Start Seeing Motorcycles

Senior year. Honestly, I was dreading it. I assumed this year my biggest worries would be college applications, my rigorous schedule, and my boyfriend, Landon, leaving for the Air Force. Until one person would change the path of my year and life for the worse.

The first day of senior year rolls around, it is bittersweet. The day starts early with senior sunrise. The day feels long and dance practice drags. I get home, eat dinner, and Landon comes over. He’s the highlight of my day. Our typical summer schedule consisted of long nights, staying together until 2 in the morning. With my return to school, this schedule couldn’t continue. At around 10:30 that night, I made him leave so I could get some sleep. I go to bed, anxious for day two.

September 5th, 2024. I wake up and head to school, it’s the second day of senior year. Landon and I texted throughout the day. He rides his motorcycle to go swear into the Air Force. In our last conversation, I talked about a football game I wanted to go to with my friends the next day. He was disappointed that I didn’t invite him to come. “I’m sorry, I love you,” was the last text he sent me. I check his location, he is by a random house I have never seen. He is ignoring my texts. Throughout the day I keep checking his location. The hospital? The police station? What is he up to?

I tell my friends before dance practice about the strange day, and they reassure me. It’s the middle of practice, still no texts from him, it’s been six hours. As we were practicing my mom walks in, tears in her eyes, I knew it was about Landon. I walk into the hallway, his sister and mom are there. “Landon got into a motorcycle accident and he didn’t make it.” These words mumbled out of his sister’s mouth like a terrible joke. Denial took over immediately. That night was the longest and loneliest night of my life. I felt like half of me was gone.

The next day I woke up, I prayed that this was all a dream. I thought I would wake up to a text from him as usual, yet nothing was there. The next week was filled with grief. I felt empty and betrayed. I went to his house everyday that week because I needed to be with people who understood. We talked about him, but being there without him felt wrong and I felt out of place. I spent nights in his bed, wishing he was there with me. I was showered with support, and while I was beyond thankful, nothing could compare to the support of his love.

I visited him at the funeral home. He looked like a different person. There was a huge cut on the side of his neck. I tried to hold his hand, but his wrist was broken. Touching him was as cold as ice. He used to be so warm and welcoming. All the life he had is now gone, his dreams will never be lived out, all because one person was not careful when they were driving.

Before I met Landon, I knew nothing about motorcycles. As a new driver, I don’t remember learning about how to treat motorcyclists on the road, besides to keep my distance, but there is so much more to know. I remember when I first got onto his motorcycle, I was nervous, naturally, but I quickly adapted to it. I knew the risks of riding on motorcycles, but I trusted him. He was a motorcycle mechanic and knew everything about them. Everyone who knew him asked for his help when their motorcycle had issues. He always fixed them, not for money, but because he wanted to keep the people he loved safe, it was his passion. He was intelligent and had a bright future.

Riding a motorcycle is vastly different from driving a car. It is a lot harder to stop on a motorcycle than a car. Landon was going straight, and two cars were turning left in the lane next to him. A car going the other way was going to turn left, but they could not see Landon because the other cars blocked their view. They turned left and collided with Landon. He passed away on impact. If that car had properly yielded, I wouldn’t have a lifetime’s worth of suffering, his sister wouldn’t have to feel so much pain, and our community wouldn’t be affected by his loss.