Page 46 of Sweet Pea

“You’re kidding,” Sweet Pea said deflated. “You don’t like horror?”

“I was pretty sheltered growing up. The only reason I saw The Lost Boys in the first place was because I was at a slumber party where everyone was watching it. My friends and I were all obsessed with hot actors from back in the 80’s and everybody was talking about the guys in The Lost Boys. I’d never seen a horror movie before, and it pretty much scarred me for life.”

“First of all, The Lost Boys is barely a horror movie, and you’ve really never seen Halloween or Friday the 13th?”

“Which one of those has Freddy in it?” I asked.

“Neither,” he said, exasperated. “That’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy’s the guy with the blades on his glove.”

“I thought that was Edward Scissorhands,” I said.

“Jesus Herbert Kristofferson,” Sweet Pea said.

“Anyway,” I said, trying to get my tipsy little thought train back on track. “Lost Boys, Chinese food...”

“Of course, I remember the scene,” Sweet Pea continued. “David makes the noodles look like worms and the rice look like—”

“Don’t finish that sentence!” I shouted, my hand covering his mouth. “Don’t you dare say that word.”

“What?” he asked through the narrow gaps between my fingers.

“The M word,” I replied in a whisper.

Sweet Pea nodded in agreement and I removed my hand.

“When did you first see The Lost Boys?” he asked, matching my hushed tone.

“I was thirteen.”

“And you’ve haven’t eaten rice since?”

“Can’t even have it on my plate,” I replied.

“Have any issues with it before the film?”

“Nope.”

“Thank you for sharing that story with me, Callie, I’ve really learned something important about you tonight.”

“The fact that I can’t stand the sight of rice because of a cheesy vampire movie is important?”

“No. Tonight I learned you are an insane person.”

Sweet Pea smiled and I felt myself sink one level deeper into an intense emotional connection with him. A man I barely knew and had nothing in common with had gotten my attention in every way and if I wasn’t careful, I was going to get myself into deep trouble. I was already acting completely irresponsibly with my career by entering a consensual sexual relationship with a member of a known criminal organization. I heard a combination of my father’s voice and every law professor I ever had ringing through my head, but the truth was, their words weren’t reaching my heart at all.

“Hey,” Sweet Pea said, pulling me back. “I want to show you something.” He led me to the other side of the great room, stopping at an ornately carved oak door which was locked by an electronic keypad.

“I think you’ve shown me quite enough tonight, mister,” I said as Sweet Pea punched in the code before leading me through the doorway.

Boy, was I wrong.

“We don’t normally let non-members in here, but I wanted to show you my favorite part of the Sanctuary.”

“Sweet Pea. It’s beautiful,” I said.

“We call this the Holy of Holies. It’s a monument to all the Saints that have passed.”

The large space was lined with lighted glass cabinets, each one filled with helmets, patches, jewelry, and various other biker’s totems. There were at least a dozen motorcycles from various eras proudly on display. The entire space was lit like a museum that was curated with love and deep affection. It was a profoundly moving thing to see and I felt honored Sweet Pea had shown it to me.

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