GGS: Good Gaelic Souls A Biker Saga (G.G.S) (4 page)

After the ceremony, Samson, who had been most honoured to carry on tradition and fulfill his duty as Sgt. of Arms, removed himself as temporary bartender. He silently passed the pleasure over to Slacker, the only prospect they had at the moment, whose job was to do whatever was asked of him at any given time, under any circumstance.

Slacker, was a 23 yr. old, 5'8 disaster with women. He just didn't know what to say to a female or worse, how to say it. It wasn't unusual to watch him get a good ass chewing or a quick slap in the face several times a week. His long wavy, blonde hair and tattoed forehead, seemed to attract the girls, that is until he opened his mouth. He looked older and harder than he actually was, and his physical strength had yet to be tested. For the most part, he had an even temper. But when the bikers got a little bored, they would start picking on him for cheap fun, and he would explode every time. He knew that he was not in the position to take it any further yet, but he kept hoping that someone would call him out and give him the chance to prove himself. He was liked by all, despite the fact that he pretty much fucked up every task he was given, except for three. He was a great bartender, he rolled a perfect joint, and he truly enjoyed washing and detailing the bikes. All in all, he had potential so they kept him on, patiently schooling him and cutting him as much slack as was permissible. Which of course, is how he earned his a.k.a, 'Slacker'.

As Stax walked over to the bar, Samson moved one stool over to the left, and she sat in the middle of the two men who had been her rock for the last several days. Slacker quickly mixed her drink, and for several moments they sat in silence. Quietly she turned to each and said, "Thank you for being here with me, I'm good now." After assuring them that she was fine, she spoke to both of them. "I'm too awake to go to sleep and I have no desire to sit here and drink, so how about the three of us walk out the door and keep walking, until we hit water?" Samson pushed his empty glass back, stood up and said "I'm in, let's roll." Stax and Strangler finished off their drinks, pushed back their glasses and got up. "Agreed, let's walk it off." Strangler said, and the three of them together, which was the norm, headed out into the brisk morning air.

CHAPTER 3

"Mother Ocean"

Two and a half days later, Stax woke up. Disoriented and groggy, she tried to focus on where she was and how she got there. It was rather dark, but she could tell that she was in a motel room. Her first clue was the two full size beds about three feet apart.  She could smell the salt from the ocean, hear waves breaking and Seagulls crying as they circled the beach in search for their next meal. Still trying to gather her wits, she heard the muffled voices of Strangler and Samson. They were on the other side of the partially open sliding glass door, draped with heavy floral curtains that blocked the sunlight. "Of course." She thought to herself, remembering that they had walked and walked and then walked some more, until she was physically exhausted. Strangler had made a call to Rage and asked him to come pick them up. She did recall Samson helping her into the backseat of the pickup truck, but that was all that she could remember. At least, for that one precious moment that was all she remembered. Her new reality soon came into focus, and she understood why she was there. Strangler had  brought her here.

He knew her so very well. He was aware of what the ocean was to her. It was not just a place on the map, it was a frame of mind. For her, the ocean was both medicinal and spiritual. Maybe it was because she was a Pisces or maybe it was because she was born and raised in Florida, but all of her life she had been drawn to the water. If she couldn't get to the ocean, a lake or a river would do. But for her, the ocean was where she could regain her strength, work out her issues and heal her soul. This is where she came to think, to feel and to heal. She ran to the ocean like other women would run to their mother. 

She told the sea everything, and then she sat quietly and listened, never completely sure if her inner self was working out the issue, or if the sea was somehow bestowing its wisdom on her. Which ever way it worked, she knew this much, she could go to the ocean, spend a few hours in meditation and plan out the next six months of her life. Stax heard the words to her favorite song about the ocean, clearly in her head. It was her personal anthem, and each time she came to the ocean, she would walk out into the water about mid-thigh and stand there and sing to her ocean mother.
As a matter of fact, Samson and Serenity, both of whom were also spiritual beings, picked up the tradition and joined in when they were at the beach together.

Now that her eyes were adjusted to the darkened room, she spotted an empty pizza box, several beer cans and a half empty bottle of Irish whiskey sitting on the table by the window. Suddenly, she was ravenous. She got up and looked around the room. Spotting her clothes, she wondered how they got here overnight as she pulled on a pair of shorts and a bathing suit top that the boy's had laid out for her on the back of the chair. Sliding the glass door open, she stepped out into the patio and was immediately accosted by the bright sunlight. Instinctively, she squinted her eyes and put her hand over her brow as if she was giving a sloppy salute to the sun. As the bright ray's caught the red highlights in her auburn hair, it painted a beautiful picture, instantly bringing a smile to the face's of both men sitting at the table.

"Morning Stax," Samson said, happy to see her up and about. "You know sister, just because I hold the title Sergeant, you don't really have to salute me, right?" He said laughing, adding. "Just a simple 'good morning' will suffice."  Stax smirked and gave him the 'Good Morning Finger', while Strangler sat there intently watching, trying to gauge her mood. She smiled and said, "Morning baby," taking the empty chair between them. "Did you rest well Angel?" Strangler asked her. "I think I did," she said. "The last thing I remember about last night was climbing into Rage's truck. Did I fall asleep in the truck?" Samson and Strangler gave each other a brief look of concern and looked back at her intently.

"Angel," Strangler said softly, taking her hand in his, "You've been sleeping, for over two days." They both watched closely as she digested the information, both looking for anything that might say she was less than up to par. Stax thought about it for a minute, that was scarey. Noticing how closely they were watching her, but knowing that it was out of love and concern, it didn't make her feel uneasy or angry, that they seemed to be handling her with kid gloves. Wanting to put their minds at ease, she responded, "Well, that makes sense. My body must have needed it as much as my mind did. I don't think I even had one dream the whole time I was out." She saw the flash of relief cross both of their handsome faces. "But there is one issue that we have to address right fucking now," she informed them, "I'm absolutely starving!"

In less than ten minutes, they were ready and out the door, walking across the street to her favorite 24 hour breakfast restaurant. It was late enough of the morning that they were quickly seated and handed menus. "I want the breakfast Buffet." said Stax, and the guys quickly agreed that they would have the same. They each ordered coffee and orange juice and before the server walked away, they headed straight for the food bar. Several minutes later, the table was laden with any and everything that the three of them could carry. They had it all. Bacon, eggs, grits, fried potatoes, hashbrowns, pancakes, biscuits, sausage, sausage gravey,waffles, muffins, mushrooms and all kinds of goodies to top it off with.

Everything looked and tasted wonderful. It was a feast for the famished and they ate until they couldn't take in another bite. Afterwards, for the first time in many hard and anguished days, they laughed. They laughed when Stax went to pass the syrup and knocked over the cup of melted cheese for her grits and scrambled eggs. They laughed when Strangler spewed coffee into the air after Samson made a rude joke about the server with the sexy legs and the 'big breastesses' and they laughed even harder when they realized that the server had heard his lewd comments and was giving him the evil eye from behind the counter. Realizing that they were wearing out their welcome, but didn't mind because they were already more than satiated, they paid the bill, left the server a generous tip and walked back out into the hot sun and salty air.

"I need a beach walk, care to join?" Stax questioned. Samson and Strangler nodded in agreement. "Ok. Let's stop by the room so we can change and grab some towels. I'll be getting wet before it's over for sure." said Stax. She knew that although Samson would hit the water with her, Strangler would not. He rarely did. It wasn't that he couldn't swim, he was a good swimmer. He just didn't care for the beach so much. She was a Beach-Brat and he was a Desert-Rat, whose geographical passion was the Grande Canyon, and his personal pleasure was racing stock cars. Stax had never been to Arizona until Strangler took her there, and the very first stop that they had made was to visit the Grande Canyon. He had talked about it like it was the most beautiful, awesome, inspiring place in the whole world and she just didn't get it. That is, until she saw it. "I understand now," she had told him as they looked at the vastness that made you feel as if you were standing on the edge of a colorful painting, "I get it baby, this is your ocean." She whispered.

Together though, they loved custom bikes, classic cars, nearly all genre's of music, casinos, karaoke, big family b.b.q's and a hundred other past-times. So when it came to the water or racing, one enjoyed the fun and the other took joy from watching. Most of the time, Samson and/or Serenity was with them and since they enjoyed both activities, it pretty much worked out for all of them.

After a long hot walk and a quick cool dip, they sat on their towels staring out at the sparkling blue water that was methodically creeping up and creeping back as they soaked in the relaxing sounds and smells. Stax and Samson were enjoying every moment as a light breeze and a strong sun immediately went to work, drying their wet suits and bodies. Strangler, grateful that their ancestral skin type wouldn't allow them too much time in the mid-day sun, tried to be patient, even though he would have liked to head straight back to the room.

Most people who saw them together, thought that they were a family. Well, of course they were family, just not a traditional one. There were no certificates or bloodlines to bind them. They were bound together by love, respect, trust and choice. As far as they were concerned, this was 'True Family'. It was chosen by them and declared daily by their own actions and reactions to each other. This was true for everyone in the club, but especially true for them. Each one was an only child, so their bond was strong and eternal. Slider had been their patriarch and leader, his vision was their vision. Not in the sense that they were blindly led, but in the sense that they all saw life the same way and were agreeable in the way that they wanted to live it. Slider was the factor that brought them all together. 

"Has anyone heard from Serenity yet?" Stax asked anxiously. Both shook their heads slowly, and Samson offered the information that he knew, "Moby has left messages with every number we've ever had, he sent out several emails and even a telegram to the last address we sent money to, but nothing yet."

Stax slowly shook her head, "I don't want to be the one to tell her." She said quietly. Looking out towards the waves, as the sun glimmered its last ray for the day, she added. "I know what Da meant to her, I just don't think that I could take being there when she finds out." Watching the emotions dance across her pretty face, Stangler made a mental note of her last comment. He would make sure that she was not placed in that position.

Serenity was Stax's best female friend ever. There hadn't been an abundance of those through the years, to say the least. Most of them found her to be intimidating or too hard to figure out. Truth was, she didn't put up with bullshit or play adolescent games. Women didn't know how to take her at face value. She was notorious for telling them, "Use the other side of your brain." Especially the ones who pissed and moaned about how they were being treated by others. "If it doesn't make you happy, move the fuck on." She would tell them, and it was inevitable, that the next thing she would hear was, "But I love him" or "But she's my friend" and at this, Stax would chalk them down as weak. She refused to embrace the whole drama business and she knew better than to think that one person had the ability to change another. A person had to want something in their life bad enough to decide for themselves to make a change in order to keep it, and then they had to work hard to make it so. It had to be a personal decision, not an ultimatum or a game. That was a huge waste of time and energy on both sides.

Stax called it like she saw it. Serenity was different from most females, not that she didn't have slight 'Drama Queen' tendencies, but mostly she was just over-animated and a little self focused. Certainly not selfish, she would give away everything she had if you needed it. She simply had a tendancy to put her own personal pleasures first without thinking. She was a good soul, with a generous heart, but she wouldn't put up with other peoples shit. She didn't stay anywhere long enough to be still, or worse, become bored. It was apparent to everyone that knew Serenity, boredom was her Achilles heel.

Like Stax, Serenity was on the short side of the measuring stick. At 5'4 she was always happy to remind Stax that she was taller. She would flip that long dark wavy hair that curled around her butt cheeks, throw her shoulders back, and standing straight as she could back to back with Stax she would giggle, "See, I'm taller than you and always will be." At which point Stax would tell her to "Eat shit and die," ticked-off that this was something that she would never be able to rectify. Serenity had a pair of tits that would turn heads wherever she went, her cleavage would lure the eyes, like a worm baits a fish. She was very pretty with big expressive hazel-brown eyes, and ever so slightly crooked teeth. Which only served to add personality and charm to her smile. She sported wide hips and a nicely rounded ass. Being of both Irish and Scottish decent, she had a quick wit and a quicker temper. Too sweet for words one minute, she could cut you in half with a angry tongue the next.