Ride or Ruin

River's Edge

The bar was less busy than the night before but still had about a dozen motorcycles parked out front. There were some men standing by the bikes smoking and chatting. The smells mixed together unpleasantly as I walked up to the entrance. One man, whose beard was longer than my own hair, was laughing a deep guttural laugh that shook his whole body. As I walked closer, I noticed round spectacles that sat beneath his wispy eyebrows and a short round body. He reminded me of a jolly gnome except his ears were pierced with small round hoops and his leather sleeveless jacket proved he was apart of the club. His thick freckled arms held a tattoo of a cross on one arm and a woman on the other.

He was oddly familiar to me and I wondered if I knew him from my childhood. He had been watching me walk up and as I approached the door to the bar he pulled a rose from the pocket of his vest and handed it to me. "A pretty flower for a pretty girl," he said with a smile so wide his eyes appeared shut. Smiling, I took it and asked, "Do I know you?" He gave a theatrical bow, "Name's Dozer around here. I knew your father, James. He was a right good man and I still miss him to this day."

I was surprised to hear my father's name and even more surprised to meet someone that knew him. It made sense for the small town, but I hadn't talked about my dad with anyone except Lily in the past ten years. "You knew my dad?" I asked him curiously. I felt as though I should know this strange-looking man. He was interesting enough not to forget. "Yupp, I only saw you kids a handful'a times though. James liked to keep you all separate from the club. But if its all the same, if you need anything, anything at all, you come looking for old Dozer here. I'll make sure you're taking care of, for James." He nodded to me and turned back to the group he was chatting with.

I pinched off the stem and tucked the rose into my hair as I went searching for Lily. I wondered if I should tell her about my run-in with Dozer as I joined her at the bar. She was chatting it up with two young men who were both completely enamored with her. She squealed when she noticed me and pulled me into her group. "Harlow, this is Mikeal and his friend Matt. Matt owns his own ranch out off highway 64." Mikeal and Matt were as cowboy as they come, dressed in cowboy boots with cowboy hats, faded blue jeans and button-up shirts. Lily did have a secret obsession with farm life, but I just couldn't picture her herding cattle with her fishnet leggings and metal-studded leather jacket.

I introduced myself and they tipped their hats to me before Matt offered me a drink. I wanted to ask Lily about Dozer and my dad but I was sure she wouldn't answer in front of the ranch boys. Matt was awfully cute, however. Cowboy wasn't much my type, but after Ricky, maybe it should be. Matt was the perfect gentleman but so was Ricky at first. The bar served the same greasy American food as the last restaurant and the four of us sat for dinner and get to know each other better. The whole menu was just different ways to decorate beef and I found myself missing the vibrant salads of the West Coast.

Matt was born and raised in Oak Ridge and went to school with my brother before we left for Washington. I was a pretty shy kid who never really had any friends outside of Lily, but I felt like I should remember more people here. After all, they remembered me. Matt gave his condolences for my father, which I thought was polite and odd. I'd never thought of myself as the girl with the dead dad which was apparently my reputation here.

When Lily and I escaped to the bathroom, I took the opportunity to ask about Dozer and my dad's reputation. As expected, she dodged the question, "Look, Harlow, Oak Ridge is its own world and things have changed since we were kids. Dozer is harmless but you still need to stay away from the MC."

It was clear Lily was already a little tipsy but something was gnawing at me that I couldn't place a finger on. "What things have changed, Lily? What don't I know?" She was fixing her makeup in the bathroom mirror and stopped to look at me in the reflection. Her eyes were a little glossy from drinking and there was also a touch of sadness in them.

She sighed and reluctantly told me, "Your dad was the president of Rivers Edge, MC. It's one of the most dangerous motorcycle clubs on the western slope and Dozer was his VP." I stared at her confused. "How come I never knew that?"

She turned towards me to look at me, "I didn't find out until after he died. My mom didn't exactly want me to know either. That's part of why she doesn't like your family. The MC wanted to keep you and Olly safe from the things they were apart of. Didn't you ever wonder why you guys moved so far away after he died?"

I had wondered, but whenever I asked, mom would always change the subject or get upset. "Well, what did he do? Why was he keeping it a secret?"

I could tell these questions were the wrong questions as Lily started to shut the conversation down. "You should really be asking your mom those questions. I don't want to talk about this anymore, Harlow, it's not my place. Can we go back to Mikeal and Matt now?

Mikeal promised he'd line dance with me."

I nodded but couldn't help but think about all the new questions that this brought up. I'd always thought of my dad as the perfect person. He had always been so kind and patient with Olly and me, I didn't understand how he could be the leader of some dangerous biker gang. I thought back to our family photos and couldn't remember him in any leather or with any bearded biker hooligans. What else did I not know about him? And could the River's Edge have had something to do with his death?

I had been told it was a car accident that killed him, but now I wonder why he was out late at night without my mom or us kids. The story was only at the beginning for me, but at least I knew where to start. "Wait, Lily." She turned to me as she opened the bathroom door. "Who's the President of River's Edg, MC now?"

Lily rolled her eyes. I don't think she would have answered if she hadn't been drinking, "Who do you think? It's Cole Lawson." She left the bathroom and I stood dumbfounded with butterflies and anxiety coursing through me. If I wanted real answers, then he might have them, but should I really risk asking him of all people? Looking at myself in the mirror, I felt more confused and lost than I had when I first came to town.

With all the questions swirling through my mind, I was certain of one thing. I needed another drink.