Page 2 of More than Enough
“Brother.” A light blow with a closed fist to his shoulder rocked him sideways. Wolf had walked up just as Monk stalked off, still-closed knife flipping back and forth between his fingers. “How’s it hangin’?”
“Hard and low, man. Hard and low.” Blade glanced at him from the corner of his eye and lifted his chin in greeting. “You ready to roll?”
“You know it. Born ready.”
Neptune stepped up beside Wolf with a heavy sigh. “We ain’t headin’ out anytime soon, are we?”
They looked across the lot to where Monk crouched beside the bike, his neck twisted to look up at the owner with a scowl on his face.
Wolf let out a groan. “I’m thinkin’ you’re right. Fuck.”
Blade listened to them with half his attention, the rest fixed on Monk. He grinned when his brother arrowed a glare across the lot towards him. Dipping his chin, he gave Monk a nod, then turned to Neptune and Wolf. “Work. I got work to do, my friends. I’ll be quick, promise.”
“Quick as you fuckin’ can, brother. I’m ready to roll out. This shit’s gettin’ old.” Neptune’s tone held annoyance that Blade understood. “Problem with layerin’ on new members is teachin’ them what the fuck they’re getting into.”
“That’s something you’re well equipped to do, Sarge.” It took a minute to get it out, but it was worth it to see Neptune’s face just before the man scoffed at Blade’s honorific for him. “And now, I’m gonna go do my thang.”
Thirty minutes later, he grunted and yanked on the cheater bar as he finished tightening the final bolt fastening the back axle into place, tire replaced and drive belt adjustments complete. “We’re good, Road Captain.” Blade looked down, picking tools up from the piece of leather he’d thrown on top of the gravel. He was tired but wanted to keep reaching for more. Like the speech therapist told him, he wouldn’t get better until he pushed behind where he was now. Slowly and steadily, he forced the words out. “Unless you’ve got some blinker fluid you need topped off.” Wrenches and sockets in hand, he grinned up at Monk, who still wore a heavy scowl. “Brother.” He handed the tools off to the bike owner. “Run put these up for me, would ya? I’ll be there in a minute.” Back on his feet, he dusted off his knees, then palm to palm, knocking loose the final bits of old, dried grease. “He’s good, man. He wasn’t thinkin’ was all.”
“Blowout at fifty woulda taken out everyone near him. Thinkin’ needs to be the first thing these FNGs do.” Monk blew out a lungful of air, scrubbing at the top of his head with a hand. “We’ll be runnin’ about an hour late now.”
“Why’s it matter? Why you in a hurry? You got an appointment or something?” Blade didn’t miss Monk’s flinch. For once his words came easily, the ability to rib Monk making him grin. “What the fuck? Wolf, you see this shit? Our boy’s got himself a lil somethin’ on tap, man. Gotchu a booty call later?” He shook his ass, doing the worst possible imitation of a twerk. “Booty call, booty call, booty booty booty call.” That ended when Monk slugged his shoulder, not even pretending to pull the hit. “Motherfucker.”
Then Wolf took up the taunt, and Monk launched himself at their brother, taking a bite to the ribs when he attempted to get the man into a headlock.
Blade laughed until he nearly pissed himself.
My brothers.
Two
Jenn
Leaning her shoulders against the outside wall of the diner, Jennifer Campbell flexed her toes inside shoes gone too tight, her feet cruelly swollen after only a few hours on them. She closed her eyes as the soft sounds of the surrounding forest thrummed through the air, cicadas humming in the trees a constant refrain. A slow breath in and Jenn thought of a faraway lake’s shore, the waves a steady beat against the sand. She breathed out in time with that imagined wave, holding and waiting for the next incoming surge before she pulled in another breath. Slowly, she quieted her mind, the pain from her feet receding as surely as those waves did.
The sound of the cicadas changed, growing louder, deeper, rumbling until they shook the building behind her, and Jenn’s eyes popped open, the imagined lake gone in a flash.
Not cicadas.
Motorcycles.
She whirled and hurried along the wall, turning into the back door of the kitchen just in time for Rose, the other waitress, to burst into the room. Face alight with excitement, Rose exclaimed, “There’s a bunch of bikes just pulled in. Like sixty of them.” Jenn met her gaze, and the two women smiled broadly. “Gonna be busy.”
Jenn responded, “Those boys are good tippers, though. Worth the work.”
“Amen, sister.” Rose laughed and turned. “I’ll prep glasses and coffee.”
Jenn stepped up beside the line cook. “Want me to drop a couple baskets of fries?” He nodded distractedly, rapidly tossing burger and chicken patties onto the grill. “You got it.” From the freezer to the deep fryer was only a couple of steps, and she’d just locked the second basket into the hot grease when Rose breezed back into the room.
“Filling up, gonna need you out front, Jenn.” She tore a few sheets from her book, shoving the papers under the clips on the order wheel. “Boys are hungry.”
She nodded and patted her apron pockets, verifying the presence of pen and her guest checkbook for taking orders. “Set.”
Of the fourteen tables, all but two were occupied, each chair or bench seat taken. Glancing out the plate glass windows, she saw a mass of bikes still parking, leather vest-wearing men standing in clumps at various places on the lot. An older man claimed a stool at the counter just as she walked up, and he gave her a bright smile. There was a patch on his vest that proclaimed him president, and she thought it prudent to give him a gentle warning.
“We’ll be full to overflowing with your crew. There’re picnic tables outside for anyone who can’t find a seat inside. Hope nobody minds.” Empty coffee mug in hand, she angled her head and cocked an eyebrow at him, receiving a nod in response. “Burgers and fries are the fastest bet.” Topping the mug to the rim, she shoved the coffee pot back onto the burner. “What’ll you have?”
Blowing across the surface of the coffee, he sipped, smacked his lips, and verified he understood what she wasn’t saying. “Burger and fries, doll. Sounds good.”
