Ride Free (9 page)

“It’s been a long time.” He smiled.

If she didn’t already love him, this moment might have sealed the deal. He smiled with his front teeth showing, and her soul warmed. He’d given her something; she suspected he didn’t give many unguarded smiles away and it made her feel special.

“You know, you screamed too.” She ran her hand down his chest. “I don’t know who was louder, me or you.”

“You must have imagined that. I do not scream. Ever. Screaming is for girls, which you did rather well.” He gave her a quick kiss and hopped off the bed.

“I wonder if it will always be like that.” She walked towards the bathroom, but stopped. “Oh jeez, how are we ever going to walk out the door? Everyone will know.”

He pulled on his pants. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

“I’ll run out and get us some food. I’ll also find out if anyone says anything about the noise you made.” He winked.

“Hey! You made noise too, Wildman.” She planted her hands on her hips, and she stuck her chest out.

He raised his eyebrows. His gaze traveled up and down her naked body. “Maybe I should stay here a bit longer.”

She picked up a pillow that fell on the floor during their love fest and hurled it at him. “Go, get us some food so we have the strength to go on. We have the whole night to ourselves.”

He stepped out the door but stuck his head back inside. “I don’t like the name Wildman, either. My name is Reefer!”

Chapter Eleven

Early the next morning, Sarah sat on the edge of the bed combing out her wet hair. She was fully energized, despite making love all night and hardly sleeping. For however much they tried to keep the octave level down, it proved impossible. Around four o’clock in the morning, someone pounded on their door and told them to shut up and call it a night.

She smiled and shook her head. It amused Reefer, and he swore no one would dare say a thing to her today. It surprised her that she really didn’t care that the others heard the love they had for each other.

Reefer stepped out of the bathroom, and she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind. With his long hair slicked back on his head and a few days growth of whiskers on his face, she almost wished they could stay at the motel one more day and continue exploring what turned them on.

“How do you earn money to eat and stay in motels?” She walked over and stood behind the chair he sat in and pulled the brush through his hair.

He shrugged. “Depends. Sometimes I stay somewhere a few days and find work. Other times I hit it lucky in a pool or poker game.”

“What happens if you can’t get money?” She combed his hair down to below his shoulders.

“Summertime is easy, because we usually camp out. Some of the others have family members who welcome us to park and stay on their property.” He let his chin drop to his chest. “We all pool our money together when one of us is having a hard time finding cash.”

She stroked his hair. Her fingers intermingled with the thick strands. A flash of what their babies might look like drew a smile from her lips. Both of them with such thick dark hair, no doubt their children would need haircuts before they reached six months in age.

“I’m not worried. It’s a different way of thinking for me, but I’m game for everything.” She stepped away and tucked the hairbrush in her bag. “Okay, I’m ready. You?”

“Yep.” He picked up both of their bags. “Let’s ride.”

Other members of the family came out of their rooms and joined them on the walk out to the parking lot. Men clapped Reefer on the back and sent winks her way. She ducked her head and groaned.

Two identical women walked toward Sarah. She smiled, looking for something that would help her tell the women apart, but they were the spitting image of each other.

“Hi Sarah, I’m Thelma.” The one on the right held out her hand.

“Hi—”

“I’m Louise.” The other woman grabbed Sarah’s hand.

She raised her eyebrows. “Nice to meet you. I’m Sarah Lightfeather.”

Louise—or was it Thelma—said, “We know. Sunflower told us all about you. We’ll get to know you more when we stop.”

“She’ll need a name, won’t she?” She turned to her twin. “Although, Lightfeather is pretty.”

“We’ll have to discuss it later.” Her twin waved goodbye. “The men are ready to ride.”

The sisters walked away and left Sarah alone with Reefer. She shook her head helplessly.

“How will I ever tell them apart?” She laughed.

Reefer slid his leg over the bike. “Most of us can’t tell them apart. Doesn’t seem to bother them.” He nodded his head over to where the women sat with the men. “Crank and Shadow say that Thelma has a birthmark, but only they know where it is.”

“Crank and Shadow are…?”

Reefer pointed them out. “Don’t ask me which is which.”

“Oh my Lord. You’ll have to fill me on how they all got together.” She fastened her helmet. If she’d thought the women were hard to tell apart, their husbands proved even harder with matching beards and potbellies. What were the odds that one set of twins would claim another set of identicals?

One by one, each motorcycle reared to life and set the small town on its toes. The office personnel came out to wave goodbye, and people along the street stopped to watch the precession.

Sarah held her head high. Not for the others, but for herself. The fact that she rode behind Reefer and her dream came true brought out her pride. She wanted the world to sit up and catch her exit.

Reefer spoke over his shoulder, “We’ll be getting on the highway in a few minutes. Hang on until you get a feel for the road and how the bike moves. If you need me to stop, pat my belly. I won’t be able to hear you going that speed.”

She squeezed his waist. The hum of the seat beneath her grew faster in vibration as the rumble of the engine increased. The wind blasted her face, and she found herself having to breathe through her mouth to get air into her lungs without difficulty.

His hair tickled her face, and she moved her head over to the side. The asphalt blurred underneath the bike, and she lifted her gaze. She closed her eyes. She believed this was the closest thing to riding the wind, her hold on Reefer the anchor she needed to keep from floating away.

They took a beautiful journey through the coastal mountains lined with evergreen trees, wandering creeks, and an occasional deer snacking alongside the road. She’d driven Highway 30 a few times before on shopping trips and to gather with other tribes. This time, however, everything showed up sharper and more grandiose.

Three hours later, they crossed the Freemont Bridge into the city limits of Portland, and she found herself in danger of losing her bladder. She pressed her legs around Reefer and hoped this Margarine woman didn’t live much further away.

Reefer rolled to a stop against a red light. He turned his head. “Doing okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I have to pee.” She bounced on the seat. “How much further?”

“About five minutes.” He pointed up the hill. “She lives up there.”

Sarah knew the area. “But that’s Knob Hill.”

He nodded. “Yep. Welcome to the neighborhood.”

The light turned green, and traffic moved forward. She learned how to balance her weight with the curves and to stay out of Reefer’s blind spots, so he could navigate traffic. And, soon they turned onto the road and climbed the hill to their destination.

Mansions dotted the hillside, each one surrounded with manicured lawns and enough property to allow privacy. She stared at the area around her, surprised that not one person came outside to see what the commotion from all the riders was all about. Maybe this trip happened often and the neighbors had grown used to the noise.

She watched the other forty or so bikers slow down, and in a semblance of order that rivaled any marching band, they parked in the driveway of the biggest house on the whole hill, with Reefer pulling in last.

Without the hullabaloo of the motorcycles, the hum in Sarah’s ears left her in a daze. “I really have to use the restroom.”

“Hey, Thelma!” Reefer winked at Sarah when both women turned. “Take Sarah in to use the restroom, will you?”

Both women headed towards Sarah, their steps in sync. She kissed Reefer and let Thelma and Louise take each of her arms. They guided her around the crowd and through the front door. She almost forgot about having to use the bathroom at the sight of the inside of the house.

“This place grows more glamorous each time we come,” the twin on her left commented.

“I’ve never seen such a place before.” Sarah spotted a statue of a naked woman’s upper body. Around its neck hung a cheesy multicolored strand of beads that appeared to have come from a dollar store. Where the missing head should have been sat a beat up Harley Davidson baseball cap.

“Come on, you two. Now that I’m here I have to use the bathroom too.” The other twin dragged her sister by the arm.

The two women came in to the room with Sarah and busied themselves at the mirror. They fixed their hair and checked each other for unwanted bugs that got trapped in the strands during the ride. Past the point of modesty, Sarah lowered her pants and relieved herself.

“You’ll get used to the vibrations on the bike, and your bladder will get stronger. I think the first week is the toughest. I swear I forced Crank to stop every half hour for a tinkle break back in those days.” The sister who appeared to have a bigger butt volunteered that information.

“Okay, which one are you?” Sarah pulled up her pants.

“I’m Louise.” She smiled. “This one is Thelma. Don’t worry if you don’t figure it out, we answer to both.”

Sarah laughed. “I think I got it figured out. Go ahead. Test me.”

The women turned to each other. Identical amused smiles appeared, and they left the bathroom. They returned, walked around Sarah, and came to a stop with their arms around each other.

“Okay, who’s who?” The smaller butt woman wanted to know.

“You’re Thelma.” Sarah dried her hands on the towel.

The two women shrieked and gathered Sarah in a group hug. She found herself jumping alongside them and laughing. She didn’t understand their excitement, but at least she found something to amuse them.

“You did it!” Thelma kissed each of her cheeks. “No one ever tells us apart.”

“Wait until Crank and Shadow hear about this.” Louise stepped over to use the potty. “I wonder if you can figure out our husbands?”

“I bet she could. She’s physic or something.” Thelma nodded. “That’s it! We can come up with a name for her that’s gypsy-like.”

Sarah laughed. “You two are crazy. With all the different names everyone uses, I’d think my last name, Lightfeather, would fit right in.”

“Lightfeather? I love it!” Louise narrowed her eyes and studied Sarah. “With hair so dark, you resemble a raven’s wing.”