Page 22 of Tank
Johnny meets my eyes across the helmet with an‘Oh shit,’look on his face.
“Beau do not repeat that,” Johnny quickly tells him.
“Is that another cuss word mom says I’m not to use?” he asks.
“Yeah Johnny, what the hell does that even mean?” I ask confused.
“Yes, Beau, definitely, do not repeat that around your mom. It’s a British phrase I picked up watching The Gentleman. Kind of liked it, so thought I'd use it. Means it’s the bee’s knees, but more badass,” he says with a shrug
“Okay,” Beau nods, his helmet falling forward with the motion.
Grinning at Johnny, I pull the truck forward and park in front of the club. Johnny is already at the back of it, unloading Beau’s bike.
“You practicing today?” he asks.
“Yeah, the kid wanted to try out the helmet and show the brothers,” I explain as I help helmet boy out of the truck.
Beau runs straight into the clubhouse, where cheers can be heard. Shaking my head, I go after him. Inside, I find him at the bar with Prez and Pip.
“That’s a mighty fine helmet you have there, son,” Prez tells him.
“You look just like your dad,” Pip notes.
“Fucking little shit shouldn’t be in the clubhouse,” someone mutters behind me.
When I turn to see who it is, there is no one there. Brushing it off as someone having a bad day, I turn back to Beau to see he’s gathered quite a crowd. Wrench and Cass are admiring his helmet.
“That looks top-notch, kid,” Wrench tells him.
“It’s the dog’s bollocks,” comes a muffled reply.
The whole clubhouse goes silent before the place erupts in fits of laughter. Slapping my hand on my forehead, I crouch down to Beau.
“Kid, you weren’t supposed to repeat what Uncle Johnny said,” I remind him.
“Only in front of Mom,” he says, confused.
“No, at any time, your cussing is getting worse, and you’ve been told off for it at school.”
“My teacher is an idiot, Dad said so,” he says, puffing his chest out.
Jesus, Carrie and Joker have their hands full with him, and it ain’t going to get any better.
“Come on, kid, let’s ride that bike,” I say, leading him outside.
Wrench and Cass join me outside, watching Beau ride around the compound. We set up an obstacle course for him, using some junk from around the yard, so he can practice parking and shit. His words, not ours.
“Hey boys, how’s he doing?” Pip asks.
“Yeah, he’s doing really well. I had all sorts of stuff planned for today—ice cream, the park, and maybe the zoo. But all he wants to do is ride his bike.”
“He really is his father’s son. You and Jason were just the same at his age,” she laughs.
I chuckle at the memory.
“Is Carrie at therapy?” she asks.
“Yeah, said I’d watch Beau to give them some space, as she’s usually a little upset after. The kid doesn’t need to see his mom like that.”
