It’s Thursday evening and my classes are finally over for the day. My friend Ana and I are excited to get out of school and hang out at home. As we walk towards the school parking lot we hear a loud growl. The kind that instantly makes you want to look. The loud sound was coming from a motorcycle; a monstrous motorcycle that only a tall man can make look comfortable. He didn’t park in the parking lot like everyone else, he parked inside the school. He parked his motorcycle with the confidence of a warrior and everyone’s eyes where on him. He was a bulky dude and his haircut looked like one of a movie star, slicked back and freshly cut. “Wow” I said, “we have to talk to this guy, Ana!” Even though it was time to go home our curiosity forced us to walk towards him and introduce ourselves. The only thing holding us back was his intimidation, he was definitely too cool for school.
The closer we got the more we were convinced that this guy was awesome. He was wearing faded black jeans, with a levis vest that was custom made with patches, art and pins. His arms were filled with tattoos and he had feathers hanging from his vest. The feathers gave the outfit a modern Indian American vive that paired up great with his native features. On his motorcycle was a very delicate piece of art that was eye catching and beautiful yet not the best part of the bike. His bike was clearly an important possession, as it was spotless and very unique.
We started by saying hello and introduced ourselves. This tough man was actually delicate and attentive. He wanted to hear all about The Bull magazine and was excited to learn that his artistic ways caught our attention. His name is Rufio Vasquez, a pierce college student who is planning to start his own brotherhood of bikers. “Great!” we thought, this man is part of a very interesting sub-culture. As he gets off his bike he grabs a cane. The cane came to us a surprise, “I’m also a disabled war veteran” he says. We were shocked and immediately interested in his life. We also asked about the feathers. Yes, Rufio does have Aztec blood. He has ahead of him a spiritual journey with the natives where he will become more connected to his roots.
Finding Rufio was like finding a treasure, he is like a rainbow of sub-cultures. He is also interested in what we do, and looking forward to an interview and a photo shoot. Looks like The Bull has a new friend.
