Day 184 - Chemistry

 CHEMISTRY

Prompt - Chemistry : Choose an element and write a poem or story that uses the word in one of the lines

He'd rebuilt it over nine years.  A work of frustration, patience, pain and love.  He'd kept going, through redundancy, illness and the end of his marriage.  And, he had to admit, maybe his passion of it was a factor in that latter difficulty.  "You love that thing more than you love me" was heard several times.  Perhaps, to his shame, she'd been right.

So now was the moment to find out if this had all been worthwhile.  All the time and money and heartache.  He'd done everything he could for himself.  Now it was with the experts to give it that final cherry on the cake moment.  He'd got it stripped, he'd put it back together a bit at a time, repairing and replacing as he went along and funds allowed, and he'd finally got it all together and working good.  Now he got to see if these guys could make it look good too.

'It' was a 1966 Harley-Davidson FLH Electra-Glide.  A big hefty beast with a rumbling 60bhp 74ci Shovelhead V-twin, cautious drum brakes, a big fragile looking windshield and a fat, comfy seat for cruising on.  He'd picked up a wreck, and, he thought back then, as a bargain (how wrong had that been proved...?), and now it would be one of the finest examples in Europe, if not the world.  

But Harleys weren't just for drifting along on, they were meant to be easy on the eye too.  That was the bit he'd left to the end, got priced up, saved for, and here was the moment approaching when he'd see the final results.  Gafneys had a good reputation, within the Harley community and wider, and he'd seen plenty examples of their successes at the shows he'd haunted over the years, envious of all those roadworthy and stunningly gorgeous looking machines.  Now he could join them.

He walked in nervously and was immediately spotted by Des, the brightwork guru.

"Looking forward to seeing her?"  He could only nod in response, suddenly dry throated and speechless.  Des led the way through to the workshop, the place of alchemy.  And there she was.  "What'd you think?"

She'd gone in dull, black and grey, functional but lacking glamour, more of a old workhorse than the proud steed he wanted.  But now...

The big soft seat in cream leather.  Fenders and tank in two-tone orange and cream, classic but cheerful.  And the rest...shone.  Wherever chromium could be applied there was chromium.  Wherever polish could be applied there was polish.  The result was everything he'd been working towards for so long, and so much more too.  It looked almost too good, like road dirt and bug splatters would be a desecration, like sprinkling a Van Gogh with drops of Dulux.  

He walked up, walked round, not daring to touch, to make a mark on the shining purity.  He saw his reflection move around in a hundred surfaces, marvelled at what she had become.  A grand old lady of the road in all the finery she could muster, still a head turner despite her half century of living.  

Des grinned at his reaction.  He'd seen it all before and it tickled him every time.  He watched the man look up at him, grin, and move towards the bike, swing his leg over and let himself sink into postion, as if he was trying out the best and comfiest armchair he'd ever encountered.  

"Thank you.  Thank you so much."  He settled up the bill, settled himself behind the windshield, and fired her up.  Still as sweet and smooth, just a whole lot prettier.  Moved off to the waves of Des and his pal, and out on to the road.

And set off to dazzle the world.