Dear Ma,

I hope you’re doing good up there in Heaven, the Earth below you is in turmoil. I think you know all about that, so I won’t “go there” in this letter home to you. Instead, I want to write about happy stuff, ya know, motorsickles, hot rods and growing up in the 1960s and 1970s! Here we go, Ma! 

Just to remind my readers, my brother Randy and I are 11 months apart. Ma raised us as “Irish twins.” Ran has been my best friend since the day he was born. He’s my brother/best friend/lawyer. Ran owns a law firm in Sugarland, TX, outside of Houston. He started his own law firm just one year after seeing me start my own motorcycle shop and bar. I guess he figured out that if a dope like me could start his own business, then surely, he could as well!

Ran comes back home to Dallas to visit me usually every three or four weeks. He came in last week to hang out and it was one of the best days I’ve had in several years. The day went down like this: I got up at my normal time of 1:30 a.m. to start my workday at Strokers Dallas and Strokers Ice House. Then, at about sunrise, Ran and I got the first tee time at 6:45 a.m. at our favorite golf course in Fort Worth. We walked 18 holes, which was about seven miles. It was wonderful. Our golf outings are great for us. We talk about all kinds of things and it allows us to get away from the headaches of the workday, especially me, since I work eight days a week. It’s also like a therapy session, spending four hours with my best friend. I was back to work by 10:30 a.m.

So, at about 2 p.m., I talked Ran into going for a ride. Ran and I have ridden together for 55 years, but it’s been about two years since the last time we’ve ridden together. I jumped on my Janis Joplin Rigid Frame Shovelhead and Ran rode my 1975 Custom Electra Glide Shovelhead. It was swell, Ma! We rode all around West Dallas, but mostly, we rode around Irving to all the places we hung out as kids. It was kind of a reminiscing tour. The Fairless boys are together again! We even stopped by the house where we were raised. We parked on the street in front of the house and the guy that owns the house came out and said, “You can park in the driveway if you want to, Rick.” I didn’t know this gentleman, but he was extremely friendly! He goes on to say, “Yeah, I know who you are and that you and your brother were raised in this house.” Come to find out, he knew the history of the house and he’s kept up with me through my social media! He took some pics of me and Ran, then we continued the reminiscing tour all over Irving, to all our old haunts!  

All in all, it was a great day! Playing golf in the morning and riding a couple of RF Custom motorsickles in the afternoon, it doesn’t get much better than that! It provided me and Ran some much-needed brother/best friend time! In these turbulent times that we are all living through, I can’t tell you how swell it was to turn back the clock to when my brother and I were teenagers and didn’t have a care in the world, other than where the gas money was coming from! For a few hours, on a beautiful Saturday, Rickey and Randy Fairless went back to Irving, TX, in the 1970s…We went home!

So anyway Ma, I better go for now, I’m back in the real world again and we are back to trying to do business during these trying times. We’ll be OK, Ma, because we know you’re our special Angel and you’re watching out for us! 

Love ya Ma!
     RF 

Rick Fairless owns Strokers Dallas, Strokers Ice House & Punch Wally Garage, as well as a few other businesses.