Amidst all the sturm und drang of the primaries, my personal life continued forward. Holly’s romance with Jerry (whose last name I had now learned was Spicoli) was moving forward. They were now sharing an apartment in Princeton as they finished up their doctoral work. It wasn’t clear to me what would happen after they graduated. They both had a couple of years to go before that would happen. Would they stay together? Split up? For what it was worth, Marilyn and Holly had dragged Jerry to Philadelphia and bought him some decent clothing, and then had taken him to get a haircut and trimmed his beard. He actually looked human now, and not like something from a homeless shelter. I still didn’t think he was happy with me, but I could live with that.
Bucky and Molly had bought a house in Columbia, Maryland, in January. That was halfway between his operations with Tusk Cycle (four sales locations now and Bucky was the company’s executive vice president) and her job at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt. (Yes, I made a call. The Director took a look at her resume and agreed that she was qualified. That was the extent of my involvement. Nepotism is not always a bad thing.) She was also working on her doctorate at night. They were even beginning to talk about children, which certainly made Marilyn giddy with delight! I smiled and told Marilyn I already knew my job with the coming generation — load them up with sugar and give them back to the owners! My wife laughed heartily and agreed completely. Grandchildren are a grandparent’s revenge!
Charlie was healing quickly, but even after months of physical therapy, he was still only about 80 % back to where he had once been. He was out of racing this year, and whether he would ever race again was questionable at best. Megan and he were living together in the 30th Street house, and she was working for Brewster McRiley, as a receptionist/assistant. (She was the perfect girl — gorgeous for Charlie, Catholic for Marilyn, and Republican for me!) Charlie was now able to get around on his own quite well, and was driving, although he was delaying motorcycle riding until his doctors gave him the go-ahead. That happened in early March, and he took to riding a Honda street bike that Bucky rode over for him; it was smaller and less powerful than his usual Harley. Charlie was disappointed in his performance, though, and I could tell by the scowl on his face later. He was in some pain, and not moving the way he wanted to. He had a lot of metal in his right leg and that seemed to be a real issue.
Then something happened which took him by surprise. In late March, ESPN, the sports network, did an interview of Charlie, one of those ‘What happened to…?’ sorts of pieces. They had footage from the crash, and even the footage of him in Monrovia. Charlie was dressed in a nice suit and looked relaxed and comfortable, and most importantly, was well-spoken and articulate. Marilyn and I almost never watch the sports channels unless we have to, but we watched this show. I thought the best part was when the interviewer asked Charlie about the accident.
Q: “Do you recall the accident and what happened?”
A: “Somewhat. As soon as Bill went down in front of me, I knew I was going to be next, and I couldn’t do anything about it. Then everybody began landing on me, and I just felt some incredible pain and blacked out. I came to the next day in the hospital.”
Q: “How badly were you hurt?”
A: “Pretty bad. I think just about everything on my right side was broken.” (At that he shook his right arm and leg.) “I had a couple of breaks in my right arm, and another half dozen in my right leg, and I don’t know how many broken ribs on that side. Internally I was a mess, with internal bleeding and a messed up liver and kidney. I couldn’t even talk at first, since they had me on a ventilator.”
Q: “You’re lucky to be alive!”
A: “Very much so. I was told that fifty years ago I would have probably died, and thirty years ago I might have lived but probably would have lost the leg or not been able to walk.”
Q: “And now?”
A: “Well, I clank a little when I walk, from all the metal holding my leg together, but otherwise, I’m in good shape. I do a lot of exercise and rehab therapy, and am getting back to my old self.”
Q: “Last year was your third straight AMA championship, though it was on accumulated points, since you missed the last two races completely. Will you be in shape for the season this year?”
A: “We’re not sure yet. I’m not ready today, but we’re going to make a decision in another month or two.”
Q: “Let’s talk about something different. It’s no secret that you are the son of the President, one of the wealthiest men in the nation. There have been some who have claimed that you have used his money to buy your titles. How do you respond to them?”
At that point, Charlie could have gone off on an angry tirade, but he looked calm and composed. I guess he had some experience with that sort of question.
A: “Yes, my father is quite wealthy, but I have to say that if he was using his money on my behalf, it would be to get me to stop riding motorcycles! He and my mother think I’m crazy! What really happened was that when I got out of the Marines and said I wanted to give pro racing a try, he insisted that I develop a plan, a real business plan, with a budget and a timetable. My first sponsor was Tusk Cycle, and Jim Tusk insisted on a plan as well, before he made the investment. Beyond that first investment, my parents and the Tusks have given me no financial assistance.”
Q: “What’s it like growing up in the White House? Did you ever race motorcycles on the South Lawn?”
A: “I’ve never lived in the White House. By the time my father became the President, I had been in the Marines for two years. Really, for me, my real home is in Hereford, in Maryland, and yes, I did race on our lawn.”
Q: “One final question — What did you think when you saw the news of your mother being arrested outside your hospital.”
A: (Charlie’s face lit up with a huge grin!) “Was that cool or what!? I loved it! Mom is simply AWESOME!”
I looked over at Marilyn, who gave me a rather smug look. “See? I’m awesome!”
I snorted out a laugh. “Awesome!”
Marilyn looked very happy indeed. “Awesome!” she repeated.
I thought Charlie did well on camera, and it seemed ESPN did, too. A month later, ESPN called him back, to see if he was interested in doing color commentary for them. ESPN2 was going to be broadcasting AMA motocross and thought he might make a good ‘expert’ about the sport. My son called me after he received the call from his agent, who was still listed as his agent even if he hadn’t done anything since the accident. I told Charlie to give it a try, and maybe he’d like it, and maybe he’d be good at it. He called his agent and said yes, and was scheduled to begin with the first races of the season in May. It was a temporary thing, with him doing one or two races until they got the ratings and assessments back, but it kept him from having to go out and get a real job, and the money was quite interesting.
Marilyn and I made sure we watched when Charlie was to be on the air. It was interesting. Charlie didn’t really spend a lot of time in the booth, but was handed a microphone and sent to the sidelines with a cameraman, to do interviews of the racers. I think the most interesting moment was when Charlie was interviewing one of the racers and asked what he considered about his prospects for the season, and the guy answered, “A hell of a lot better now that you’re on the sidelines!” Charlie just laughed at that.