Wild Ride

by Rebecca Avery

  “I think I like this crutch better than the chair… it’s faster and less awkward,” she replied.

  “I’m thinking Bobby will like it too since you could use that thing as a weapon,” Lilly said with a wink and then a roll of her eyes.

  Her mother looked a bit apprehensive but didn’t say anything and headed up to her room to grab her bag and purse. After coming back down she handed the bag to Lilly who slung it over her shoulder and then said, “All ready?’

  “Yep,” she said, taking her purse from her mother and slinging it over the arm opposite the crutch.

  “We have to run by the shop… we’re driving the big truck and following the guys on the bikes,” Lilly said. “We will be meeting up with the customers who purchased the bikes when we get there. It’ll be a little tight on the ride home but it’s a crew cab so…”

  “Just let me know what you need me to do,” she smiled at Lilly.

  “Well, let’s just get you there and let the rest take care of itself,” she replied.

  She noticed several people on motorcycles as they pulled up to the shop and she could see the four custom bikes from the build parked outside. Each one featured a different color and a different design.

  One was dark blue with wisps of silver smoke that faded toward the back of the bike. Another was black with emerald colored diamonds that appeared to be falling off. The third bike was a copper color with white feathers making it appear as though the bike had wings. The fourth one was a crème color and had pieces of a chess set painted in black in various places.

  “Chuck painted those?” she asked in amazement.

  “Yea… pretty incredible aren’t they? Let me get your bags in the truck and check that the guys and Gretchen are ready to head out. Can you get in the truck by yourself?” she asked hesitantly.

  “I think so,” she replied.

  Lilly carried her bag over to the truck and set it on the opened tailgate. Dickie came out carrying a box and upon seeing her said, “Afternoon, beautiful.”

  “What are you doing here?” Chuck asked as he stepped out of the garage bay and noticed her. His face was a mixture of shock and… anger?

  “Lilly asked me to come and help out in the booth this weekend,” she replied as Dickie quickly ditched the box in the back and maneuvered her bag around. Then he made for the shop almost at a run.

  “You didn’t say anything about…” he started angrily.

  “You didn’t ask me… in fact you haven’t talked to me in days!” she said just as angry.

  He started to say something and then quit, then started again and once more stopped and then just walked away from her back into the garage bay. Unsure what to do or say, she headed over to the passenger side of the truck and opened the door.

  Putting her crutch up into the cab, she looked at the door and the level of the seat. Great…this would be difficult with two fully functional legs. Nothing short of an acrobatic move worthy of a gold medal would get her up in the seat.

  This was a mistake. She should have told Lilly no, that she couldn’t come. Not only was this already turning out to be a lesson on all the things she could no longer do as easily but it had pissed off Chuck in the process.

  “You going to stand there all day, Edith, or are you going with us?” he asked from right behind her.

  Jumping at the sound of his voice so close she said, “Oh God, Chuck! You scared the shit out of me!”

  “You have two choices… get up in the truck or ride with me,” he said.

  “Don’t boss me… you’re not my daddy,” she said angrily, placing one hand on the seat and the other on the arm of the opened door and hefted herself up onto the running board.

  From there she grabbed the dashboard in one hand and a handle that went along the top of the doorframe and pulled herself up and onto the seat.

  “You made that look easy…you should have seen me the first time I tried getting in that thing… and I was in a skirt,” Lilly said with a laugh as she carried Gretchen’s booster seat and put it in the back seat of the truck.

  Bobby stood at the entrance to the bay watching Lilly with a deep scowl on his face and as she walked past him back into the bay he said, “Mmm… that skirt,” with a shake of his head and then followed her farther into the garage.

  “You did make that look easy… and I was hoping to get you to take a real ride with me,” Chuck said after Lilly and Bobby disappeared inside the garage bay.

  Turning toward where he stood in the open door of the truck, she leaned forward until her face was mere inches from his and whispered, “What kind of ride did you have in mind?”

  “Don’t… Don’t do that shit,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck and moving back from her. “That’s harsh… I can take your shit… whatever you got… but I can’t take that… teasing me is not cool.”

  “You’re the one teasing, Chuck… saying I’m not meant for you and that you’re not interested and the whole while making drawings of things… of me… of us… that are burned into my brain. I have to live with those images now because you shut me out!” she said, shutting the door when he had backed away far enough.

  They stared at each other for several minutes both breathing erratically when suddenly everyone piled out of the garage bay at once. Chuck turned away and got on one of the bikes as did Tommy and Dickie.

  Bobby came over after closing the tailgate and checking that all was good. He caught Lilly by the back of her neck and kissed her roughly before walking to the last remaining bike.

  Lilly helped Gretchen into the backseat. Then climbed into the cab of the truck and hit a button to close the garage bay. After that they were pulling out with the guys on the bikes in front and the remaining bikes following them.

  The truck followed behind the line of bikes. Bobby and Tommy rode side by side in the very front with Dickie and Chuck riding side by side behind them.

  Looking to the front of the line of bikes she could see the guys on the custom bikes due in part to how dramatically they stood out from the other bikes. Glancing at Lilly she said, “They look great.”

  “Yes…Yes they do!” Lilly laughed, giving her a knowing look.

  They chatted about the finances of the shop after Lilly told her all about how she’d first come to work at the garage and how she’d met Bobby.

  As the conversation between her and Lilly finally died down, Gretchen asked, “Are you really the judge’s princess, Meredith?

  Glancing at Lilly, she noticed her giving Gretchen a look in the rearview mirror which went unnoticed by the tiny girl.

  After an awkward bit of silence she couldn’t resist asking, “What do you mean?”

  “Daddy asked Uncle Chuck what the deal was with you and he said nothing because you were the judge’s princess,” she explained.

  Looking at Lilly, Meredith could see the anxiety on her face. Had they all been discussing whatever was going on between her and Chuck?

  When her comment didn’t garner a response Gretchen continued, “Uncle Chuck said that if he touched you the judge would put his balls in a jar. I don’t think so because Uncle Chuck wouldn’t let him… would he Miss Lilly?”

  Lilly closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them and after checking the road glanced over at her and then back to Gretchen in the rearview mirror.

  “Gretchen… how many times have we told you not to listen in on other people’s conversations?” she finally asked.

  “Uncle Chuck is LOUD! How am I supposed to not listen if I can hear him?” Gretchen asked.

  “Well, if you do overhear things you shouldn’t repeat them. That is gossip… remember? Dana and I talked to you about that…” Lilly scolded.

  “Sorry but I don’t want Uncle Chuck’s balls in a jar!” Gretchen huffed.

  “Why don’t we listen to the radio for a while?” Lilly suggested and reaching over turned it on.

  Afraid to ask how a child so young could possibly know what ‘balls’ were in regards to the ov
erheard conversation, she merely watched Lilly out of the corner of her eye.

  Once Gretchen became distracted and began to sing along with the radio Lilly finally said, “She has no idea what she’s saying… she only repeats what she… overhears.”

  Was fear of her Grandpa what held him back? It certainly wasn’t because he didn’t like her in that way… he was right in that the sketches were proof of that lie.

  Grandpa Patterson was a powerful man within the community but he would never use that power to punish someone unless they had broken a law. She was a woman… not a child and she made the choice of who to be with.

  If it were as simple as her Grandpa putting someone in jail for breaking her heart or daring to be with her, Josh would be doing time even now. Grandpa had never liked Josh and had made no effort to hide his dislike the entire time they had dated. He’d often said that Josh had no backbone and was a spoiled and whiny rich kid with no concept of the real world.

  Grandpa had gone out of his way to convince her mother to allow Chuck a chance to avoid going to jail. He’d never once done anything like that for another person that she could remember.

  Chuck didn’t realize it but for some reason her grandfather had taken a vested interest in him. Punishing Chuck for something he had no real control over anyways, since she was an adult, was unlikely.

  “I take it you and Chuck will be doing some talking soon?” Lilly asked, eyeing her.

  “Yea,” she replied, looking out the window.

  “Good… it’s about time,” Lilly sighed. She glanced again at Gretchen in the back seat still oblivious to the firestorm she’d just unleashed.

  As they neared Birmingham she looked over at Lilly and said, “Has he said anything to you… about me?”

  “No… Chuck isn’t real forthcoming with his emotions. Much like the rest of them he has an outlet for his emotions other than conversation. Bobby tends to work when he’s in a mood, Tommy plays or listens to music, Dickie won’t allow himself to get in a mood, and Chuck… well Chuck loses himself in his art,” she replied.

  “Art…” she sighed, already fully aware of Chuck’s emotional outlet.

  “The four days and nights prior to his court hearing with Judge Patterson… he spent at Tommy’s painting little Melody’s room. You should see what he did in that room,” Lilly said, shaking her head in wonder. “He really is missing his path in life. He probably hasn’t shown you any of his work but I’ve seen a few things he’s done and it puts some of the art galleries in New York to shame.”

  Oh, she’d seen his work. “What did he do in her room?” she asked to keep the conversation going and out of curiosity.

  “The most incredible mural you’ve ever seen… I promise,” Lilly said.

  “He does interior painting too?” she asked in amazement.

  “He paints anything… houses, motorcycles, cars, and even oil paintings. From what I understand he can draw really well too but I’ve not seen any of his drawings… they’re personal so he doesn’t share,” Lilly said.

  She could only stare at Lilly. She’d felt the tension in Chuck that night when she’d looked through his sketchbook. At the time it had felt like a window to his soul. The kiss that had followed had been too much for her to even think about and anytime it had barged into her thoughts she’d shut it down.

  He’d given her a glimpse of himself and then shut down. Unlike Josh or the boys she’d known throughout high school and college, Chuck wouldn’t chase her… wouldn’t play the game. He might seem like a predatory animal… wild and dangerous… but in all reality he was more afraid of the prey.

  As they pulled into the parking lot of the motel where they would be staying she watched as Bobby made a phone call while Dickie, Tommy and Chuck unloaded their personal items from the bed of the truck. After Bobby finished his conversation he locked up the truck, including the flat cover on the truck bed.

  “Going to call Dana and order a pizza,” Tommy said, picking up his bag as he and Gretchen headed into one of the rooms.

  “I think I’ll head on out to the pool… if you guys go anywhere for dinner, bring me back a sandwich,” Dickie smiled as he headed down a hallway that boasted a sign indicating the pool.

  “Don’t you think you should change into some swimming trunks?” Lilly yelled at Dickie as Bobby held out a couple of bags toward Chuck.

  “Won’t be swimming,” Dickie said with a smile and a wink. Lilly made a disapproving sound and turned to Bobby.

  “Here, help Meredith get settled,” he said to Chuck handing him the two bags. “We need to check on Gran.”

  Chuck rolled his eyes and grabbed the two bags as Bobby led Lilly into a room next to Tommy’s. After the door closed behind them she and Chuck were left alone. She held out her hand to him. “I can get myself settled,” she said quietly.

  Ignoring her he headed to the last room in the row that had been reserved and unlocked the door. He held the door open with his foot as he set the bags down on the table. Following him into the room she placed her purse on the table as well and sat down on one of the double beds.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  “A little,” she admitted.

  “Here, order a pizza, I think our customers are here already,” he said, handing her his wallet as he looked out the door. “I’ll be back shortly.”

  He left closing the door behind him and soon enough she heard him and Bobby outside talking to a group of five men. Three of the men, who appeared to be brothers, stood talking with Chuck while an older man, who must have been the father, was talking to Bobby.

  The last man shook hands with the father and then got back into his car and drove off. The three brothers were excited and started inspecting the paint jobs on the bikes.

  After ordering the pizza she retrieved her bag from the table resisting the urge to inspect the other bag which obviously belonged to Chuck.

  Taking out her cell phone she called her mother to let her know she was alright and had made it safely to the motel. After she ended the call with Carla she realized all the men were in the room next to hers talking.

  A knock at the door pulled her away from her eavesdropping on what sounded to be the final payment and a small celebration of the build. She answered the door, allowed the pizza delivery man into the room and paid him from money her mother had given her rather than from Chuck’s wallet.

  Once the man left she waited for a few minutes and upon realizing that Chuck would be awhile, she went ahead and ate.

  After an hour passed, the sounds from the room next door indicated the celebration was far from over, so she decided to take a warm bath.

  Pulling her hair up, she slid into the soothing water and leaned back trying to relax and not allow her emotions to take over. She’d hoped to talk to Chuck but couldn’t fault him. They were here on business not for vacation. The talk she so desperately needed to have with him would have to wait.

  As the water began to cool she realized that the sounds from the room next door had faded and it was quiet now. She also realized that while lost in thought she’d forgotten to pull a towel down from the shelf above the toilet.

  The towel she’d taken from the rack and folded to put along the side of the tub was wet. Pulling the stop from the drain, she used her arms to lever herself up and sit on the towel draped on the edge of the tub with her legs in the water and her back to the door.

  “You ok in there?” she heard Chuck say through the door. Had he been listening to her? If he had been listening, for how long?

  “Umm… yea I’m ok,” she said, looking toward the stack of towels above the toilet. This was going to take some doing to get out and get the towel without losing her balance or slipping on the wet tiles.

  “You don’t sound very convincing,” he said through the door.

  “I’m fine… I’ll be out in a minute,” she said. God please let him go away… she’d rather he didn’t hear if she took this opportunity to wipe out.

 
“I’ve been back for a little while now… and you kind of have me worried,” he said.

  “I uh… I forgot to get a towel off the shelf… I’m not decent,” she said. “Just give me a minute!”

  “You want me to get you a towel?” he asked.

  Why wouldn’t he just go away? “Do you want to see me naked, Chuck?” she asked in frustration. “Check out my stump maybe?”

  The door opened with no hesitation and she gasped and looked back over her shoulder at a very angry Chuck. His broad shoulders took up most of the doorway and his blue eyes blazed as they devoured her back.

  “Believe me… there is a lot of your body I’d like to see other than your stump. Your stump doesn’t even rank in the top ten,” he said.

  His eyes never left her and her skin actually tingled all along her back where they traveled. Reaching up he pulled a towel from the shelf and unfolded it.

  Then dropping to his knees behind her, he folded the towel around her and pulled her back against his chest. He bent his head and inhaled deeply against her neck next to her ear.

  “Aren’t you afraid?” she whispered.

  “Afraid of what?” he asked as though in a daze. His breath on her neck was slowly driving her mad. Her legs were quivering and it was hard to focus on anything other than him.

  “Of my grandfather putting your balls in a jar?” she asked breathlessly.

  Chapter Ten

  Standing up, he bent and lifted her into his arms, carried her and laid her on one of the beds. Then he walked to his bag still sitting on the table next to the now empty pizza box.

  He unzipped the bag and pulled out his sketchbook and a few pencils. She moved up further onto the bed and tried to pull the covers over her leg in an effort to hide her stump.

  Turning back, he walked over to the opposite side of the bed from where she sat against the headboard. He dropped his sketchbook and pencils in the middle near her leg.

  “Your grandfather is one of the many reasons nothing should happen between us,” he said, looking at her. Then he sat on the bed facing her and pulled himself over so that he was completely invading her space.