by Fiala, PJ
“Thank you for that. I bet it meant a lot to him that you asked,” Joci said, squeezing Jeremiah’s hand.
“I told the boys I was asking you to marry me this weekend, too. They’re excited as hell. They already think of you as their mom. They love you, Joci. Ryder especially. He used to sit and wait for you to walk into the room when we had ride meetings. I watched him watch the door looking for you. I can’t even tell you what that means to me.”
“I love them, too. You’ve raised amazing young men, Jeremiah.”
“Yes, I did. Joci, I want to get married soon. Can we get married in the fall? It’ll be beautiful with the trees in full color. Will you marry me soon, honey?”
Joci laughed at that request. “Clearly you have no idea about all the planning that needs to happen for a wedding. But then again, we don’t need to have a big extravaganza. If you don’t mind it being small, I think we can pull it off.”
Chapter 28
Milwaukee
Jeremiah and Joci were busy calling family and friends to let them know they were getting married. They had called the boys the morning after their engagement, since they all knew Jeremiah was going to ask Joci to marry him. All three of them had said they were waiting on pins and needles to hear if she said yes.
Jeremiah’s parents were elated. So were his brothers and sisters-in-law. Joci called Jackie and Sandi and told them.
“Jackie, I’m going to need help planning a wedding for the end of September or early October.”
“What year?”
“This year.”
Jackie burst out laughing. “He doesn’t want much, does he?”
The remainder of the week they discussed the wedding and the upcoming rally to Milwaukee, Wisconsin—home of Harley Davidson. They had quite a crew going. Most of the employees from the shop were coming along, as well as Jeremiah’s brothers, Jackie and David, Jon, Sandi, and Connor. They were all riding down on Friday evening.
Milwaukee was about a two-and-a-half-hour ride from Rolling Thunder. They figured that if they left around four, they would be in Milwaukee by six thirty. They could grab a bite to eat and then head to the Summerfest Grounds where the rally was and listen to music.
At four, they were standing in front of the shop talking to the large group of rally riders. Spirits were high. Joci was thrilled that Jackie and Sandi were coming along, as well as all of Jeremiah’s sisters-in-law. They might even get some wedding planning done.
“Okay, let’s roll.” Jeremiah yelled over all the talking. He walked over to Joci and gave her a hug and kiss. “You ride safe, baby.”
“Same to you.”
Then Chase pulled in with LuAnn on back. Fuck, another weekend with LuAnn. Joci looked over at Jackie, and Jackie shook her head. Okay, at least Joci felt she had support. With her lips pulled into a thin line, Joci climbed on her bike. Jeremiah looked back at her and winked.
He mouthed, “I love you” and started his bike. That was the starting signal. Everyone else followed suit and started their bikes. Jeremiah nodded at JT and Gunnar. They were leading today. They began the trip to Milwaukee. Jeremiah made sure Joci was riding alongside him the whole way down.
The weather was fantastic. It was in the eighties and sunny. Joci loved riding on days like this. They met so many bikes along the way. Hundreds of people were headed to the rally. She had been excited about the rally for months now.
Everyone behaved themselves on the ride down. They stayed together and rode at a nice pace. They needed to stop for gas along the way and pulled over at a gas station in Fond du Lac. They gassed up, talked a little, and got back on the road. Surprisingly, LuAnn was pretty quiet. She must have sensed that there were people along this weekend who would jump down her throat the first time she poked at Joci. Fine by Joci. She was sick of the drama.
They checked into their hotel rooms around 7 p.m.; it was still light out. They were a little spread out in the hotel, but grateful they were all able to get rooms at the same place. Everyone unpacked their bikes and headed right back down to the parking lot to discuss what they would do from here.
From that point forward, each rider was on his or her own.
Jeremiah said in his deep voice, “So, listen up. Joci and I, and anyone who wants to join us, are heading down to the Summerfest grounds. We’ll grab a bite to eat there and listen to music. There are several bands all around the grounds, with many different types of music. There’s something for everyone.”
Most of the group decided to follow along. They found a place to park with lots of other bikes and started walking towards the grounds. The girls all talked along the way; the guys were looking at the wide range of bikes they walked by. This was kind of a business trip for Jeremiah and the guys. They could look at bikes and get ideas for designs and new paint schemes. They stopped to look at so many bikes. The girls just stopped with them and talked about anything and everything. LuAnn hung back, remaining quiet and subdued.
At one point, Jeremiah looked back at Joci and smiled at her. He pointed to an old truck that was parked in the parking lot. As soon as Joci looked at the truck, her smile grew wide.
Jeremiah walked back to where she stood. “Do you want to go and take a closer look, babe.”
“Oh, I really would if no one else minds. Do you mind?”
“Of course I don’t.” Jeremiah chuckled.
They all headed in that direction and continued looking at bikes along the way. The truck was pretty amazing. The owner wasn’t anywhere around, but they all looked at it and talked about it. Joci was looking at everything on the truck. It was perfect.
Jeremiah watched her eyes as she looked at the truck. “Hey, maybe we should find the owner of the orange truck that was on the Veterans Ride and see if we can use his truck for the wedding. Would you like that, Joci?”
Joci looked at him and squealed. “I would love that! Really?”
Jeremiah laughed. “Of course. I would love that, too.”
With that, chatter turned to the wedding. Nothing had really been decided, except the date, September 28th, which was really only five weeks away.
Staci spoke up and asked the question, “What have you planned so far?”
Joci and Jeremiah both laughed. “Nothing,” they said in unison.
“We’ve been so busy with everything else we haven’t had time for wedding planning,” Jeremiah said.
“When we get back home, we’ll get everyone together to make plans,” Joci said.
Jackie asked, “Do you think you should wait until next year so we have time to pull everything together?”
“No. I’m not waiting,” Jeremiah said.
He leaned down and kissed Joci’s forehead. Joci smiled and looked at Jackie and shrugged. Now that the idea had been set in her head, she didn’t really want to wait either. They would have a nice wedding; Jeremiah and Joci would soon be husband and wife.
The next morning, the Rolling Thunder group met for breakfast at the hotel. The local dealerships all had bands, vendors, food, and events going on. The whole gang decided to check out the action. At the first dealership, they pulled some picnic tables together and sat and listened to music for a couple of hours.
Then the group headed to another dealership around two in the afternoon. The band was a great rock and roll band. The weather was perfect, everyone got along, and the music was amazing. Perfect.
By seven that night, it was time to head back to the hotel. It had been hot all day and they had been sweating for hours now. Joci was exhausted and needed a shower. Everyone else agreed. They were waiting for Frog, Chase, LuAnn, and Ryder to come back from their walk.
Half an hour later, Frog and Ryder came walking back, practically carrying LuAnn. Ryder walked over to Jeremiah, Dayton, JT, Gunnar, and Joci. He looked irritated.
“LuAnn’s wasted and Chase left.”
“What the fuck happened?” Jeremiah asked.
Ryder looked a little sheepishly at Joci. “She kept on whining and whining
about how much she loves you and can’t stand the fact that you and Joci are getting married. She continued to drink and Chase got pissed and left. He has feelings for her.”
Jeremiah pulled Joci close and squeezed her shoulders as everyone else floated over. They stood around, listening to the conversation. Well, now what? LuAnn could barely stand up, let alone hang on to anyone on the back of a bike. Jeremiah’s jaw was tight and his body rigid.
“Let’s go.” He started walking, holding Joci’s hand the whole time.
Everyone followed. Frog got tired of trying to get LuAnn to walk, so he threw her over his shoulder and carried her back to the bikes like a sack of potatoes. When they got to the bikes, Frog set LuAnn down and she promptly slumped to the ground. Janice leaned down and tried talking to LuAnn to see if she was even conscious. It was starting to get dark. They stood around quietly, trying to figure out what to do with LuAnn.
Jeremiah’s voice was tight, “She’ll have to ride on back with me. I’m the only one who has a seat she won’t fall out of.”
Joci sucked in a breath. “Let’s see. LuAnn just spent the afternoon whining about how much she loves you and doesn’t want us to get married, and now you want to put her on the back of your bike and take her back to the hotel? Jeremiah, you had better be joking.”
Jeremiah turned to look at Joci. “I don’t know what else to do, Joci.”
Joci stepped back. He was serious. She was shaking she was so angry.
“Don’t do it, Jeremiah. I mean it. Don’t.”
“Joci, what else am I supposed to do? We have to do the right thing here.”
“Fuck the right thing. Why do I always have to do the right thing? Do the right thing for Keith. Do the right thing for LuAnn. They both have done nothing but shit on me. Now, after a whole afternoon of her professing her love for you, I’m the one who has to do the right thing?”
Jeremiah scrubbed his hands through his hair. “I don’t know what else to do, honey.”
Joci backed up and walked toward her bike. She held her hands up, “I have nothing else to say.”
“Joci, baby, please talk to me about this.”
“No fucking way, Jeremiah. I’ve had enough of this bitch and you’re catering to her. Enjoy your fucking ride back.”
Joci jumped on her bike. Jackie came over and stood next to Joci. “Joci, please don’t take off like this. Ride with the group. We need to be safe out there.”
“Fuck,” Jeremiah swore. “Get that piece of shit on my bike.” He looked at Frog and Ryder.
Joci nodded slightly, but refused to watch the guys load a wasted LuAnn onto the back of Jeremiah’s bike. There was something sacred about allowing someone on the back of your bike. Thinking about LuAnn getting her way in riding with Jeremiah stuck in Joci’s throat like a dry rag.
Jeremiah took a deep breath. “Someone stay alongside and behind me and make sure it doesn’t look like she’s going to fall off. When we get back to the hotel, Frog, you take her upstairs to your room and tell Chase to get his ass downstairs, immediately.”
Frog nodded and got on his bike. Everyone else saddled up and they were off.
The group managed to weave their way through the traffic and finally hit the highway. Joci’s stomach was in turmoil. She was so sick of LuAnn. Jeremiah was right, of course. They couldn’t leave her there on her own in her condition. But why did he continue to be the one who had to take care of LuAnn. Joci was going to kick Chase’s ass herself when she saw him next. She was so damned tired of all of it.
Jeremiah’s gut was in a turmoil. He was so frustrated by this mess. They had been having a fantastic weekend. Now, once again, because of LuAnn, here they were. Joci was right. Why did she constantly have to be the one to do right by everyone else? How was he going to fix this? The first thing he was going to do is kick Chase’s ass for leaving LuAnn. The new motto at the shop is going to be, “You bring her, you take care of her.”
On the ride back to the hotel, LuAnn stirred a couple of times. Jeremiah could feel her moving around on the back. He looked over at Gunnar, who was riding alongside him and Gunnar shook his head, letting Jeremiah know she wasn’t falling off. When they were within two miles from the hotel, LuAnn woke up and slid her arms around Jeremiah’s waist.
“I knew you would take care of me. I think you love me.” She rested her head on Jeremiah’s shoulder.
Jeremiah stiffened up. He didn’t want this bitch touching him, let alone hanging on to him like she was. She started moving her hands down to his crotch and he grabbed her hand and squeezed real hard.
“Don’t!” was all he would say.
“Oh Dog, don’t be mad at me. I love you so much,” she slurred.
Jeremiah didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to have this conversation with her when she was drunk, but they were going to have a serious talk. He had already told her that he was with Joci and that he wouldn’t tolerate LuAnn making snide comments, jumping at him and kissing him, and trying to pull the little shenanigans she had been pulling. He was going to need to be clearer, apparently. He didn’t tell her not to get wasted and expect everyone else to take care of her.
When Joci pulled into the parking lot at the hotel, she moved off her bike and started pulling her things out of her bags. Jackie and Sandi walked over to her and waited patiently for her to be ready to talk to them.
“There’s a swing out back nestled in the landscaping. Would you like to come and swing with us?” Jackie was smiling at Joci.
Joci turned and saw them standing there and her shoulders slumped. The tears started flowing like crazy. Jackie walked forward and hugged her little sister. Then she whispered softly in Joci’s ear. “It’s okay, baby. It’ll all be fine. Come and sit with us, please.”
Joci nodded and they all walked toward the swing at the back of the hotel. Jackie looked back at David, who nodded at her and started walking upstairs to their room.
As soon as the girls reached the swing, Joci turned and flopped down on the swing in the middle. Jackie and Sandi each took a seat next to her. They sat for a long time and just slowly rocked back and forth. Jackie gently moved the swing with her foot, setting a slower pace. They sat in silence for a very long time, giving Joci the time she needed to calm down. After long minutes, Joci took a deep breath and scraped her hands through her hair.
“I’m so tired of all of this. I’m tired of LuAnn and her bullshit. I’m tired of Jeremiah letting her pull it. And, I’m tired.” That was the gist of it; Joci was tired.
“Honey, you’ve handled all this bullshit like a champion. What LuAnn’s been pulling and keeps pulling is absolute bullshit. Jeremiah is going to have to deal with it and her, finally. I think you got your point across by telling him “no fucking way.” You wouldn’t have hit him harder if you would have kicked him in the balls.” Jackie smiled.
Joci giggled a little at the thought.
“You should have seen the look on his face, Joci. It was a look I’ve never seen on anyone before. Like he was pissed and hurt and confused at the same time … It was kind of funny.” Sandi started giggling.
Jackie giggled, and then Joci couldn’t help herself; she started giggling too.
Joci laid her head back against the swing and closed her eyes. She really was tired. They sat quietly for a long time.
Chapter 29
Enough
As soon as Jeremiah pulled into the parking lot, he dropped the kickstand down. Frog immediately hopped off his bike and reached over to grab LuAnn. She pushed him away but he pulled again. She wrapped her arms around Jeremiah tighter.
“Get your fucking hands off me this minute.” His jaw was so tight he had a hard time getting the words out.
“But, Dog. I love you,” LuAnn whined.
Jeremiah pried her hands away from his waist and jumped off his bike. He looked at Frog, and Frog nodded. Jeremiah turned and saw Joci walking to the back of the hotel with Jackie and Sandi.
Jeremiah started walking toward Joci
and her girls. Gunnar took a breath, “Dad, let them talk a little while. It’ll help her.”
Jeremiah stopped and looked at him. His eyes welled with unshed tears. He took the few steps forward and hugged Gunnar tight. They held each other for a long time. Jeremiah swallowed around the lump in his throat several times.
“That is the best thing you could ever call me, son.”
Gunnar squeezed tighter. Suddenly, there were hands on Gunnar’s shoulders. JT and Ryder were both there, with a hand on Gunnar, showing support. When Gunnar pulled away from Jeremiah, Jeremiah reached forward and opened his arms for all the boys.
“Thanks, I needed this right now. I’m scared shitless, if you know what I mean. Joci’s a little thing, but she scares the shit out of me.”
The boys all started laughing, and so did Jeremiah. He wasn’t kidding; he was scared shitless. He had no idea what he would say or how he would make this better, but he was going to try.
“Um, Dog. You wanted to see me?” Chase’s voice was soft.
Jeremiah turned around and looked at him. “From this point forward, if you bring her, you take care of her. I’m not going to ever, ever do that again, you got it?”
Chase started saying something, but Jeremiah put his hand up to stop him.
“Tomorrow morning, you and LuAnn are leaving. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the weekend. Next week at work, I don’t want to see you. If you see me, you better turn and walk the other way. If you ever pull a bullshit stunt like this again, you will be out on your ass, got it?”
Chase nodded but didn’t say anything. Smart boy. When it looked like Jeremiah was done talking to him, Chase backed up a few steps, then turned and walked back to the hotel.
Now, Jeremiah needed to talk to Joci. He looked at the boys and turned to walk to the back of the hotel. When he got back there, the swing was empty, but still moving slightly, so they must have just left.
Jeremiah turned and walked back to the hotel. He took the stairs, needing the time to clear his head a little. He unlocked the door to their room and heard the shower. Joci was here, thank God. He tried the bathroom door, but it was locked. She never locked the door, so he was still in trouble. Shit. He kicked his boots off and pulled a beer from the refrigerator. He sat in the armchair by the window and waited for Joci to finish her shower.