ON-RAMP

I was waiting for the green light at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard the other night, minding my own business, when I had a genuine Twin Peaksian experience. A tiny man on a large Harley pulled up next to me and waved to me to roll down my window. I hesitated for a second and then did as he requested. The little man smiled broadly and then, brimming with confidence, told me he needed money to “go someplace.”

I started to roll up my window. But he caught my ear just in time and told me to watch what he was about to do, and if I liked it, I could give him some money. The light turned green and off he went, with me following. Suddenly, the man’s legs were up in the air. He started doing flips and turns, all the while managing to guide the motorcycle down Franklin. The performance ended at the next stoplight. Dumbstruck, I pushed a couple of dollars through the window to him. The tiny man on the large bike smiled that big grin, thanked me and sped off “someplace.”