My Friend Pat-Part 1

What can I say about my friend Pat? I met her in the early 70's while living in Charlotte, North Carolina, in my younger and wilder days.
Pat had an address book with about two pages of different addresses under my name.
Pat used to tend bar. That's how I met her. I used to love to dance and party a lot back then. She always looked after me, and many others that had too much to drink. We did room together twice and I worked with her one time cleaning and painting apartments. She also helped me get a job with a friend of hers whose father owned a BBQ place, called the "Smokehouse".

Once I purchased a motorcycle, it was cheaper than a car, even though I have never rode one before. It was a 250 Suzuki, with a kick start, at that. I asked the salesman if he could teach me to drive it if I bought it. I moved to an area that didn't have public transportation, and getting a ride to/from work was getting to be a hassle.
"Sure, I will teach it, it's easy", he was saying to me while getting the papers ready. Yes, I had a couple of lessons, and the bike was delivered to me.
I called my friend, Pat, "Pat, I bought a motorcycle, I need some help driving it. Can you help me?"
She said "yes", and came to spend the night with me. The next morning, I was up early, not Pat. She worked nights, slept late in the day, but I was up and wanted to ride.
Now, I was renting a trailer on top of a steep hill. The driveway was U-shaped, where you could go up and to the trailer, come down the other side.
I put my helmet on, start the bike, then panicked as I'm heading down the hill.
The bike and I both fell. LOL. (Not funny at that time.) My foot got caught in it, and I start yelling for Pat to get this bike off me. She comes running out, hair standing up and sleep still in her eyes, but she gets it off me. She had to take me to the emergency room because my foot was swollen. No, didn't break it, just a severe sprain.
When my foot finally healed, I had a young boy, around my neighborhood, who was driving a dirt bike, teach me to drive that thing. Yes! I learned and drove it to Winston-Salem, to my sister's house, from Charlotte.
My sister couldn't get over it.