Chapter 1
Wrath
D oc said I can ride in the poker run today. I’m tempted to skip it and head straight to the park where the ladies and prospects are setting up a picnic lunch for all the riders. Their families can join in the fun earlier if they want.
We have a mini carnival set up this year. Volunteers from our businesses are running the games and food stands. Stormy and the ladies took charge of the food, carnival, and entertainment. Buy-in is a hundred dollars this year. Winner gets half the pot; the other half goes to Gaia’s Hope and Artemis Outreach. Gaia’s Hope is a home for mother’s that are living in dangerous situations or out on the streets. Artemis Outreach is the new clinic the club is opening in a few weeks. Their portion of today's proceeds will go to treat people in the community who are uninsured or underinsured.
The club has been putting money back each month to cover the costs of the run, so more money goes to charity.
Someone pounds on my front door. I open it to see my brothers and my sister Willow. She’s riding with me today to make sure I don’t overdo it. If I get tired or dizzy, she can call in backup.
It’s only been a month since I got shot in the gut. Doc and Nay say I’m recovering well. It’s why I’m riding today.
“Are you ready to ride?” Willow asks.
“I am. Brick’s letting me borrow his trike for the day.”
“You really want to finish this run, don’t you?”
“Finish, hell, I want to win.”
“What would you do with all that money?” Saber asks.
“Guess you’ll find out when I win.”
“Says you. I’m winning,” Decker says.”
“Not if I win, first,” Saber adds.
“Don’t you all know it’s ladies first? That pot is mine,” Willow exclaims.
I chuckle. “Come on, jokers, before we’re late. I want to get a good card.”
We head out to the parking lot. Brick is there to meet us. He hands me the keys to his bright yellow trike. Red picked out the color. She said she wants to spot the bike in a crowd when she’s drunk. Mission accomplished. The brilliant color sticks out in a sea of sleds.
“She’s so pretty,” Willow squeals.
I shake my head. Willow’s already decided the sled is a girl and will no doubt come up with a name for it by day's end. After she’s finished squealing, we get settled onto the trike and head to our first destination.
Twenty minutes later, we arrive. There’s a line of volunteers handing out cards. My first card is the jack of hearts. After the third stop, I’m ready to pull over and take a break. We stop and get something to drink, along with some breakfast tacos.
“Are you feeling better?” Willow asks.
“Yes. I feel better now that I’ve had some food. We have two more stops before we head to the park.”
“It’s going to be an EPIC party. Stormy got Gerald McBong Bong to play.”
“Who the hell is Gerald McBong Bong?”
“This amazing rock band. They hit the scene about six months ago. I can’t believe she was able to get them.”
“Queenie works wonders.”
“True dat,” Willow says, laughing.
We put our helmets back on and get back on the road.
Millie
“ I can’t believe this crowd and we have hours before the bikers show,” Nay says.
“Thank you for inviting me. This is amazing. I can’t believe you all set up a carnival on top of the food and concert.”
Nay smiles. “We aim to please.”
We walk the grounds and I take in all the club has set up. There’s a bouncy house that looks like a circus tent. Next to it an enormous inflatable gator slide that’s close to forty feet long. An inflatable obstacle course and even an inflatable pirate ship for toddlers. It’s open instead of enclosed, like a regular bouncy house. There’s even a giant inflatable Hungry Hippo game.
There’s old fashioned-games and rides like a dunk tank, the duck pond, a small Ferris wheel, a carousel, various dart games and ring toss. There’s even a mechanical shark to ride instead of a bull. I guess they couldn’t find a gator.
“Stormy said the insurance for the bigger rides was too costly. Maybe next year.”
In addition to the rides and games, they had food booths as well. Everything from cotton candy to deep fried everything. The ladies from the King’s also cooked up a storm, making a ton of food in addition to the food trucks.
Nay told me they had a little over twenty-five hundred riders. With more people coming to the park for the event. It’s going to reach eighty today. I’m glad I wore shorts. They’re adorable if I say so myself. Denim shorts made to look like cut-offs, but they cover my ass. The front left pocket has a pink and white heart and a small hot pink Gerber daisy with a bright yellow center embroidered on it. Back left is the same Gerber daisy. While my right back pocket has a large white daisy with a pale pink center and a hot pink Gerber daisy.
My pale pink tank ends at my midriff. It’s the same color as the center of white daisy. There’s a cropped denim jacket with matching embroidery hearts and flowers across the back. I pulled my long blonde hair into a high bouncy ponytail and finished my outfit with pale pink high-top tennis shoes.
“Where do you want me?”
“Do any of the booths strike your fancy?”
“I’d rather be a pinch hitter if you don’t mind. Maybe running supplies or relieving someone for a break. I can help get the box lunches set up.”
“Perfect.”
The box lunches are grab and go for people who don't want to stand in line for hot food or want to take it to go. I follow Nay to a group of tables set up with stuff for the box lunches. They’re offering fried chicken, thick sliced ham sub, slow roasted roast beef sub, veggie sub with hummus spread, or a shrimp po’ boy. Typical sides: pasta salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, cucumber and tomato, baked beans, and baked mac and cheese.
We no sooner get the box lunches packed than the crowds start pouring in. Soon there are lines at every game, food stand, and ride available. Nay told me the King’s closed their businesses today so the employees could be here to man the carnival.