Autumn's Dance (Season Named Series Book 1)

by Sarah Gai

  He crossed the street, putting his moment of madness aside, and decided to focus on just being with his family and friends.

  Eric walked in through the front door of his father's house. He had been out all night, drinking with the Heathens. All he wanted to do was make it to his room and pass out.

  It was the last night of initiation before he was patched-in to the club. He passed every initiation ritual with flying colors, slogging it out doing things he never thought he would be capable of, all in the name of brotherhood. Some days he wondered if he was strong enough for the backlash of his sins, but there was no turning back.

  Hung-over and rubbing his fresh tattoo, he squinted into the darkness of the house, barely seeing his father sitting in an armchair facing the door, waiting for him.

  "Where were you, son?" he asked, steepling his fingers. Alec was a man known to not take any crap—from anyone.

  Eric knew his father was one hundred percent against the Heathen lifestyle for his son; however, he also thought Alec’s opinion was a contradiction. The club was the same family of brothers Eric grew up with his entire life; it was a permanent in his childhood and now his father was denying him the right to take his place.

  "Out," Eric snapped.

  "With who?" his father asked, already knowing the answer.

  "Some friends."

  "Like the Heathens?"

  "I don't see how or why you'd care. You used to be one of them."

  His father closed his eyes, trying to keep his patience reined in. "I promised your mother I wouldn't let you join any motorcycle club."

  "You loved them once. Like family!"

  "I still do, but it's not a life I want anymore. Not one for me and, especially, not one for you."

  "You don't get to make those kinds of decisions anymore. I'm not some kid. I'm twenty-one years old."

  "I was so proud of you for coming back and getting your life together. I don't know what happened to make you leave your grandfather's, but the past year, you've been spiraling into a very dark place. I know what it's like to be there. You don't want to get involved."

  "I do. This is what I want."

  "You might legally be an adult, but I am driving you back to your grandfather's this instant. I never want to see you in Memphis again and that's final!" Alec pushed himself up from the chair, once towering over Eric as a child, now even in height and strength.

  "What? You can't tell me how to live my life. Just worry about living yours old man," Eric exclaimed. He knew his attitude was uncalled for, but he was tired, drunk, and sick of his life being under a microscope.

  His father’s stride was fast as he approached, grabbing Eric by the arm and marching him out to the garage towards his truck.

  Eric had enough; yanking his arm out of his father's grasp, he stepped to the side refusing to let his father control his life. Alec tried to grab his son's arm again, but with a hard shove to the chest from Eric, Alec went flying back, hitting the garage wall with a thud.

  Eric was shocked by his behavior; never did he imagine he would raise a hand to his father or hurt him in any way. He may be built and certainly capable of looking after himself, but Eric's nature was not constructed that way. He was always more sympathetic, like his mother, which he knew and accepted. Only once had he raised his hand before and that was to defend Autumn against her father. No, that was a lie. What he did for his brothers, his club well…it was unspeakable.

  Eric stared at his father, unsure of what to say. How could he take back what he just did? He expected to see anger or rage emanate from his father after his actions; instead, all he saw was a deep well of unspoken words, mistakes, and failure within in his father’s eyes. Eric's anger faded fast, morphing into shame and resentment. Clutching at his hair, he tried to think of something, anything, to change the situation.

  "Your mother was good, you know? Too good for me. And I see the potential of her goodness inside of you. The Heathens will kill that," Alec said, as he pushed off the wall to right himself.

  Eric nodded silently. For what felt like an eternity, the two stood cemented in their positions, both coming to terms with what they must do. His father was right; this wasn't the life Eric was chosen for. There was a big part of him that wanted to give in and follow his father’s footsteps by joining the club. Knowing his father’s past and the pain he inflicted on others in the name of brotherhood, could Eric honestly say he would continue to be okay and participate? Did he really want to give up his brotherhood to pave his own path? If they got into his father’s truck it would be farewell to their old lives. There was no turning back—two roads, one decision.

  Alec stood up straighter and walked to his son, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I want you to stay with your grandfather, son. Go to school in Pennsylvania, please. There is nothing for you here."

  "What about you?" Eric choked out, the moment feeling too heavy.

  "I'm coming with you. I've told the brothers and they back me on this decision. Call last night your send-off, not an initiation. They knew I was going to take you back,” his father subtly stated though with a hint of excitement lacing its pitch. If Eric didn't know better, he thought his father was actually looking forward to it.

  Looking back at last night, everything clicked; the brothers were melancholy, but he figured it was just one of those nights. His tattoo now seemed like a badge to remember them by.

  His father was already in the truck putting it into gear as Eric climbed into the passenger seat. Looking behind him into the back of the truck, he saw their bags had already been packed.

  “What about our belongings? The house? Maybe we should just slow down a minute and think about all of this,” Eric tried to reason with his father.

  Alec reversed out of the garage, looking out the side mirror as he answered his son. “Movers will be here next week and as for the house I’m going to sell it. Everything else we will figure out together, so no, son, we won’t be thinking about this. Heck, this is something I have been turning over in my head for months.”

  "Does Granddad know we’re coming?"

  "Yep, he even found me a job at Colin's as a mechanic. So we’re all set."

  "What about the business?"

  "Sold it to the Club. Hah, their first legitimate business will do their reputations good!" he laughed.

  Eric watched as they pulled out of the driveway, his bike still parked alongside the street; he knew one of the brothers would be by to pick it up. He also knew he and his father would never return; this chapter of his life was over and, with a hangover the size of Tennessee, he didn’t know how he felt about it.

  Autumn - Summer 2016

  Autumn pushed a lock of her blond hair away from her face as she strolled along the street. The desert sun beat down on her skin, warming her as she strode home from her first real retail job at a local fruit stand and grocery store.

  As she walked, thoughts of those she loved in Ligonier crossed her mind. If she didn’t stay out that one night, she would be returning to them right now. She was regretful and, yet, she wouldn't give up that night for the world. It was a shining memory in a sea of dark ones these past few years.

  Autumn’s heart broke as she thought about Eric. She saw him once a few years ago when her father took them to Tennessee for peach season. Unbeknownst to Liam, Autumn knew Eric lived there. She prayed and hoped going to Memphis she might find the boy that danced with her in her dreams.

  While Liam worked the orchard, Autumn was lucky enough to have her first try at working with customers when Mr. Jones asked if she would like to run the roadside fruit stand. Everything was going great until one summer day, while working the fields Liam hunched over and collapsed.

  When the ambulance arrived at the worksite and rushed her father to the hospital, Autumn was beside herself. All the years she wanted to get away from her father suddenly seemed like a scary choice when faced with the possibility her only living relative could quite possibly leave her all alone in this wo
rld.

  As Autumn paced the hospital waiting for news, she wondered if it was the end; would Liam make it? Would she finally be free? Would this be the wake up call for him to change?

  When the doctors told Autumn her father had a mild heart attack and would need a lot of care until he was back on his feet, her plans for leaving him halted. He may not have been a good man by anyone’s standards, but Autumn was a good person and would do the right thing.

  That same night, Autumn decided to get out of the hospital to clear her head. She walked up and down the block around the hospital before stopping at a gas station to buy a coffee. As she rounded the corner about to head back into the hospital, she glanced across the street as the clamor of motorbikes and rambunctious voices caught her attention. Peering at the people milling around wearing leather jackets, her breath caught when her eyes perused the end of the line—there was Eric, backing his bike onto the curb. Autumn could barely contain her elation; her voice wanted to scream out and grab his attention.

  She scanned the traffic, ready to wind her way through it towards him when out of nowhere a biker girl bounded over to Eric, throwing herself on him. A crushing weight pushed at Autumn's chest, the pain excruciating.

  Autumn turned and ran straight for the hospital’s emergency doors. Just as the glass slid open to allow her to enter, she turned briefly to see the boy she loved gazing right at her.

  "Autumn!" He was yelling her name; but the hurt was too painful for her to respond. He had moved on; she was a fool to think he would be missing her as much as she missed him.

  Autumn ran down the hallway and into the bathroom, locking herself in a stall, and crying until her eyes lacked tears. She never saw him again after that night; two weeks later her father discharged himself and they set off for Virginia.

  Liam never worked again, leaving Autumn to bear the weight to keep them going. But no matter how hard Autumn tried, she could never snuff out the flame she held for Eric. She hoped one day they would find each other again if it were meant to be.

  Putting the key into the lock of the run-down apartment building where she and her father lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, Autumn opened the door. She began to climb the dark, dingy steps leading up to the third floor apartments. As she reached the top floor, she heard yelling and the sound of numerous televisions playing through the paper-thin walls of the complex, leaving all sense of privacy a distant thought. She heard her father's voice, boisterous, most likely drunk, and realized the yelling was coming from their apartment.

  Accelerating her pace down the hallway, Autumn reached their apartment door to see two men standing over Liam, who was sunken in on their ancient brown sofa.

  The past month had been agonizing; Liam was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, but it didn’t stop him from drinking as he clutched a glass bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag. How he got the liquor was beyond her. He was diagnosed a year ago and told to give up alcohol to have a chance to repair his liver to live a better life; regrettably, the doctor’s words had no impact on her father as he continued to drink and gamble. As time wore on, the disease caught up with him and now he spent his days barely able to move from the sofa.

  Autumn knew she should feel bad for him, but she didn’t. One blessing came from his predicament—the first permanent residence Autumn could remember living in. It was nothing to brag about by a long shot, but it was a home.

  "You owe us two thousand dollars, Nash, and that's just the tip of the iceberg!" one of the men shouted. They were dressed identically in black fitted pants, white t-shirts, and sleek, black leather jackets. Autumn's stomach bottomed out when she heard the amount they demanded.

  "I said I'd have it by the end of the week," Liam Nash started. Catching sight of his only daughter at the door, he gestured toward her, drawing her into his situation once more. "Don't you get paid on Friday, Autumn?"

  "That money is for rent," Autumn adamantly stated. "We'll get kicked out if we don't pay on time. Besides, it is no where near that kind of money."

  "Our employer can’t wait no longer. Give us the money now. Archer is not a patient man," the other thug threatened, his gun sticking out from under his jacket.

  Autumn met their boss once when she dropped money off for her father. Archer was a small-time crook, especially in a town this large, but he owned enough to be dangerous, including at least one strip club and an underground gambling ring.

  "I need that money, Autumn," her father stated, his eyes pleading for her to understand. "Can you get it before Friday?"

  "No!" Autumn replied, folding her arms in frustration.

  "Take our television," Liam offered, gesturing toward the old, battered set that buzzed with static every few seconds.

  "Typically, we take body parts at this juncture," the other man said bluntly as he pulled out a knife. Autumn gasped as Liam winced. "However, yours seem to be shutting down from all of the booze." The men bellowed and hit each other in the biceps, an apparent “tough guy” reaction to the unamusing comment.

  "Take Autumn," Liam pleaded. "Take my daughter...you can use her for…for something, right?"

  Everything inside of Autumn went still and quiet as she realized her father was trying to sell her to some bookies for a two thousand dollar gaming debt. Autumn didn’t wait around for the thugs to deliberate and consider her as an option. She turned, ignoring her father beckoning her to come back as she ran for her life.

  She bolted as fast as her legs could carry her; she was heartbroken to truly realize how little she actually meant to her father and disgusted she had spent her entire life looking after him, staying by his side, in the hope that one day he would grow to love her, even just a little. If he did not threaten to hurt or possibly kill the people she had grown to love, Autumn would have left years ago. In the end, as her father fell ill, Autumn knew she could have left at any time, but she remained to ensure he would never be able to touch one of them, but she promised herself she would go home after his passing. What just happened was the last straw; Autumn knew she would never see her father again.

  She didn’t look behind her until she was several blocks away from the apartment, not slowing down until she was close to the fruit market in which she worked. She turned around and the men were nowhere in sight. She slowed to a walk as she reached the entrance of the store, letting herself in with the key. She wiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt safe for the time being, but she knew she would have to figure out how she was going to leave the town for good.

  Her boss, Mr. Smith, peered at her over the counter as he was counting the daily earnings. "Autumn? What's wrong?" he asked, worry and concern etched on his face. He was a very soft-spoken man with wrinkles about his eyes, making him appear as though he was constantly laughing.

  She was relieved to see him, but her emotions got the best of her as she began to sob. "I need to get out of here. My father is trying to sell me to pay off his gambling debts."

  "I can pay you early," he did not hesitate to say, as he began scooping up the money he was counting from the open register. "Give me an address where I can send the rest."

  She nodded and grabbed the notepad near the register, writing down Ava's address. "Thank you," she wept.

  "You're a good girl, Autumn. I've met your father and you're better off without him," he stated matter-of-factly.

  She was a twenty-three-year old woman, not a little girl anymore, but she didn’t correct him; she just smiled at him gratefully as he called them a cab.

  After locking up the store, Mr. Smith stood beside Autumn as they waited for the cab. "I want to see you get on the bus," he explained. "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to you."

  He was as good as his word, staying silently beside her at the station and buying the ticket himself, tucking the extra bills into her hand as they stood in front of the bus.

  "I'll send you your final paycheck," he promised. "Let me know when you make it there safely."

  "I
promise," Autumn smiled, giving him a hug. "Goodbye and thank you again."

  As she climbed aboard the bus, her heart felt weightless. Waving to Mr. Smith from the window, she knew she was finally getting away from a life that riddled her with agony. As the bus driver closed the door and pulled out of the bus station, Autumn sat back in her seat, finally able to relax.

  She opened her purse, placing the money Mr. Smith so kindly gave her into her wallet and taking stock of her only belongings in the world: six hundred twenty-five dollars and change, some fruit-flavored Tic-Tacs, a cherry Chapstick, and the worn, dirty Bible Pastor Graham gave her during that sweet summer six years ago. She smiled, taking it out and leafing through it.

  "If I ever needed you to give me a sign," she whispered, "now would be a good time." The well-read text was comforting and she felt something deep within her soul opening up, as if a hole within her was now fulfilled. She realized it was returning to the people who loved her—she was finally going home.

  Her father tried to take care of her in the best way a broken person could, but he didn't have the capacity to give her the things she needed. He didn't have the ability to think about or love anyone, other than himself. But the people of Ligonier could and she was headed straight for them.

  She thought of each person individually—Meg, Aiden, Ava, Pastor Graham, and Sharon, and her heart swelled with joy and love. Her mind wandered to the one consuming most of her thoughts, Eric. Would he be there by some chance? Had he moved on? Of course; no one would be pathetic enough to wait around for a girl he only spent one summer with.

  Autumn knew she would never feel that way about another person; there would never be another Eric in her life.

  As the sun began to disappear on the horizon, Autumn got comfortable in her seat, closed her eyes, and allowed a peace to fall over her. She knew the moment she reached Ligonier, it would be the start of a new life; she was not privy to what her life would be like, but it was still welcoming at the same time. The day became a day of mourning as the life she had known would forever just be a memory.