Chapter Ten #2
“That’s it? You want to join the Gresham Spiders because you like to ride bikes?”
Kieran shook his head. “I like working on bikes. And, like designing and building them and shit. My mom won’t let me ride until I’m eighteen.”
“Your mom sounds smart.”
“She is,” he said.
“If you’re smart enough to listen to your mother, you should be smart enough to stay the hell away from the Spiders.”
“Don’t talk about my mom,” Kieran attempted to growl, his voice cracking in the process.
“I’m not talking about your mom, I’m asking about you,” I said. “The Spiders aren’t exactly kid friendly so I’m curious as to why you’re hooked up with them.”
“My mom’s sick, okay. She has bone cancer. Her treatment is expensive and the only way I can make the kind of money she needs is to work for the Spiders. Plus, they let me work on their bikes with them. They show me stuff, ya know?”
“Look, kid. I’m really sorry to hear about you mom. That’s a heavy load for a guy your age to shoulder.”
“Where’s your pop?” Train asked.
“He’s in the club. It’s how come they let me hang around and shit. But he doesn’t want me to patch in either.”
“I know it’s the last thing in the world you wanna hear, but I’d strongly suggest listening to both of your parents,” I said.
“Yeah, well it’s not like life has given me many choices, you know.”
I gave him a nod. “I know what you mean.”
“Alright, it’s chow time,” Train announced from the front seat as we pulled into the Derby’s drive-thru line.
As soon as we queued up, our young court jester began craning his neck in the direction of the order pick up window.
“Who you lookin’ for, Jester?” I asked.
“Mia Foster works here. I’m trying to see if she’s working the window.”
“Mia, huh?” Train asked.
“She goes to my school. She’s a junior. One year above me. She’s so hot.”
Train and I traded looks.
“We have AP Calculus together, but she doesn’t even know I’m alive.”
Now, I can’t say I know what it’s like for a girl to go through puberty, but I can imagine it’s no picnic.
But I’m positive there’s never been a poet or scientist that’s ever been able to accurately portray or explain the agony of being a teenage boy.
Every molecule in your body either wants to fight or fuck.
Testosterone courses through your veins like Dr. Jekyll’s secret formula, turning your dick into Mr. Hyde at every inopportune moment.
“Welcome to Derby’s, home of the Double Derby, order whenever you’re ready,” a less than enthusiastic voice squawked through the drive-thru speaker.
“Whatta ya want kid?” Train asked.
Kieran leaned into the gap between Train’s head and the open driver’s side window. “Yeah, I’ll take two Triple Decker Derby burgers, a large Chili Cheese Chomper, and order of Potato Poppers, um, make that two orders, and a large vanilla shake with extra whipped cream.”
“You sure that’s enough food?” Train asked, sarcastically.
“Oh, you’re right,” Kieran replied, earnestly. “And a six-piece Bravo Bites.”
“BBQ, spicy, or honey mustard?”
“Double spicy, please.”
“Oh, to him you say please, but it’s fuck you to him and me?” Train protested.
Once we’d completed our order, we pulled up to the order pick-up line.
“Oh, shit. It’s her,” Kieran said, trying to duck out of sight.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “I thought you liked this girl.”
“She’s a Junior and the hottest girl ever, she’s not gonna talk to me.”
“Good afternoon,” Mia Foster, our young passenger’s dream girl, greeted us through the window before confirming our order details.
“Hey, I think you go to the same school as our friend,” Train said to Mia as she took his credit card.
“Oh, yeah?” she replied.
“Yeah, I’m sure of it, his name’s Jester. Maybe you know him?”
Kieran squirmed in his seat like a worm at the end of a fishing hook. “Yo. What the fuck, bro?”
Mia poked her neck out the window to get a better look into the back seat.
“Oh, hi Kieran,” she said, sweetly with a huge smile.
“Uh…uh…uh…”
“Say, hi,” I whispered.
“Um…hi, Mia.”
“In the club we call him Jester,” Train said.
“You hang out with a biker gang?” Mia asked Kieran.
“Um, sorta. Well, yeah, but—”
“That’s kinda cool,” she said, her eyes widening.
“Yeah, I…I guess so.”
“Maybe you can show me your motorcycle some time,” Mia said.
“Uh…uh…yeah, sure. I mean, that could be cool.”
“Well, here’s your food,” Mia said, handing Train two large paper bags, which he passed back to us. “I guess I’ll see you at school, Kier—I mean Jester.”
As soon as we pulled away, our young passenger lit up like a pinball machine.
“Holy shit! Did you guys see that? She knew who I was. Mia Foster knew my name, and she wants me to show her my bike. Oh, shit. I need a bike. Holy shit, she smiled at me. Mia Foster smiled at me and she thinks I’m cool. I’m gonna have a heart attack.”
“You’re welcome,” Train said as we headed for the clinic.
“Yo, seriously though. Thank you guys for food and stuff,” Kieren said, his voice turning serious.
“It’s not my mom’s fault that I miss meals sometimes, ya know?
She’s just really sick and sometimes her meds make her feel even worse and the only thing she can do is sleep.
Sometimes I gotta take care of her and I guess I don’t always take care of me or whatever. ”
“No one here is judging you or your mom,” I said. “And you’re right, you’re not a kid. It takes a man to step up like you do. Taking care of your mom like that. I’m sure she’s proud as shit of you.”
Kieren smiled for the first time, and I felt a strange sense of pride in him.
I didn’t know why but this scrappy little pup had wormed his way into my heart over the course of a single car ride.
Of course, I had no idea at the time just how much Jester would come to mean to me and my family in the time to come.