Chapter 29 Chaos
TWO MONTHS LATER
Our pipes rattle down the long road. Birds fly out of the trees, and the squirrels run for cover. We don’t bother moving with stealth as we head into the city.
Rage is in the lead, and I’m right behind him with Digger riding beside me.
The entire MC is riding out to the big motorcycle festival.
I look around at Priest, Sunny, Jagged, Keeper, Chainz, Knuckles, Rage, Ox, Moon, Lyon, Digger, Geek, Mutt, Ice, and all the rest of my brothers riding out.
It feels good to be a part of this family again. For the last five years, I felt alone.
They’re not the only reason that I no longer feel lost and feel whole instead; it’s also because of the woman riding in the bitch seat behind me. She’s everything to me, and she’s the most important reason that I feel whole again.
Charisma is the only woman I’ve ever loved, and she’s the only woman who’s ever understood me besides my mama. All the brothers who have an old lady have them riding with them today, and for those who don’t, they have chosen a sweetbutt to ride with.
The sound of the hardcore rap lyrics signals the party just a mile up the road.
I didn’t want to take Charisma with us at first, because I was unsure how she would welcome the atmosphere that we’re going into.
I believe Torch and Ember said something to her, because she was keen on riding out with us.
Even when I asked if she was sure, she became a little defensive and asked if the real problem was that I didn’t want her riding with me.
She went on to tell me that CJ was spending a week with my mother, and she hadn’t gone through all of that for nothing.
Of course that could never be the problem. I’m proud to call her mine, and I’m even more proud that she wears my name on the back of her cut. We pull up into the large park within a few minutes, and Charisma releases me.
“Wow. I didn’t expect it to be this big,” she proclaims, looking around the park at the big turnout.
There are a few hundred bikers here today along with their old ladies and club whores. The atmosphere is festive, with Mak D and Chablis on the stage rapping some duet they’ve created, and Jovi Noelle is singing the hook.
Charisma winds her hips to the beat, and a smile comes on her face. As Torch, Ember, Kyte, and Juicy make their way to her, they start dancing, too, and my baby drops it low. I smack her on the ass and mug the shit out of her because I see quite a few eyes turn in her direction.
“What?” she asks, looking at me like I’m tripping.
“Aye. Watch that shit. You’re not on the Descendents property right now. If a nigga gets disrespectful out here, I swear I’m ’bout to turn loose in this bitch. Trust me, if I turn loose, my brothers will too.”
“Calm down, it’s not that serious,” she counters.
“No, it is,” Juicy argues. “Girl, if he turns up and the rest of the brothers turn up, it will be a whole war out in this park. I’ve been with Lyon long enough to know. I’ve seen a couple of wars and heard about more.”
“She’s right,” Torch adds. “But there’s nothing wrong with having fun. Just make sure that you don’t purposely attract any attention.”
“Yeah, Chaos’s crazy ass doesn’t need a reason to pop off,” Kyte adds.
“As long as you know,” I declare, walking away from them.
“When’s Bell coming back?” I hear Charisma ask.
“Probably when the baby turns one,” Ember replies.
I walk up to my brothers and dap them up.
“You good, man?” Digger asks.
“I will be if Charisma learns how to control them hips and ass. She up here ’bout to get some niggas fucked up,” I comment, looking around at some of the other bikers in the park who are looking in her and the other ladies’ direction.
Digger chuckles. “Yeah. I saw that.”
“Make sure you keep your hotheaded ass out of trouble. You got too much on the line now.” Priest scolds me.
“I know.”
“You ready though?” he asks.
“I am.”
“What does Charisma think about it?”
“I still haven’t told her.”
“Whatcha waiting on?”
“Just wanna surprise her. Let her know I’m serious about this shit and that her and my baby boy mean the world to me.”
“That’s what’s up,” Priest replies, bobbing his head.
“I’m heading over to the other side. The bike event is about to start. Y’all niggas coming or what?” Ox asks.
“Yeah. Let me see if my baby wants to head over too,” I reply.
“Aww, nigga. You just wanna make sure no nigga don’t approach her while you’re gone,” Moon teases.
“Damn straight. Y’all want a nigga to behave, then my baby needs to be right by my side,” I reply, laughing as I turn away from them.
I walk back to where Charisma is standing with the other ladies. “Baby, we’re about to go see the bike show. You wanna go?”
“What’s that?”
“Just a bunch of bikers doing tricks on their bikes.”
“That sounds cool. Yeah, I wanna go.”
I kneel with my back to her, and she climbs on. I hoist her up to my shoulders and hold on to her thighs.
“Just like old times,” she declares, giggling.
“Yup.”
I used to carry her around when we were teenagers this same way all the time. She would climb on my back, and I would hoist her up to my shoulders. It was usually whenever we were at a football or basketball game or a concert.
“Aww,” Torch states.
“Chill that shit out,” I reply over my shoulder as I walk away, moving my hands up to hold hers.
It’s not long before I see my brothers joining us with their old ladies in tow, too, despite the way they teased me before.
“Nigga, you might be inspirational for the rest of the brothers,” Priest teases.
“Whatcha mean?” I ask.
“He means getting them to act right and remember that they have partners who need to be considered. Be a little softer with us,” Ember explains, looking over at me and winking.
“Baby, are you saying I’m not soft with you?” Priest asks.
I laugh and press Charisma’s hand to my lips.
“I want to get down now,” she declares.
I let her down, and she moves in front of me with her back against my chest. I rest my chin on the top of her head, and we lock our arms together. This right here is peace and happiness to me.
“Thank you, baby.”
“For what?”
She pulls away to look up at me. “Bringing me with you today. For a while, I didn’t think you would.”
“Charisma, there’s nothing that I won’t give you if you ask. As long as I can protect you and make you happy, that’s all I want—to give you and CJ the world.”
She nestles back against my chest as the host announces the start of the event. We watch for two hours as several bikers take turns performing tricks on their bikes before voting for the winner begins.
“I’m hungry,” Charisma states after the time to vote has ended.
“Come on, let’s grab you something to eat.”
We head back to the area where the food is set up. They’re serving barbeque and soul food, but there’s a wide variety of food to choose from. Once she has her pulled pork sandwich, potato salad, and some sweet and spicy wings on the side, I get a couple of plates of my own.
“Are you going to really eat all that, baby?” she asks once we’re seated at a picnic table underneath one of the tents.
I glance at my plate of fried chicken, ribs, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, potato salad, yams, deviled eggs, and cornbread. To the side is a plate with a slice of pound cake and a slice of sweet potato pie.
“Yeah. What’s wrong?”
“You’re going to be sleepy before it’s all over and done with.”
I shrug. “We’re out of town for the week; I’ll be fine. It’s not like we’re about to ride six hours back home. Our hotel is only ten minutes away. If I can’t make that, I don’t need to be driving anyway.”
“Okay. As long as you’re not too tired later to do some things.”
I chuckle. “Baby, when have you ever known me to be too tired to fuck?”
She rolls her eyes and replies, “So crass.”
I lean over, grip the back of her neck, and kiss her greasy lips with mine. “But you love it though.”
She smiles back at me and replies, “I do.”
We resume eating, and she speaks again when she’s almost finished eating. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About?”
“Getting your name tatted on me.”
“I thought you once said that was stupid for people to do.”
“That was when I was in middle school. I don’t feel the same way.”
“Oh yeah?”
“No. We’ve been together for almost a lifetime, Chaos. If something does happen, then I’ll just use that name to remember the chaos you reaped in my life.”
I chuckle. “And I’ll use yours to remember the bitterness it brings me every time I consider how I fucked up.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I lose you again, girl, it must be because I fucked up. The first time I lost you, it was because I fucked up. Approaching you that night when everything went to hell and back could have cleared things up, or maybe even a phone call. I was too fucked up in the head over receiving the call from Priest that I had killed the wrong person and too fucked up over seeing you with that nigga to think of anything different. If I’m ever that stupid again, slap the shit out of me.
Because I don’t deserve to have you if I can’t keep simple lines of communication open. ”
She bobs her head. “You won’t lose me, Chaos. I swear that I will never allow that to happen again. Even if I have to go to the ends of the earth this time or send your MC after you, you can’t get rid of me that easily again.”
“Good to know.” I kiss her forehead and settle back into eating as the rest of my brothers come sit at our table with us.