by Sky Winters
“Zak says come in and take what you want. You have the protection of The Beasts.” He stepped aside and let her through.
Inside, the small group of customers who had been cornered by the gang were standing in the back of the store near the pharmacy, doing everything they could to blend in with the wall. One of the women in the group of nervous shoppers looked at Joy and then quickly looked away. Joy recognized her, but wasn’t sure what her name was. She was about to join her and her silent cohort when she got a tap on the shoulder.
“Hey! Nice to see you again.” Zak opened his arms and gave her a big hug. She couldn’t help inhaling his warm, country-boy scent while they hugged. He smelled like dusty roads and pine trees, like old, beat-up trucks and barbecues. When he pulled away, he gave her his signature, bad boy smile. “So, you need something?”
“I’m just here to get some ice cream for my dad.” She pointed a finger into his chest. “And I intend to pay for it. I appreciate the invitation into the store with your… friends, but I’m here to buy, not take.”
He immediately put an innocent look on his face and his hand on his chest as if he were deeply offended. “Hey, we keep this town safe! Do you know how many rival gangs would be here if we weren’t? We’re unarmed and friendly, but the neighboring crews know better than to cross us. And hey.” He gestured to the store. “Everybody needs to eat.”
He took her by the arm and walked her by the vegetables and snacks, then around the corner to dairy section. “How have you been? You and Aris get married?”
“We’re divorced, actually.” She quickly crossed and uncrossed her fingers as she said it. After all, it wasn’t entirely untrue.
“Sorry to hear that.” He sighed and stared off into thedistance. “Aris was such a great guy. I mean, great enough for you to leave me for him.”
“Zak, I want you to know that I’ve never forgiven myself for—” The sight of his smile and the twinkle in his eye stopped her. She smacked his arm. “You really had me going! You big jerk.” She laughed as he feigned a seriously injured arm. “Alright, knock it off.”
He stopped her and turned her so she faced him directly. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up about something that happened in high school. You were just following your heart. Most people don’t have the courage, but you went for it. So what if he wasn’t the right guy? You still have time to meet someone.”
He turned and continued towards the freezer section before she could respond, still leading her by the arm as if they were walking down the red carpet. All around them were members of Zak’s gang, all of whom were careful to give them a wide berth as they walked past the glass doors filled with a rainbow of ice cream flavors. Joy noticed how reluctant everyone was to approach or even cross paths with Zak as they perused the flavors. What had he told them about her?
“So,” Zak asked, leaning against one of the freezers, “we’re looking for ice cream for your dad.”
“Yes.”
“And you insist on paying for it?”
“I do.”
He gave a little shrug. “I can’t remember the last time I passed up free food. But, if you insist on paying, you should at least get something good. What does he like?”
She smiled as he seriously considered all the different flavors. He was so incredibly good-looking, and his face looked so young. It was hard for her to believe they were the same age.
“He loves chocolate. Any kind of chocolate.”
Zak opened a glass door and took out a tub of Death by Chocolate. “Well, this is chocolate with about five other kinds of chocolate and chocolate crunchies swirled in. Will that do?”
“Perfect.” She held it and smiled at him for a moment and he smiled back. “Zak, I know you’ve got this whole motorcycle gang thing happening and I have no idea what your personal life is, but I just want you to know…” She cleared her throat, suddenly nervous. He took one of her hands and she let him hold it for a moment. “I want you to know that I always wonder what my life would have been like if I’d stayed with you. You know what I mean?”
He looked down at the ground, swinging her hand back and forth like a teenager. “Well, I don’t know that you would have been happy with me. My life took an interesting turn just after we broke up.”
Leading her by the hand, he pulled her away from the freezer and down towards the only operating cashier. Joy couldn’t help but note how gently he touched her. She didn’t feel nervous around him at all but rather trusted him immediately. Her nerves felt as if they had been smoothed down by a strong hand, allowing her to let Zak take control of the conversation without feeling as if he was bossing her around or threatening her. It was like learning to breathe again.
“So what was it that drove you away?”
“Joy…” Zak pulled her in for a hug as she pulled out her wallet to pay for the ice cream. “If I told you, I doubt you’d believe me.”
“What do you mean?”
He started to say something, but then stopped himself and just shook his head. Unsure what was happening, Joy handed her money over to the fuming cashier and didn’t say anything, just looked at Zak. There was something in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure how to define it. Who was this crazy guy she was looking at? The leader of a motorcycle gang, or something else?
The cashier, a scrawny teenager, bagged the ice cream and thrust it at Joy, glaring at Zak. “See? Your friend can pay for food and whatever. You and your lackies can do the same.”
He didn’t react, just stayed relaxed with his hands in his jean pockets. He blew a kiss to Joy and then chucked the cashier under the chin. “Bye ladies.” He went back into the depths of the store, leaving the both of them to watch him go back into the mayhem his crew was creating. Joy turned to leave, the doors only opening for her because the guard at the door reactivated the censor as she approached. Behind her, the door locked, holding in the gang and keeping the rest of the world out.
Joy drove back and focused on the scenery on the open road; the farms, the fruit stands, the small houses. She found herself unable to stop smiling as she remembered her romantic walk through the grocery store. The whole thing had felt like an elaborate set-up, as if she’d been on the set of a romantic movie and played the leading woman being seduced by the handsome young man.
Maybe one day they would go on a real date. Of course, she was technically still married and Aris could show up at any minute, and her father would string her up by her toes if she went out with a man who ran a motorcycle gang. Still… a date with Zak might just be worth risking her ex-husband’s wrath and the possibility of being disowned by her only remaining family member. It would be just perfect.
The next morning, Joy went out on a mission; she had the name and address of a small law office and she was shopping for a divorce. She drove to the small office, which turned out to be near the same grocery store where she’d last seen Zak. Her heart sped up for a moment; would she see him again? Today it was quiet; normal shoppers who felt no need to set up guards at the door streamed in and out of the automatic doors. The Law Offices of Bramble & Bramble sat quietly in the tall grass and when Joy walked in she was greeted by a receptionist who put her finger to her lips, asking her to respect the silence. She nodded her head in deference and then took a seat.
After being escorted in, she was greeted by a chubby lawyer with wild, curly hair and five o’clock shadow on his face. He wiped the sweat from his brow and regarded her for a moment. “So,” he started, tilting his head. “I’m guessing we’re drawing up some divorce papers today.”
“Yes, unfortunately.”
“Hmm…” He took out a couple of forms and started shooting questions at her.
“Did he cheat on you?”
“Yes, many times.”
“Ever hit you?”
“Constantly.”
“You ever call the police on him?”
“I tried a couple of times, but they’re all his drinking buddies. He’d just invite them out for a drink and they
’d look the other way.”
This continued for a long while, Bramble asking questions and Joy answering yes to almost all of them. By the time they were done, they had an impressive list of reasons for Joy to leave Aris. Seeing all the boxes ticked yes made her marvel at the marriage she’d just left.
Bramble stared at it as well, not speaking. Finally, he cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Honey,” he said, his face falling. “How did you last one day in this marriage?”
Joy laughed at loud at the question; how indeed? Looking at this long list of reasons to leave and perfectly good causes for divorce really made her wonder what had kept her in Aris’ clutches.
She shrugged. “I guess I just loved him. That’s all.”
“Do you still?”
Joy shook her head no, slowly. “No. Not at all. Now that I’m away from him, I never want to see him again.”
Chapter 4
“Joy? Joy! Phone for you!” Joy’s dad let the receiver hang from the landline phone in the kitchen and shuffled away. Judge Hunter was on so his attention was devoted to the TV. Joy walked to the phone, heart pounding. Was this an old friend? Aris raging at the divorce papers that had arrived at his house? Or someone else? She lifted the phone to her ear, biting her lip in anticipation.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Joy. It’s Zak. Can you talk for a moment?”
“Zak!” There it was again, that thrum in her chest. How was he able to do her in with just a hello? “Hi. Yes, I can talk. How are you?”
“Good, good. Listen, we’re all getting together at a bonfire tonight. I thought I could take you out on my bike, introduce you to some friends and show you the stars. What do you think?”
She giggled like a teenager, then blushed at how silly she sounded. “You think I haven’t seen stars?”
“Well…” Now it was his turn to giggle. “I think you’ve seen some of those second-rate stars, but I know where the best, most beautiful stars are in the sky. You won’t believe it.”
Joy curled the phone wire around her fingers, already mentally out with Zak. “I guess I could go out for a while. As long as you don’t get me home too late. You know my dad can’t be on his own all night. He might, I don’t know, go for a random drive or something.”
“Oh, of course. I would never get in the way of that. Don’t worry.” He took a breath and calmed himself down. “I mean, I’ll have you home by eleven. Can I pick you up around seven thirty?”
Joy looked at her dad, thoroughly absorbed in his show and yelling at the screen. She’d have time to make him some sandwiches before she left and there was ice cream in the freezer. He would be okay. “Sure. Seven thirty. And you better deliver on those stars.”
He laughed, smiling so big she could almost see it through the phone. “You got it. I’ll pick you up at your place.”
Before Joy could ask him not to drive his bike to the house, he hung up. There was no way her dad would be okay with a loud motorcycle pulling up to the house and her jumping on the back. How was she going to play this? She bit her lip and moved to the living room to join her dad in the extra recliner.
He looked over at her with a scowl. “What’s eating you, Brenda?”
Her breath caught for a moment—he thought she was Brenda. Maybe she could swing the motorcycle chauffeur after all. “Oh, it’s my brother. He’s supposed to pick me up today, but he traded in his car for a motorcycle. I’m just a little nervous about riding on it.”
Steve dismissed the comment with a gesture. “Don’t be such a baby. Just take my leather jacket and wear a helmet.” He turned to look at her with a wicked smile. “That way, if you crash, at least your top half won’t get scattered all over the road.” He laughed loudly at his own joke, then turned back to the show.
Joy stood and walked to the closet. She remembered that old jacket; it was her dad’s favorite from the sixties. In the hall closet, she flipped through the winter coats and fall parkas, hopeful this beautiful old jacket really was in there. Just as she was about to give up, she found it. It was shoved into a corner on the top shelf. She took it down and shook it out. It was a little dusty and had some odd folds in it, but overall it was in great shape. She slipped it on and found that it fit pretty well; the style at the time was a slimmer fit, so the jacket didn’t have any bulk to it but rather hung well from her small shoulders. She went to the bathroom mirror and admired her reflection for a moment, turning from side to side. She grabbed a tube of red lipstick and dabbed on a bit of color, then fluffed her curly hair a bit to make it look like she’d just been out on the road.
“Hi Zak,” she said to the mirror. “Oh, this? It’s just an old jacket I found in the closet. No one was using it so…” She posed with an arched back, her legs apart. I look good, she thought. Like, biker chick good.
“Brenda! You find my jacket?”
“Yeah, I did. You sure you don’t mind if I wear it? It’s a classic.”
Harrumphing his way up from his chair, her father walked into the bathroom to see for himself. He looked at her for a long while, mouth open. “Brenda,” he whispered, his voice hoarse, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so lovely.”
Joy fought the urge to throw her arms around her dad, hugging herself instead. “Thanks, Steve. I mean it.”
As promised, at seven thirty on the dot, a huge, gleaming motorcycle pulled into the driveway. Joy practically squealed at the sight; she hadn’t been on a date in years and now, here she was, living the dream. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
There was Zak with his gleaming back hair, his shades propped up on the shock of hair so that she could see his blue eyes. She waved to him from the kitchen window and he waved back, all smiles.
“Bye, Steve! I’ll be back tomorrow!”
“Bye, Brenda. Be careful.”
Free from all responsibilities for the moment, she ran out to meet Zak and the two threw their arms around each other and held on tight. Joy marveled at how good and how natural it felt to hold him in her arms, as if they’d been specifically designed for the job.
“Hi,” she mumbled, still holding on.
“Hi. Good to see you.” Hi lips brushed her ear as he talked and she could smell that familiar, wild country boy scent again. Her knees turned to liquid for just a moment, then she collected herself. It was just a date, after all.
“Okay,” she said, swinging her leg up and over the seat, the wrapping her arms and legs around Zak. “Let’s get to this bonfire.”
He revved up the engine and tilted his head back, yelling something to her, but she couldn’t make out a word. She opened her mouth to ask what he’d said, but they tore off down the road and her “What?” turned into a “Woohoo!”
The fire was out in the foothills just between Stottard and the next town. They had a beautiful view of the woods below and all around them from the high vantage point on top of the boulder where they’d built the fire. The flames made the rock below them glow like a lantern and the smoke rose and twisted into the air as if it were a natural part of the scenery, as if this rock had just been waiting for a fire to come along. Below the boulder was a ring of motorcycles and some gang stragglers yelling up to the main group on the top as they grilled kabobs for the group. The smell of charred meat wafted all around the party and smelled even more tempting as it mingled with the scent of the woods. Joy sat and took it all in as she leaned against Zak who propped her up like a chair. The two of them listened to the raucous conversation around them, laughing at the crazy stories of the gang and their adventures and their bawdy jokes.
Joy turned to ask a man named Greg for another beer, and as she turned her head, she saw something. She wasn’t sure what she saw, but suddenly Greg seemed huge and hulking. His face didn’t look human, it seemed wild and vicious. Joy almost screamed, but then everything turned back to normal just as quickly. Greg looked like himself, but there was an odd glow to his eyes.
“Greg?” She reached out for him and he raised hi
s eyebrows in surprise.
“What’s up, buttercup?”
“I, uh, I was just wondering if I could get another beer.”
Greg gave her an exaggerated bow. “It would be my honor.” He yelled down to the food crew below and a beer flew up towards him; he caught it mid-air. “Here you are.”
“Thank you, sir.” She nodded in appreciation, but as she cracked it open, she felt odd. What exactly was this motorcycle gang? Was there a reason they stayed so separate for everyone else? She couldn’t be sure.
She turned her attention back to the gathering and members Petunia and Lisa who were re-enacting a bad date one of them had been on recently.
“Hey baby. How about we find out if your clothes look this good on my floor?”
Gasping in shock, Lisa slapped Petunia away with a big show of melodrama. “Oh, you cad! You horrible man! Get away from me this instant.” She flounced away while her pursuer stood, mouth open in dumbfounded shock, much to the amusement of the group. While everyone was laughing, Zak leaned down to whisper something in her ear.
“Hey, I promised you some juicy stars. Want to go see them?”
Smiling, she nodded and let him take her by the hand over to the side of the boulder with a metal ladder going down the side. They went down carefully while the group let out a loud chorus of oohs and aahs as they went, teasing them for slipping away.
“Watch yourself, honey. He’s a heartbreaker!”
“And a pelvis breaker, if you know what I mean.”
They walked away giggling, leaving the group behind to speculate as to their actions.
Zak led Joy through a bramble of low-hanging branches, over a small brook, and then around a quick switch back in the path. They emerged into a small meadow tucked away in the trees. The ground was covered in soft, feathery grass and, as promised, the stars and the moon were clearly visible from here, even a little brighter.
“Wow!” She stepped out into the center of the opening, taking in the sky and the air around here. The space felt so magical. She felt as if a fairy would fly up to her face or an ancient god was about to pass through.