“Well, I figure it’ll give us some father-son bonding time. Isn’t that the sort of thing people on those fucking talk shows you always watch ramble on and on about?”
I couldn’t tell if the squabbling between Sable and Joker was typical or the result of tension because I’d showed up, but it made me uncomfortable. I’d had friends who seemed to thrive on arguments, but I’d never been that type.
“So tell me about you,” I said to Joker, hoping to change the subject.
“Not much to know. Ain’t really working right now, and your mom and I are having some money troubles, but I’m sure we’ll find a way to get through it. We always do.”
Sable spoke up again. “Maybe you could take this chance to get a real, legit job, rather than always looking for a way to make a fast buck.”
Clearly, this wasn’t the first time the topic of work had come up between them.
Joker stood up and emptied his beer. “I haven’t heard you complaining for all these years that you’ve lived in this big house. Like you could afford it with your ‘real job.’”
I wasn’t about to get in the middle of this argument. I stood up with Joker. “Can I take a look at your bike?”
“See,” Joker said to Sable with a bit of a sneer. “Like father, like son.”
I wasn’t sure about all of the father-son buddy-buddy bullshit, but I knew that I wanted to defuse the situation and end the argument. I followed Joker out to the garage and nodded and smiled as he pointed out the bazillion differences among the three bikes he kept there. He kept up a pretty steady drinking pace, emptying beer bottles within minutes after opening them, and I was glad when he opened the garage door, as the smoke in the garage was making my eyes water.
My general impression was that Joker and I had absolutely nothing in common. When he suggested that we go to his club so that I could meet his brothers, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go or not, but since it seemed so important to him, I agreed. He went back inside to get his cut, and as he put it on, he explained its significance to me.
“Luke, your cut is … well, it’s almost like a wedding ring, except it’s harder to leave an MC than your wife. You wear it to show the world that you’re part of a brotherhood and that you’d die, or kill, for your brothers. The Savage Sons are a way of life.”
I wasn’t sure exactly what to say. I’d never really been much of a joiner. I hadn’t been in a fraternity in college, and I just didn’t really get the point of grown men wearing matching clothes. I wasn’t about to say that to Joker, though.
“Sounds intense,” I said.
“You’ll understand when you meet the guys and when you get on a bike for the first time. Trust me.”
“Is Sable going to come to the club?” I asked.
“I’ll ask her, but she doesn’t hang out there much anymore.”
Joker went inside, and I realized that I should probably offer to drive, since Joker had consumed roughly half a dozen beers. I opened the door from the garage to the house and heard Sable yelling at Joker.
“You’re like an overgrown child, you stupid fuck. You think taking him to your stupid fuckin’ club is going to fast forward through thirty years of his life, and you’re gonna be best friends? I give up. You’re hopeless.”
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, woman. You don’t get to order me around. If you hadn’t lied to me for all these years, I wouldn’t have to make up for lost time.”
“Joker, you can be mad at me, but why can’t you just sit down and talk to Luke instead of going to the clubhouse and spending money we don’t have on drinks you don’t need?”
I knew that I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Always with the fuckin’ money,” Joker growled, sounding furious. “I’ve told you I’m working on something. We had to get out of the business after Moses ended up with a dead DEA agent in his house. You know that. What the fuck do you want me to do?”
“Maybe, after all these years, I want you to finally grow the fuck up.” Sable stormed out of the room toward the garage and saw me standing with one foot inside the house.
I hoped she’d think I’d just taken a step in. “I’m sorry. I was just coming in to offer to drive since Joker’s been drinking.”
“I’m sorry you had to hear all this. We’re having some money troubles, and it just makes things tense around here.”
I thought about the money that my parents had left me — more money than I’d ever really need — but I didn’t think that my giving Sable and Joker a check was going to solve all of their problems. And I barely even knew these people! They could be con artists, for all I knew.