“2102 miles.”
That’s the distance from Las Vegas, Nevada to Laredo, Texas. With a paper map in hand, riding my iron horse through unfamiliar lands, I’ve made it all the way here. I was going to stop by El Paso, but there were too many people, so I gave up on that. I prefer the outskirts— towns with fewer people.
I passed the freeway signs, the endless straight roads, took breaks along the way, and even passed through a town on Route 277 called “Eagle Pass” without much thought. Now I’m heading toward a town called Laredo. My goal is patches and T‑shirts. I spotted the words HARLEY‑DAVIDSON on a roadside sign. Soon after, I found the shop. I parked my partner in the lot. My heart was pounding… At the entrance, I took a deep breath… and pushed open the thick glass doors with both arms.
Ahh… It’s cool inside…
I walked up to the first staff member I saw and said, “Howdy!!” in a Texas accent. Here in Texas, “How do you do?” becomes “Howdy!!” The accent is strong, but somehow I want to imitate it. But in other states they tell me, “Don’t say that, you’ll sound like a country bumpkin.” Still, I kind of like the accent…
After making the staff laugh, I switched into battle mode— time to shop! First, I checked every corner of the store, looked for the local shirts, and checked the prices. Trying not to get too excited, I walked around the store. But no matter where I looked, there were no patches. When I asked the staff, they said they didn’t make them. Man… What a disappointment…
But I did find a really cool long‑sleeve shirt. Whoever designed it has great taste. So this time, I bought gloves, a bandana, and a local long‑sleeve shirt. Total: 88.97 USD. At today’s rate of ¥110.693, that’s ¥9,817. I was pretty satisfied. In a great mood, I left the store. The sun was still high, but I decided to stay in this town tonight. Just as I was about to get on my partner—
“DAYS INN.”
The sign of a famous motel chain caught my eye. What the heck— I was so focused on the Harley shop that I didn’t notice it at all. And it’s right next door! How obsessed with Harley am I?
I went into the motel. A decent number of people were lined up at the front desk. After a while, it was my turn.
“$79.” “Could you give me a little discount…?” I tried negotiating in clumsy English, but was rejected with a “No.” Well, with a line like that, they can afford to be firm. I was about to step away and look elsewhere when—
“Why don’t you give him a little break?”
I turned toward the voice. A white man who had just checked in was calling out to the clerk on my behalf.
“…Alright. How about $55 plus tax?”
Of course I said OK! I signed immediately and finished the process. Then I went over to the man’s table and thanked him. He was incredibly kind. His name was Tony. We talked for a bit, and he listened earnestly to my Japanese‑accented English. It was really fun. Travel is interesting because of encounters like this— unexpected kindness, unexpected help. Travel is truly wonderful…
I want to be kind to others too, as much as I can. That’s what I found myself thinking.
Travel is… really great…
To be continued…
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