Pink Biker Woman

I'm just going to start out by admitting that the activities I describe in this post are completely stalkerish and, no, I'm not necessarily proud of them. But I'm not ashamed either. I mean how often do you come across "Pink Biker Woman" (as I'm calling her) on your Friday evening commute home from work.

So first let me describe the setting. It's last Friday and I'm in the good ole camry driving home from a long day at the office. I'm taking the route by Ramsey High School and St. Mary's that skirts Five Points, which I sometimes take to avoid traffic and just mix life up a little. By now I'm on that road between Legacy Credit Union and J Clyde/Cobb Lane waiting to turn right onto 20th Street when Pink Biker Woman drives past me on her breast-cancer-awareness pink scooter. (I think I'm going to submit that to Crayola as a crayon color name.) I immediately smile and dig my camera from my purse. This is just too good to pass up.

As the light turns green, I'm already gaining speed to try and catch up with this woman to get a better look. I'm thinking I have a pretty good chance of passing her on the climb up Red Mountain toward Vulcan. I mean, she's just on a scooter. Surly my four-cylinder can beat that, right?

Apparently not since Pink Biker Woman is still far ahead and I'm no where close enough to get the pics I want. I for the millionth time long for my old six-cylinder camry, thinking I'm defeated, but somehow get lucky as the light at the intersection of Valley/Richard Arrington Blvd catches her and allows me to catch up. With revived hope, I logically decide to change my normal route home to get close enough to check her out further.



At this point, I'm beginning to think she's about the coolest woman in the world. I mean look at her. She's confident, independent, feminine, stylish, trendy, bold...need I go on? So let me just clarify that the stalking is primarily out of admiration than weirdness. Who could argue that this woman is not cool. She's awesome. I seriously want her to be my new best friend. But I can't tell her that from three cars behind as I sheepishly try to hide my camera just above the steering wheel while I take this pic.

Check out all those patches on her pink leather biker jacket. Her matching pink satchel bag is even secured on the back. I was trying to get a closer pic so I could read the patches but traffic wasn't cooperating, and I think she spotted me and the camera in her side view mirrors when we were stopped at the light by Dorthy Daniels Flower Market heading into downtown Homewood, so I lost a little courage, quickly took the pic below, and changed by game plan in a desperate attempt to satisfy my curiosity.



Realizing the only way I was going to get a picture of her face was to take one through my side view mirror, I snapped this beauty and avoided the fifth near collision in as many minutes. But it was completely worth it. The front side of Pink Biker Woman did not disappoint. Check out those shades, white leather gloves, and the white little girl woven bike basket on the front of her scooter! She's a fashionista.



Back at home with the help of the zoom feature on Picasa I was able to read her tag ("Prettyn" - not sure what that means but I like it) and some of the other stickers on her scooter and patches on her jacket.

Apparently she's both fully pink and fully green. Check these out.

"One Less SUV" (with a cartoon image of a woman on a pink scooter)
"100 MPG"
"Barbers Motorsports"
"Scoot Q"
"Southern Comfort" (I think - but not sure)

and about six others with images of scooters on them.

If you know this woman please tell her I think she's awesome...and maybe mention I'm not really a stalker and she made my day last Friday. I'm completely filled with admiration for her, probably because I'm not, and probably never will be, that confident and comfortable with who I am.

Which got me to thinking which of my best girlfriends would be closest to Pink Biker Woman thirty years down the road. It's J-Go. Hands down. No contest. So, Ben, when you come home from a long day at the hospital thirty years from now and see a pink scooter in the driveway don't be surprised. It's your wife's latest purchase. And she probably got it off Craigslist.