same. I wanted the same appearance and size - always . Strength, to me, didn’t really matter. The amount of weight that I could bench, curl, or deadlift was never important to me, my appearance was. On this day, I found no faults in my physical appearance.
Turning in the mirror, I studied the tattoo on my back. Temptation in the form of a tattoo. I knew the club would be tempted to act on the theft of Nacho’s bike. I would be tempted to act either in support of the club, or as an individual. Accepting the temptation as being just that was often difficult. As I pulled my toothbrush from the holder, I closed my eyes and quickly prayed the decision the club made regarding the crime would be what was best for all parties involved.
These last few days had been, and continued to be - a lesson in trust. Trusting in a person that came into the motorcycle club at the invitation of another member proved to be a bad decision. He had stolen a member’s bike, and made copies of keys to many of the member’s homes. One of the member’s homes had already been broken into by this individual. Now, the character of the member that vouched this person into the club was in question. Trust in the particular person that ended up being a thief was gone entirely. I had to try to trust the club to make a good decision, and trust that law enforcement would handle their end of the responsibility.
As I studied my reflection, I began to make a mental list of all of the people I had allowed into my life, and whether or not I felt I could trust them. As ridiculous as this was, I stood and struggled with almost everyone. Could I truly trust Kelli would always be there for me? Could I trust she would never have major changes in who she was? My phone ringing brought me to reality.
“Hello?” I asked into the phone as I answered.
“Doc, I talked to Bone,” Teddy rasped.
“And?” I responded.
“He wants you to go talk to King. You know why. Bone says you can keep him grounded. You alright with that?” Teddy asked.
“ Consider it done. I’ll head out there as soon as I shower,” I responded.
“Lemme know what happens, Doc - before you talk to Bone. We’re gonna meet at the shop at seven o’clock to talk about it.”
“I’ll call you when I’m done,” I said as I walked to the bathroom.
Teddy was the world’s worst about just hanging up on the phone. When he was done talking, he just hung up. No goodbye, no see ya later, nothing. Just click. Over the years, I had become used to it, somewhat. I still found it to be somewhat rude and a little unnerving, but it was Teddy – and I accepted Teddy for being Teddy.
I took a quick shower and got dressed for the trip to King’s office. King had built quite a business over the years, but never really strayed from his roots. King was part Asian, part black, part Hispanic, and part white. He could fit in wherever he wanted to. He was a thug as a child, and remained a thug until he was a young adult – selling drugs and pimping women. He left the city for about ten years, and spent most of that time in prison. He learned during his time in prison how to be a thug and get away with it. He, for what everyone could see on the surface, was now a business man. Inside, he was still a thug. People rarely change.
I rode my bike into the parking lot of King’s office, and didn’t immediately see any parking spots. A quick circle of the lot produced nothing. I maneuvered through the handicap parking and onto the sidewalk. I rolled to the edge of the sidewalk, and pulled the kickstand down, leaving room for a pedestrian to walk into the office.
I walked through the front door and up to the receptionist’s desk. A young blonde dressed in business attire greeted me as I approached the desk.
“How can I help you?” she asked, exposing whitest teeth I’ve ever seen.
“Well, I need to see Mr. King,” I responded.
“I’m sorry. Mr. King is in meetings all day. He’s asked that I hold
Amanda Young, Raymond Young Jr.