SWNOVELS Chapter Vive de Moto
Vive de Moto
Block 7,907,940
Fabian got up early to do a workout. Today, he took it a little easy on the upper body, arms, and legs. He wanted to ensure he was ready for the ride today, so he focused on his abs and did a little more cardio than he would typically do. He also cut the workout short. This would give him more time to ride, and he wanted to be alert.
There was no shortcut or change in breakfast: steak, eggs, cheese, and milk. He drank several cups of coffee and brewed extra to take in a thermos with him.
After showering, he packed his backpack and saddle bags. Next, he packed a couple of pairs of jeans, underwear, light Ts, a couple of button-down shirts, and a light jacket. The lightweight coat was an afterthought, but he figured it better to take one and not need it. And finally, he packed toiletries and a ball cap.
He packed strategically; most light articles of clothing would go in the backpack. The heavier items would go in the saddle bags. He placed some beef jerky, water, and his thermos on the top of the saddle bags for easy access. Next, he grabbed his tank bag and put some light snacks and his magnetic rail gun in it. He liked to carry the rail gun on the bike for the occasional stray dog or other animals. He used it once in the Sonora desert in the state of Mexico. That was for a rattlesnake that wandered into his camp area.
Finally, he put on his riding apparel. Riding had become so safe since the wide use of AV on the roads that he could practically ride naked, but it was part of the image he liked when he was on his bike. He donned protective jeans and a protective shirt. He opted not to purchase the option of adjustable climate control. Riding for him was like working out; he wanted to experience every bit of it, the pain in the wrists, stiffness in the neck and back, and the sweat. He became one with the machine. If he was uncomfortable or hurting, then his bike was.
He left the hotel room and walked down the hall to the elevator. A door opened a little down from him, and a family walked out. A little boy sees him coming down the hall and stares. Guys or gals in motorcycle apparel were not that common these days, so it always induced turn heads. Fabian never sought attention, but it was nice to feel cool.
They all enter the elevator together. The little boy continues to stare at Fabian. Fabian looks down at him and winks. Finally, the boy gets a smile on his face and turns his face away to his dad’s leg.
The family exit at the lobby, but Fabian continues down to the parking area.
He steps off the elevator and approaches his bike; the engine revs and lights up.
“Thrux, stop!” He commands.
Even though the bike was over a hundred years old, he had to have the little creature comforts of the twenty-second century. So he fully outfitted the bike with AI, so he didn’t need to worry about keys, gas levels, directions, etc. Instead, it would connect directly to his helmet HUD.
He was going to be here a little getting his bike ready and didn’t want to waste the fuel and start sweating before the ride with the engine and exhaust heat. So he puts everything down on the ground and walks up to the locker in front of the bike. It opens as he approaches. He grabs his helmet and riding boots.
He sits on the ground, takes his shoes off, places them inside one of the saddle bags, and then puts his riding boots on. He preferred a low-rise, black leather boot with bright yellow accents to match the bike’s color scheme.
He stands up, grabs his helmet, and places it on the right mirror of the bike. He then carefully arranges the saddlebags on the bike’s cowling and attaches the tank bag to the tank. He double-checks everything and makes sure his backpack is secured and tight. He donned his helmet. This also matched the color scheme of the bike.
“Thrux, start!” He commanded.
The bike came to life with its rider ready to go.
He pressed down with his left foot and then pulled the gear lever up one - “neutral,” he heard in the helmet. He backed the bike up a bit and then stepped down once with his left foot and roared down the garage lane and up and out of the garage. He could have just roared out without looking, and AV AIs would have seen him coming and halted traffic, but he always tried to remain as accurate to the real moto rider ethos of driving for everyone else as he could. If there was no sense of danger or thrill, what would be the point? He may not be riding a rocket to space like he saw earlier this week, but he was content with his rocket.
He sped down the city streets, satisfied he could weave in and out of the AVs with abandon.
“Heck yeah!” He screams inside his helmet.
“AI, play AC DC!”
He loved the old century rock and roll, but his playlist also included some new-century re-mixes of rock.
Down the streets he went until he made it out down old highway 2. Traffic would be exceedingly light to El Zonte. He would pass an occasional AV, moto, or old car along the way. Most travel done over any distance would be via an AAPD or plane.
Coming out of Bitcoin city, he would turn south with Conchagua to his left and wind his way through the slightly mountainous terrain until he would turn back north to El Delirio. He would climb a little and descend into the lowlands after heading west from El Delirio.
He decided to get some gas and take a break in Jiquilisco. The heat of the day was coming on. He made sure to drink plenty of water. He’d been in a bad situation before, nearly having a heat stroke, and never wanted to go there again. There were plenty of tiendas along the way to pay with sats.
After a rest in the shade and tanking himself and the bike up, he got back on the road and headed northwest to Zacatecoluca. He took a small break, tanked up one more time, and wanted to make a final push to El Zonte.
Between San Luis Talpa and La Libertad, he opened up the engine popping it into sixth gear and topped off at about 110mph. Again, he felt safe and comfortable, the roads were in excellent condition, and his AI would keep ahead of him and alert to any issues on the road surface or even in the atmosphere. But, of course, a gust of wind would drop his stomach a little if the bike swerved.
As he approached La Libertad, he would back down to about 50mph so he could site see a little. The highway would get close enough to the ocean he could catch sight of it in stretches in between buildings. This area quickly built up as a surfing Mecca for bitcoiners. He wasn’t quite that skilled on the longboard but wanted to get out and hit the waves in El Zonte.
He finally pulls into El Zonte mid-afternoon and pulls into his hotel parking lot.
He’s tired but decides to hit the beach this afternoon, so he quickly ditches his luggage, changes into swimming trunks puts on some sandals, and heads out to the surf shop next to the hotel. But, unfortunately, he didn’t fully appreciate his room and the fantastic view of the ocean.
The surf pro in the shop asks what he’d like to do.
“Man, I would love to get out there today and get on a board. How are the waves looking?”
“Well, first of all, I’m not a man, and second, it’s looking pretty good for the next couple of hours.”
She, indeed, wasn’t a man. Hanna was a 6′3" tall girl well built but not too muscular. She had matted dirty blonde hair down to her shoulders, she’d been out in the water recently, it was drying, and she had beautiful blue eyes. She stepped out from around the desk, and Fabian noticed her grey and black bikini thong bottom and matching short-sleeved rash guard top cut just above the navel. She was not one to care what people saw. She was comfortable in her own skin and didn’t need anyone’s approval. Her breasts were noticeable but not overly large.
“She’s an attractive girl.” Fabian thinks to himself, but he was never one to gawk or flirt.
She walks over to the vertical array of boards and asks, “Well, here is what we have.”
“We have long, short eggs, Maui... but it depends on your skill level.”
She walks down the row a bit and stops midway with a slight twist while stepping on her toes. Her well-defined calf muscles flex until she plants her feet flat down on the sand.
“I presume you have some experience since you didn’t ask for lessons.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I think I’m an advanced beginner or intermediate.”
“Well, in that case, I would suggest a longboard or an egg. But given your size, I would suggest a longboard.”
“And if that’s what you are wearing, I suggest you use one of our long-sleeved rashguards.”
“Sure, both sound great. Can I pay with this through my hotel, or should I pay here?”
“You can do either.”
“If it’s ok with you, I’ll pay at the hotel.”
“All right, just leave me your name, and I will send the lightning invoice to the hotel.”
“Awesome.”
“Will you need any help understanding the waves to begin with?”
“If your offering and it’ll be you, then I’d say yes.” He says with a smile.
“Sure.”
He pulls his shirt off to put on the rash guard. Hannah is unfazed by Fabian’s chiseled abs and well-defined pecs and biceps. He slips the tight-fitting rashguard on, and they both head out to the beach and walk hip-deep in the water. He carries the board, and she uses hand motions to describe the water and wave characteristics.
Their voices raise a little to get over the sound of the water as she gives him some final instructions.
“Great, I think I got it. What’s your name?”
“Hannah.”
“Great, thanks, Hannah; I’ll yell if I’m drowning.”
“In that case, the lifeguards will come to get you!” She says as she swings around to the right and points to the lifeguards on the beach.
“Right... Thanks!”
Fabian walks further out and then jumps on the board. Hannah turns and returns to the shop.
Fabian spends the afternoon riding the waves. It’s the same feeling as on his bike, but at a slower speed and wetter. He tries a few waves and then sits on the board and watches the other surfers. Each, in turn, waves to him as they notice him, and he waves back.
Fabian spends several hours on the board, alternating between surfing and hangin’.
When he feels the rumble in his stomach, he figures it is time to head back in. He paddles out one more time and lays prone on the board, looking back over his shoulder. After a couple of lame waves, he sees one coming in the distance. As the water lifts him, he pushes up on the board, catches the panel on the wave, and rides it into the shore, soaking it all in as he heads in. On this final approach, he gets to the point of stalling and decides to fall flat on his back.
“Deeply satisfying.” He thinks.
He grabs the board, heads back to the shop, and walks in with a huge grin.
“How was it?”
“It was great.”
“I didn’t hear any calls for help, so I guess it was great,” Hannah says with a smile.
“Yeah, thanks for helping me out.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Awesome, and the lightning invoice has been sent to the hotel?”
“Yep, you are all set.”
“Great, see ya’!”
Fabian takes his rashguard. Hannah points to a basket. He places it in the basket, puts his dry shirt on, turns around, walks out, and heads to the beachside restaurant down a little from the surf shop. His wet feet cake with sand as he walks down the beach.
The sun is getting low in the western sky, and he figures this will be the great ending to a great day.
Fabian enters the restaurant and is greeted by a petite Salvadoran teenager.
“Bienvenido, ¿cuántos?”
“Sólo uno”.
“¿Dentro o fuera?”
“Fuera, si es posible, frente a la playa”.
“Déjame comprobarlo”.
The boy turns around and surveys the available tables.
“Sí, tenemos dos que ya están listos. Por favor, espere y le llamaré cuando uno esté listo. ¿Cuál es su nombre, por favor?”
“Fabian.”
He walks away and paces around the entrance reliving the day, thinking it was a great day.
“Things seem pretty stable and slow right now. I work hard; I’ve got to play hard.” He thinks.
“I think I’ll work remotely next week.”
“Fabian!” The boy announces.
Fabian walks up to the boy and is escorted to a beachside table. It’s a table for four. He sits in the chair closest to the stone wall, just half the height of the table, and faces west to watch the setting sun.
He orders a beer and a two-liter bottle of water. He knows he’s dehydrated, so he wants to push the water.
He leans back in the wooden chair. His weight pushes the back legs into the sand. It’s starting to cool a bit from the heat of the day. He watches the sunset and feels deeply peaceful.
“Call Jim!”
“Hello?”
“Hey, man! Sittin’ here in El Zonte. Just watched the sun go down!”
“That’s awesome! How was the ride?”
“Freakin’ fantastic! And the waves were great today as well. Perfect for my skill level. Lovin’ it here!”
“That’s great! What’s up?”
“Not much was just thinking that I’m going to do a little remote work next week and thought I’d head to Panajachel, Guatemala.”
“Epic!”
“You wanna join?”
Jim thought a bit. “Heck yeah! You know the field I work in had its start in that part of the world.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, man. I’ll catch a flight tomorrow, and I can meet you when you get there.”
“Right on!”