The Maiming of Mufasa, or The Day My Harley Was Run Over

Mufasa, most would agree, was Disney’s King, the laid-back, easy-going-until-you-messed-with-him-or-his-family, Lion King. I named my first motorcycle (a beautiful, Luxury Blue, Harley Davidson 1200 Custom Sportster), after Mufasa. I thought the name suited him. He was easy going but I never forgot the power he exhibited. This was my very first motorcycle and most days I couldn’t wait to get off work, just to ride until I could breathe again.

One day I was helping a friend move some living room furniture in preparation for some contractual flooring and wall work, and Mufasa was along for the ride, so to speak. I parked him at the curb, partly because her driveway was going to have multiple contractors in and out and partly so I could stand for a moment in her living room in front of her rather large, plate-glass window and gaze out and admire his beauty, parked there in the summer sun, almost beckoning me to go for a ride.

So this day, I am standing there, taking a break, gazing at Mufasa, and my friend comes up beside me, and we stand there and admire Mufasa together.

One of the contractors we’ve been expecting rolls up to the house, pulls forward, and begins backing up to pull into the driveway. I direct my voice to my friend, not taking my eyes off of Mufasa and the contractor’s van who is much too close to my bike for my comfort.

“He sees Mufasa, right?” I say nervously.

*CRUNCH*

I was frozen to the spot. My friend ran out to the street to stop the van from dragging Mufasa more as the driver realized what he had done and tried to pull forward.

I came outside, hysterical, of course.

Mufasa was down, scraped, bent, and pouring some kind of life-fluid out onto the ground. I could not breathe. We got him stood back up and back onto his kick stand which had also been bent, so Mufasa was unsteady and wobbly.

After the police came out to do the report, I went inside to call the dealership for a tow and repair quote.

The driver told my friend that when he saw that he had just run over a Harley, he thought some big biker dude was going to come out and kick his *ss, but instead he had to deal with a hysterical female.

He said he would have preferred the *ss-kicking!