go get the love birds, so you can head on out!" Jack said and I felt really good inside.
My plan was to take the Honda off-road motorcycles out again. Only this time, I intended to teach Chloe and Josh some more advanced motorcycle riding, including slow speed manoeuvres, alternative stopping and a bit of fun with wheelies and jumping! I had selected a good site where they could both learn to jump and if things didn't go well, they would have a soft landing, well, hopefully.
..._...
After riding for twenty minutes, we arrived at the location that I had chosen.
"You two look nervous!"
"We both want to keep our necks intact, if that's at all possible!" Josh said and Chloe readily nodded her agreement.
"Okay! Most important; always remember that what goes up, usually comes back down again! So you not only need to learn how to take-off, but it also helps if you learn how to land, preferably in a safe manner!" I explained. "As you approach the jump, look for the smoothest part, it will help you keep a straight line, so that you aren't knocked off by a bump. Now, assuming that you also want to land, after taking off, it's a good idea to checkout the landing zone, before you ride. For us, operationally, that may not always be possible, but we do what we can. Don't take chances if you can avoid them; you tend to live a lot longer!"
Josh and Chloe still looked nervous.
"Now, your bodies. Your own body, Josh! Grip tight with your legs, keep good control of the bike by not gripping too tightly with your hands. You need your hands for the controls, so try to resist a tight, reflexive, grip. Next you're gonna need good throttle control. This is gonna be your first jump, so keep to a medium power setting and slightly pause as you approach the jump, before bringing on the power until both wheels are off the ground. If you back off too early, then the front of the bike will dip down, which won't be good! When you go up the ramp, to take-off, don't drop off the back of the bike! You do that, then you pull up the front wheel, which may not end well! You two scared yet?"
They both looked petrified!
"Keep your head over the handlebars and resist any temptation to move backwards. When you land, apply a bit of power and job done! Ready?"
Chloe looked at Josh, grinned and then turned to me.
"Let's go!" She said, warily.
Firstly, I took them both over the jump, on foot, so that they could examine the ramp and the landing zone. Then I suggested that they go, one at a time. Chloe reluctantly volunteered to go first and I guided her over the comms.
"Keep it slow... Look for the smoothest part of the ramp... Keep your legs tight together... Good general advice that, not just for now! Don't grip too tightly with your hands... Okay, you're airborne... Power... Not bad!"
Chloe came back around to us and her eyes were sparkling!
"That was so awesome!" Chloe almost yelled.
"Okay boy, your turn! Keep it slow... Look for the smoothest part of the ramp... Keep your legs tight together... Don't grip too tightly with your hands... You're airborne... Apply power... Control the skid! Well done, Josh!"
That was close; Josh almost lost control on landing, but he reacted well and corrected just in time!
"That was fun!" Josh said, dubiously, once he had stopped beside us.
"You didn't enjoy it?" Chloe asked, incredulously.
"I did, but it was just a bit scary!" Josh admitted.
"Wimp!" Chloe stated.
"Chloe, just 'cause you've become a fearless speed freak, doesn't mean everybody has!" I said, with a laugh and Chloe scowled.
"Give me time, I'll get there!" Josh said.
"I agree!" Dave agreed.
..._...
After a couple of hours we had all been over the jump, including Dave! Josh was feeling a lot more confident about jumping and his landings had improved. I enjoyed the jumping, too and so did Dave. Jumping the BMW motorcycles was not easy, mainly due to their weight. The kids off-road Honda motorcycles were designed for the larger jumps, however. I missed jumping, as my Ducati was definitely not designed for them!
Anyway, I didn't mention the speed demon!
I am a little concerned by her 'need for speed'! As Dave very happily reminded me, I am not a great deal better! However I have absolutely no desire for Chloe to break her little neck! Chloe, however, seems completely oblivious to the fact that there are consequences to riding fast and without due care and attention!
I reminded Chloe that I had come off my previous Ducati and that it had hurt, a lot! Thankfully that had been at a relatively slow speed and I could have been badly hurt, if I had been riding at my usual pace! Chloe just didn't seem to get it. Her motorcycle riding skills are very good, I admit that, but she needs a lot more experience.
..._...
I was now a bit dubious about covering wheelies, as Chloe was definitely enjoying her adrenalin buzz! I was a little concerned that she would do something stupid!
Oh well!
Forty minutes later, Chloe was on her backside again, which must be well and truly bruised by now! Chloe has came off the back of her Honda, twice! She just won't give up and insists on pushing it to the limit. Josh managed reasonably well, but was much more cautious and needed a lot more work!
I decided that now was as good a time as any to call it a day, before Chloe broke something that didn't heal!
That night
Morton Grove
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Josh and I got into a fight, yesterday morning!" I offered and tried to go up to my room.
"Back here young lady! Sit down!"
I turned around.
"I'd rather not, my ass is bruised to... Well you know; I came off of my motorcycle this afternoon, twice... Don't laugh, it hurt!"
"I'm waiting!" Mom said sternly.
"Okay, I smacked Josh and we started to fight, but Josh refused to hit me. He kicked my legs out from under me and I landed on my face!" I explained rapidly.
"So, you two made up, then?"
"Yeah!" I replied and hoped that the conversation would end there, but my Mom looked at me closely.
"Maybe instead of 'made up', I should have said 'made out'!"
"Mom, we are not having this conversation!" I said as forcefully as I could.
Mom just stared at me!
"Okay, jeez! We made out on the mat and well... Josh got carried away and I kinda lost my bra and t-shirt. Then Dave came down and saw me topless!" I explained, with my face feeling very hot.
"What are you complaining about; it's not like there's much to see!"
I just stood there with my mouth open; I couldn't believe my Mom had just said that!
"Sorry, Chloe; couldn't resist!" My Mom said and laughed.
"Josh never complains!" I retorted, then instantly regretted it and clamped a hand over my mouth!
"Is that so! Don't worry, if you're very lucky your tits may grow as big as your mouth!"