all.
Jim grabbed the sheets and pulled them up to Maggie’s chin. He stepped out of the bed, naked as the day he was born. He grabbed for his clothes, hobbling around on his fake leg. I crossed my arms, refusing to help him. Maybe that was part of Jim’s shit issues. People always stepping in to take care of him. The Jim I grew up with took care of himself. I remember one time he broke his wrist over summer and he didn’t miss a beat. He had to have the cast changed three times and doctors hated him for not stopping for a few weeks.
It took Jim a little while to get dressed but he managed.
I motioned for the door and we split. By that time the clubhouse was all quiet. Two prospects and two members were still there, but they were on a night watch. There was another handful of prospects around the lot and on the roof of the clubhouse. All were equipped with weapons and would be ready and willing to defend the MC.
I walked Jim outside and took him to a motorcycle. I then took a set of keys out of my back pocket and tossed them to him.
“What is this?”
“We’re going for a ride,” I said. “Remember how to ride?”
“What? With one leg?”
“You’re standing on two legs,” I said. “Stop being a fucking pussy. Man up. We’re going somewhere.”
“You’re fucking crazy, Duke. I’m not…”
“Either follow me or don’t. Remember, Jim, your ass is on the line here. You fuck my club and you’re dead.”
I didn’t give him a chance to speak again.
I went to my ride and fired it up. I sat there and watched Jim as he finally succumbed and got on the motorcycle. It took him a few tries to figure out how to swing his leg over the seat but he managed. There was only one way to learn how to do something and that was to just do it.
Jim started the motorcycle and came forward.
I then took the lead.
Honestly, I was shocked he actually got on the motorcycle and was following me. I figured we’d end up in a fist fight before he would listen to me.
I took the road and thirty minutes later the first flicker of sunlight started to shine from the horizon. It was like light coming through bottom of a door. We still had a little ways to go. When I pulled up to the cemetery there was enough light to see, even if the objects were faint. Riding along the bumpy dirt path of the cemetery that early was a little strange. The headstones stuck out of the ground, each one a reminder of the fate that someone had with the reaper.
There was only one reason to be in the cemetery and that was to pay a visit to someone who met the reaper.
I stopped my ride and Jim pulled up next to me.
I climbed off and stood there listening to the morning birds chirping like crazy.
“What is this?” Jim asked. “This some kind of metaphor for me? I know I’m going to fucking die. I faced…”
“Shut up,” I said.
I motioned for Jim to follow me. We walked down one of the rows as I tried to figure out where the hell I was actually going. There was a tree that gave me a little indication. Luckily it was finally light enough to find that tree and go back another two rows. Jim was with me the entire time. Both of us didn’t speak a word.
Then we got to the spot.
There wasn’t a headstone but a metal plate in the ground. An American flag on each side. A set of flowers in the corner of the plate. The second Jim saw the name he turned and tried to leave.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him right back. “Fuck no, brother. You’re not bailing on me now. You’re facing this. You need to.”
Jim looked at me. His eyes were super wide. I saw the anger and hurt in his face.
I nodded. I was definitely egging him on. Trying to break open all that pent up emotion. I needed him to channel that shit for this fight. If he got into a ring with a bunch of people laughing at him and doubting him and he channeled at that anger, he was going to destroy whoever he fought.
Before that, he needed to see this. To face the grave of the man we lost over there. The man