This tale was adapted from a 2013 text by long time friend, riding partner and SledMagazine.com guest contributor Mark Berardo of Essex Vermont “Markusvt”
Yes it’s sad but true! On a chilly Friday night, at about 8:30 PM, my girl for 2 years left me alone at the restaurant. Even now, it’s hard for me to write about it. You hear about things like this, but until it happens to you, you can’t really fully understand it. The drama and impact is incredible. I’m still in stages 2 or 3 of the 5 stages of grief, so I have a ways to go. I may get stuck in stage 4 for a while………
- Denial (this isn't happening to me!)
- Anger (why is this happening to me?)
- Bargaining (I promise, I'll be a better person if…)
- Depression (I don't care anymore)
- Acceptance (I'm ready for whatever comes)
I’ll share the details in a minute, but first I have to start at the very beginning.
It first began back in November of 2011. I had known of her months before, but we never actually laid eyes on each other until then. I took her home after the first time we actually met and she had been with me ever since.
Until that fateful January Friday, we had been loyal to each other, no fooling around with others. She never spent a night with anyone else. I took excellent care of her, (she was my goddess). I lubed her with the finest lubricants before every ride. I rode her hard on many occasions, but never put her away wet. I always made sure she was warm and comfortable. I never left her get dirty or salty. I had the highest respect for her and always kept her covered up and protected.
In the beginning, like every relationship, I spent a ton of money on her. Got her everything she needed or I wanted her to have. I showered her with goodies that made her stand out in a crowd. When it was time to go out, she always looked great. I think she secretly liked the admiration even though she was basically quiet and shy. She was rock solid dependable and always ready for a good time. I would have gladly loaned her to my buddies, because I knew that they would also treat her with respect.
At the time, she had no idea that we were going to go our separate ways the upcoming fall, regardless of her opinion. Guys like me can get bored and drawn to the idea of trading for a newer, younger model. Everything is always tighter on the newer models. Sure, they don’t have the experience, but they make up for it with being fresh and shiny. The newer models also have much less of the junk in the trunk that always accumulates over the years.
I was going to break the news to her soon, but why rush? I was definitely going to have a few more months of fun with her “so I thought”.
In preparation for the week-end, I had polished her up really nice. After all, I thought we had many more nights together. She got lubed and aligned like always. I wanted to make sure she could go the distance without disappointment. She even got a pair of sharp new shoes for the trip. With the days getting longer, I looked forward to riding her even longer. She was always eager and ready for weekend adventures. She was definitely meant for week-ends and loved to travel. She really loved it when I gripped her tight, leaned into her and pushed her a little. She would often let out an addicting growl that I will never forget.
Our group had loaded up and headed North for another great week-end of snowmobiling. Heading up the highway, there is a rest stop with a gas station and a chicken place, (let’s call it Benny’s). We decide to stop for a quick bite to eat. We parked the 2 trucks and trailers in the front parking lot against the snow banks, just to the left of the entrance. The trailers were locked to the trucks and the gear bags were in the trucks. We were under the main light pole with a security camera on us. As my girl waited in my buddy’s trailer with his special friend, we went inside and got in line to order. We were in line 2-3 minutes, when one friend remembered he forgot his money in his truck. He quickly went outside to get his money and found everything to be normal.
While in line waiting to order, another friend noticed a black Chevy Avalanche drive by slowly. It raised his awareness, but not suspicion; vehicles can drive slowly if they want to “no problem”. We ate quickly, because we wanted to get to our destination about 45 minutes north. I was the first one out the door and first to notice that the trailer was no longer on the truck and the lock was on the ground. I immediately felt a rush of sickening emotion and the impact hit me immediately, 2 of us were going home early without our special friends.
Yup, she was gone, swiped right out from under the light pole. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. She was sleeping gently one minute and then gone forever! I still had the key to her heart, so good luck to the dirt bag who would try to get her started and revved up next. I’d like to think that I was the only one who would ever know exactly how to work all of her buttons. She could be finicky and difficult to people that she didn’t know. I hope the new guy in her life feels that side of her.
The Police came and filled out a report for us and we watched the security video together. It was actually worse having to watch the abduction in slow-motion. Yep, it was the Black Avalanche. It drove in and parked a few spaces ahead of us. A passenger guy got out, walked up to the hitch and cut the lock, (15 seconds) and got back into the truck. After a minute they drove around the restaurant and parked beside my truck. They waited while a bunch of kids crossed in front of them, (it looked like they even waved). Then the same guy got out, unhooked the trailer from my truck and hooked it to the Avalanche. In less than 45 seconds the deed was done, with only the cut lock left on the ground for a souvenir.
Both a 2012 and a 2013 XR1200 were gone. My girl had 7,000 very enjoyable miles on her with more to come if I had it my way. My buddies 2013 with less than 2000 miles and a very nice trailer were also gone.
We made a long and lonely trip back home and I dropped off my now sled-less buddy at his house. Determined to try and make lemonade out of lemons, I loaded my spare sled into my truck. After a few hours of restless sleep, I headed back up to meet up with the rest of my group. We rode 500 miles over the weekend and had a lot of fun. Along the way, I spied every sled I passed, hoping to see her again. But in my heart, I knew she was gone.
The moral to this sad story is always the same. Take higher precautions, keep a better watch over those you love and make yours harder to steal away than the other guys. Keep in mind that these guys can be professionals that do this for a living. Wherever you may be, if they want your stuff, they’ll get it. It can happen anywhere at any time. My advice….. have a better security plan than you do now, be more aware, be more alert.
