You hold them while they hurt.
And you give everything you have left, even if it’s just six hours, to make sure nobody faces the scary world alone.
That’s what bikers do.
And someday, that’s what Emmett will do too.
Because he’ll remember.
Maybe not the exact moment, but he’ll remember the feeling.
The feeling of being held by someone who was dying but still had enough strength to make a scared little boy feel safe.
That feeling is everything.
And it’s rumbling forward, one heartbeat at a time.
One ride at a time.
They just show up.
And hold you.
And make the world a little less scary.
That’s Dale’s legacy.
That’s Emmett’s inheritance.
And that’s why, sixteen years from now, when a young man with autism climbs onto a 1987 Harley-Davidson and opens a letter from a biker who died when he was two, the world will hear that motorcycle rumble and know:
Dale Ironside Murphy is still here.
Still showing up.Continue reading…
