Epilogue
August came and went. I went back to work, back to New Hampshire, and back to all that had become unfamiliar. I saw Ben only once. I did not ride my bicycle. Then, over the Labor Day Weekend, I flew back to the West Coast to see #6 again — almost one month to the day since I had departed and two and half months since Ben and I had fatefully begun our journey. The trip itself had already faded into an ephemeral wisp of a memory. I could hardly recall what it was that had brought me out there the first time. So much had changed in the interim it felt as if I was now a different person altogether; in fact, each trip to Issaquah brought about great shifts of consciousness and new levels of universal understanding. But Issaquah never changed. I did. #6 did. Issaquah was still newer than freshly spackled drywall — exactly as I had left it.
Over the Labor Day Weekend, #6 and I cleaned out her condominium and packed up her belongings into a rented trailer that had been hitched to her little SUV. She was moving to Connecticut for a new job and I was going to move with her. It wasn’t for the mountains or the trees or the forests of Connecticut, you can be assured of that; as far as I am aware, Connecticut has zero defining qualities and serves no purpose to the great outdoors or to me. I was moving for #6.
On Labor Day her car and trailer were loaded with all her worldly possessions and I said goodbye — she was the one driving off on a cross-country adventure this time, leaving me behind in fair Issaquah. But not for long; my flight left the next day and I would meet her in New Hampshire. She and I were beginning a journey of our own this time and though we were starting out on separate paths the end of our story would be the same: we would get a place together and live happily ever after.
That was — and still is — the plan.
6 Comments
Comment by Emily
August 29, 2006 @ 6:24 am | Link
……..sigh.
“i finished listening to “ISO#6″. what’s there to do now?”
“find another free audiobook online?”
“the bar has been set fairly high by this one.”
“i know. it’s like the first book you ever read being ‘The Great Gatsby’. All others look rather pale in comparison.”
Comment by The Great Arturo Bandini
August 31, 2006 @ 7:22 pm | Link
This year I have read books by amongst others Charles Bukowsi, Hunter S. Thompson, Albert Camus, John Fante, Truman Capote… and Damon Timm.
He wasn’t embarrassed to be in their company.
Comment by Daniel
August 28, 2009 @ 11:55 pm | Link
I have to say that your story was very inspirational to me. Listing to your words has really got ma thinking of ways to put the stories of some of the trails I Have traveled such as my 2 years on the carnival, or the summers I spent with my best friend staying in the wood of a small town in PA (hovering around the town so we were not to go without supplies). I really appreciated your commentary and the need to intermix the God Honest Truth with how you saw it, isn’t that what all our own stories are though. It’s how we still see them in our minds that makes all the difference form who is telling the story and who is telling a story that they heard.
Comment by James
August 30, 2009 @ 2:47 pm | Link
I just finished the podcast. I started it yesterday. I guess I liked it or maybe I just had nothing better to do this weekend. You have a nice voice for podcasting, though you sound like another person in the recordings, maybe that’s Ben’s influence.
Seriously, Damon, I hope you are still writing. I think you are very talented, and I hope you are living happily ever after with #6, though I would be a little sad if that meant you broke up with your heterosexual life partner Ben. You two seemed like soul mates.
I did ride over 200 miles in 3 days in 2003 on one of those charity fundraisers, so this story brought back some memories, especially the parts about hills and power bars. We didn’t eat a lot of eggs. I didn’t have to haul my own gear or figure out the route, and there was a truck that came along and picked up the stragglers in time for dinner. I did look awesome in my bike outfits and I was in the best shape of my life. I was amazed the first day when we did 100 miles in one day. I didn’t really believe I could do that until I did it. I highly recommend the experience. Maybe one day I’ll do a tour on my own, with a friend. Maybe today I’ll just put some air in my tires and take a spin around the block. You have to start somewhere.
I had to check, Sharkies are real. I found them on the REI website. That made me laugh.
More stories please.
Regards
James in Colorado
Comment by Damon
September 4, 2009 @ 8:04 am | Link
Thanks Daniel & James, for your comments. Just hit me today that over three years have passed (2006 to 2009) since I put all this up. Is really terrific that folks are still listening to it and am happy you enjoyed it. Thanks again for taking the time to post a note — it means a lot.
Comment by Liz
December 10, 2009 @ 4:29 pm | Link
Hey, I really enjoyed your story listened to it during a snowday (avoiding doing my calculus) thanks. I copied down your cat in the box statement for my friend who is a science nerd and wears a shirt that says the cat is dead on one side and the cat isn’t dead on the other maybe that will help him figure it out.
It helped me decide what I wanted to do this summer usually I just bike on the country roads by my house because I am usually too busy to do much else but this year after graduation two of my friends and I plan to bike around some of the great lakes. We want to do something fun and enjoy the summer before we all go to college. Thanks
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