by Tara Oakes
T.J. clenched his jaw, twitching the muscle. "Someone should teach this boy some manners. It's not nice to go grabbing ladies."
Things were escalating quickly. Strangers nearby were unconsciously moving away forming a bubble around our little spectacle. Gary pushed back his chair hard enough to send it tumbling behind. "Who you calling boy, asshole?"
"Seems to me that I was talking to you, pretty boy."
This was not happening. I jumped in between them holding my arms outstretched to either of the men. Gary grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me out of the way hard, whipping me into a nearby le.
"Now you’re gonna fuckin' bleed frat boy." T.J. was fast to push into Gary and send him reeling trying to catch his balance, before he started punching. I had never seen Gary so much as yell at another guy, let alone get into a bar room brawl, but even if he had I knew that he was no match for T.J.. The club had conditioned him well and he was used to speaking with his fists rather than his words. Gary put in a good effort but was no match for the strong biker coming down on him.
Blue and Sunny broke through the crowd as things were starting to wind down. Gary was fading fast, slunched over and losing whatever momentum he had started with. T.J. landed one last punch in Gary's gut before he left him crumpled in a corner. Several bouncers had made their way to us and were pushing at T.J. to leave. It didn't matter that they hadn't seen how the fight began, they saw how it ended. No way were they going to let someone like T.J.hang around.
We followed behind as the juiced up bouncers tossed T.J. toward the sidewalk. Blue reached him first patting him on the back, proud of his friend. Sunny and I stood back, tending to my arm which was now aching from the impact from Gary's push.
"You alright there, kid? Settle down... he's out cold.." Blue reassured T.J.
T.J. shrugged Blue off of him, "Yeah... no thanks to you, asshole. Thanks for having my back. Nice to know you're there when I need you.." T.J.'s words dripped with sarcasm. "Where the fuck were you anyway?
No sooner were the words out, than a bouncy red head clearly over the legal limit came stumbling out to us, fixing in on Blue. "Baby... where'd you go?.... I thought you were going to take me for a ride on your bike...."
"Fuck off, I'm busy." He spat out to the girl, who whimpered and ducked back inside. T.J. slapped him hard on the back and started laughing.
******
We reached the Drunken Co-ed in record time. My arm had quieted down some, Sunny was still wearing the tan Stetson hat, and the boys held up the rear reliving the commotion from before. I didn't like the idea of Gary being knocked on his ass, but I also didn’t exactly like being tossed around like a rag doll either.
Jessica noticed first, as we walked into the bar and called us over to the booth they had secured in a corner. Emily and Bobby were deep in conversation and wrapped up abruptly when I sat down next to them and slid my way in so that Sunny could follow.
Bobby looked Blue up and down before nodding his approval. "Yep, I would move home for a piece of this deliciousness, too Julia."
I laughed aloud, encouraged by Blue's obvious uncomfortable confusion. "This isn't him Bobby. He's working. Sent two friends to help me move. This is Blue, and that there is T.J." Bobby held his hand out regally, and neither biker knew quite what to do with it. I moved on with the introductions while they figured it out. "Jessica, Emily, meet the boys."
Jessica stared at the men in front of us while Emily blushed and looked quickly at her drink. Bobby sat back and pursed his lips, deep in thought before asking out "So, I hear you guys like to ride?"
Blue turned white, clearly uncomfortable. "I'm gonna go find a replacement for the girl you cost me before, bro" he called out to T.J. before taking off. I shook my head at Bobby. He loved to pull crap like that. He could spot a homophobe from a mile away and loved to play games with them.
Sunny laughed at the entertainment and held her hand out to him. "I'm Sunny, I LOVE your highlights by the way." And that was it. Fate had brought these two souls together, and the rest of us had turned into chopped liver, or worse.. last season's clearance rack. They huddled deep into the booth and engrossed themselves fully in fashion police style conversation.
Jessica had caught the attention of a nearby waiter and flagged him over. "Full round of beers please, and shots of Petron."
T.J. edged his way in on the far side away from Bobby. Emily nervously put down her phone and started small talk with him. When our drinks arrived we toasted each other with the small shot glasses. T.J. eyed me cautiously as I held it up to my unparted lips and then placed it back down on the le, the contents undisturbed. I rolled my eyes at him as he smiled satisfactorily at me before concentrating on Emily.
Sunny and Bobby broke their conversation long enough to include me. I explained to Bobby that I would be leaving tomorrow and he shed a tear. Not missing a beat, Sunny handed him her compact mirror to repair the damage to his makeup. We all laughed, Sunny not realizing that we had just come full circle.
Jessica promised to keep in touch and to call me on a regular basis. Emily just looked lost.. "But.. but..we were supposed to graduate together, remember. We made plans." My heart sunk. Emily didn't make friends very easy, due to her shyness and I had been her first friend here. I transferred in when we were sophomores. She had gone her whole freshman year barely noticed by any of the other students.
Bobby held out his hand to her across the le. "Don't you worry about it girlfriend. I'm not going anywhere."
Em's eyes lit up and she accepted his pledge of continuing friendship. T.J. put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Don't sweat it baby doll. You can come and see her whenever you want. You can even stay with me if you need to." Em blushed and got to know her new suitor a bit better.
Jess and I left the two couples to their conversations and headed over to the bar. "So Jules, is he worth it?" I took a deep breath, contemplating the question. My fingers instinctively moved to touch above my belly button. I smiled. "Yep... He's absolutely worth it."
CHAPTER NINE
TUESDAY
The ride back to Chisholm was a smooth one. I dropped Sunny off at Tiny's house and then headed home with Blue and T.J. in tow. Pulling up in front of the house I noticed my Prius parked in the front, giving me no other option than to park in the driveway.
The boys helped me bring my things in, stacking most of the boxes in a spare bedroom before heading off, leaving Jean and I to unpack them. We made good time, all things considered, even accounting for our dinner break. Jean whipped up some of her famous fried chicken before we set her up in the bedroom next to Jay's and we each turned in for the night.
Vince was on the road with Jay and Tiny, so Jean and I were keeping each other company. I started running the bath water and added some lavender scented bath oil to the tub as it filled. Lighting a few candles, I dimmed the lights and sunk into the oversized tub grateful to finally have a few moments to myself. I touched the control pad on the nearby wall and gentle music streamed through the hidden wall speakers.
Closing my eyes I breathed deeply, exhaling fully using the techniques I learned in yoga class to release stress. The music swarmed around me surrounding me in the sweeping melodies. I had always loved music and found that it helped me through some of the most difficult periods of my life.
THEN
The waiting room outside the ICU was filled to standing room only. Every Kingsman within fifty miles was here to show support. Many of the wives and ol' ladies were jostling about making phone calls to organize things and make arrangements.
It wasn't often that tragedy struck the club but when it did I knew how they pulled together. I was usually on the other side of things, though. Jay held my hand as he led me through the sliding doors into the chaos.
Jean rushed toward us as I started to break down, Jay rubbing my back as I sobbed in his mother's arms. She soothed me and offered me sweet words while Vince came over and took me from his wife's embrace. I managed to q
uiet myself long enough to ask "What happened?..."
Vince held me tight. "We're still not sure sweetie. We were riding alongside a caravan of shipping trucks offering protection. Some bikes came out of nowhere trying to highjack the delivery. They fired some shots before we could chase them off. Tiny was hit in the chest. He just got out of surgery. Your ma's in there with him now."
I lifted my head, sniffling and nodding. Beth, Clink's ol'lady handed me a tissue. "Can... can I see him?"
"Of course you can... follow me sweetheart." Jean led me to the Nurse's station and arranged for me to see Tiny.
No more than two visitors were allowed in a time. My mom was sitting in a side chair holding Tiny's limp hand. There were wires and cords coming out of him in so many places. Monitor screens beeped and buzzed around us, and a respirator pump inflated itself and then collapsed before repeating.
"Mom.." My voice cracked watching the broken woman before me stare at me blankly.
"They shot my boy." She stated coldly, matter of factly.
I pulled up a chair next to her. My mother was barely forty two years old. She was once a beautiful, stunning woman with the gleam of life in her eyes. She had become bitter, hardened and worn from a life that sometimes treated her unfairly but mostly was just disappointing to her. "Out there.." she pointed toward the door. "They shot my boy..."
"Mom... they're going to catch the guys that did this." I tried to reassure her.
My mom collapsed her head down to Tiny's fingers, "It don't matter... they'll be another one lined up.... Don't you get it little girl!" She started to get loud. "This is what happens when you ride with those people" she spat in disgust pointing her chin sharply in the direction of door.
I sighed. My mother had always spoken badly of the club. She blamed it for everything that has gone wrong in her life, from a husband that always put her second and eventually was lured away when things got tough, to a woman that nurtured her children better than their own mother could.
"This is what is waiting for you baby girl. Take a good hard look." She was cold, detached. "Do you know how many times I sat by your daddy's hospital bed? And what do I have to show for it? A man who screwed around on me and took off every chance he got to live out some childhood fantasy. Left me with two hungry kids to feed, and now I have to relive it all over with you two."
My legs went numb. She was unleashing her pain and her hurt at me like bullets, each one tearing into my own flesh. "Tiny's gonna follow the same dark path as Butch did. This is where it's landed him, and you.." she was screaming under her breath, spittle snaking out with each hard syllable. "You think that man of yours is gonna be any different? He's gonna chase every little skirt he can while you're at home fixing his dinner. And then you'll even get to sit here in this chair watching these machines, hoping and praying that he survives and finally wakes up to live his life right. And all the while those animals will be out there, just waiting for him to be useful to them again. For him to come running back to them. And he will.... he always will. Because he will always chose them.”
I lifted myself up gingerly out of my chair and shuffled myself out of the room, bracing myself against the railings in the hallway. I made my way down the hall towards the waiting room. There were security guards blocking the entrance to the ICU, holding back the men I had always relied on to protect me. But no one was there to protect me from the deadly words that struck my soul. My vision became blurred and my eyelids weighed heavy against me. I lost all sound around me as the ground came rushing to console me. The last sight I had was of Jay breaking through the barricade and running towards me.
Many hours later I woke to find myself cradled in Jay's arms as he gently rocked me back and forth kissing my forehead. The room was dark, but I could tell that we were in his bed. My eyes were sore and swollen, raw. There was light music playing nearby. I closed my eyes and let the sweet sounds carry me away.
******
NOW
FRIDAY
The deep aroma of brewing coffee greeted me as I started to stir. I took stock of my surroundings, finding myself in Jay's bed. The scent of dark roast beckoning me to the glorious caffeine awaiting me.
Jean was fully dressed in her dark rinse jeans and tucked in button down shirt, her hair blown out and she had a perfect face of makeup on. She smiled at me as I sauntered in, wearing one of Jay's oversized shirts and a fresh head of tangles piled high. "Mornin' sleepyhead."
I smiled weakly as I helped myself to some coffee. I glanced at the clock on the microwave. 8:23. I closed my eyes and breathed in the steam from my cup as I walked blindly to the breakfast counter.
Jean set a bowl of oatmeal and sliced fruit in front of me and kissed the top of my head. "Gotta go into town and run some errands, check in on the clubhouse. Blue's outside if you need anything baby girl. Oh, Vince called. They're running ahead of schedule.. might be home early. Call me if you need me."
I raised my cup to her in silent appreciation and farewell as she headed out the door. 8:25. I put my oatmeal in the fridge and headed back to bed with my coffee.
Sometime around ten o'clock I crept out of bed and got dressed. I threw my hair up into a clip and selected the barest amount of makeup to make me look presentable. I had to rummage through my unpacked overnight bag to search for my lip gloss. A white bag sat atop of the inner contents blocking my view.
I found my lip gloss and tucked it into my pocket. Opening the bag, I took out the bottle of prenatal vitamins and read the directions before opening the safety cap and removing one let, swallowing it dry. I put the bottle back in the bag and took out the Plan B package setting it down on the vanity counter. I had decided not to take the pills sometime around having dinner with Jean the other night. The seventy two hours had expired and the pills had lost any value anyway. Popping the pills out of their foil bubbles I rinsed them down the drain and tossed the package in the trash basket. I reached down spreading my palm over my abdomen. Well, the only thing left to do now was wait. I applied a thin coat of gloss to my lips and puckered into a tissue before turning on my heel and heading out for the day.
******
Sunny's Place was a large store front on Maple street across from the post office. When Tiny and I were kids, it was an old fashioned type candy shop. We would ride our bicycles down here and clean the place out, returning home with an intense sugar high. The owners, a lovely old couple had closed the business and retired to Boca some time ago leaving the space vacant. Tiny scooped it up and the brothers put most of the work in while remodeling it for Sunny. The main oversized gum ball machine was transported to Tiny's basement, and I caught a glimpse of the cotton candy machine in Jay's garage. Nostalgia is a funny thing. I mean bikers looking for a candy fix?
The main area was light and airy with a coffee bar and reception desk. Magazines spread themselves over a large center le and flat screen televisions buzzed with muted junk reality shows. The music was turned way up and the employees were roaming about, working on their customers.
Sunny was carrying a pile of folded towels from one of the back rooms when she spotted me. "Fantastic.. you're early. Come on, I've got a crazy day ahead and can use the jump start." She dropped the towels and beckoned me over to the sink station. I donned a traditional vinyl beauty cape and sat down. Sunny was a well established hair dresser and had shampoo girls working for her, but she came to my sink herself and started to lather my hair in a delicious smelling expensive shampoo.
She was all decked out today, resembling a 40's pin up girl with dramatic hair waves and bright red lipstick. She may not shampoo too any heads these days but she hasn't lost her skills. Wringing out my hair and toweling it dry she clipped it up turban style and led me to her chair, front and center of the design area.
"Hmmmm".... she concentrated while combing out my tangles. "I see lots of layers and I think we should add some deep auburn.."
I trusted Sunny's expertise and put myself in her capable hands. Two hours later I had b
een colored, highlighted, cut dried and waved. It was a shame to waste such a gorgeous blow out on a regular day. Even Jay wasn't around to see her work. Sunny wasn't exaggerating about her bust day. I stuck around and tried to make myself useful, sweeping up clumps of cut hair, restocking the coffee bar supplies and answering phones.
Teenager after teenager piled in with mom in tow, to be styled for the prom later that night. Chisholm high wasn't large by any standards but they managed to pull out all the stops for the kids on prom night. It was most certainly a black tie affair and these girls were sparing no expense on their appearance tonight.
The nail stations were full, pedicure chairs turning over quickly and the makeup counter was a flourish of excitement. Sunny had five other hairdressers working just as feverishly as she was. I called up the local luncheon and placed a delivery order for the ladies. The last thing Sunny needed today was someone passing out from over exhaustion.
Having a moment of reprieve before the next set of chores, I sat at the reception desk and checked my phone. Two messages, one from Jay and one from Emily. I checked Jay's first.
JAY: RUNNING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.. DON'T KNOW
FOR SURE BUT MIGHT BE HOME EARLY
He had sent it about five hours ago.
ME: K. GIVE ME A HEADS UP WHEN U KNOW
MISS YOU
It had seemed like ages since Jay had ridden away on his bike, but in actuality it had only been just under a week. A longing swelled in my chest. Looking to distract myself, I opened Emily's message from about an hour earlier.
EMILY: JULIA!! SO.. T.J. CALLED ME...
DID YOU GIVE HIM MY NUMBER?
Guilty as charged. Damn right I gave him her number. I knew she was too shy to do it herself and hadn't picked up on the many clues he was giving her the other night. He was a sweet guy and she needed a little harmless fun in her life. She lived out everyone else's love life and it was time she started to concentrate on her own.
