Gonna Ride Again

Coming Home

  The bus pulls up my driveway and I grab my bag and walk off to Mama standing on my front porch. That woman puts a smile on my face no matter how bad I feel. As I start up the steps she pulls me into a hug and I do something that I haven't done in quite some time and I let the tears fall.

"Brantley I am sorry for your loss son. I know Casey meant a lot to you, what do you need me to do?"
"I don't know right now Mama. I have to get to the clubhouse and find out what is going on. I will let you know when I find out something."
"Son have they told you how Sissie is handling it? "
"Unless one of them decided to go tell her they were waiting on me to get home. Deke thinks I need to be the one to go tell her and I told him he was crazy cause she hated me and we haven't spoken in 11 years. But I know that if they haven't I will go and hope that she doesn't shoot me on sight."
"Son, she is gonna need you whether she admits it or not and you need her. I hate it has taken this but maybe something good will come out of it. You loved her and she loved you and yeah you were both young and stupid and said things that hurt each other but I raised you to do the right thing and I know you will. I love you and I will be home if you need me."

"Thanks Mama but that was a long time ago and we both have moved on with our lives so just put those crazy ideas out of your head of this bringing us back together. I will go tell her if I have to and I will help her navigate the next few days and then we will go back to being strangers again."

Mama looks at me and shakes her head and goes to her car and drives away. I take my stuff in and grab a shower. I get dressed and go out and get my helmet on and climb on my bike. I pull out and head toward Jefferson letting the ride relax me and memories of all the times I spent in the last 14 years with Casey.

I pull into the MC parking lot and see that everyone is here already. I hope someone has been to tell Sissie. I get off and head into the clubhouse and as soon as I enter I hear my name being called and see Deke headed my way. I hug him and he pulls me to the table with Preacher, Snake and Grizzly. We sit down and Deke looks at me and said," We have the high school that Sissie teaches at and think that you need to head over to Atlanta to let her know. They are doing an autopsy because he died and didn't have any medical problems. They should release him to the funeral home tomorrow. Casey had his funeral and everything all planned out and paid for when what he saw what Lucy and Jake went through to bury their Pop. Said he never wanted Sissie to have to go through any of that went the next week and fixed it all. So BG we need you to go tell her since she cut ties with all of us. We all figure it will come better from you."

"Want to tell me how the hell yall think it will come better from me? I mean did y'all forget that she told me she wished I had died in the wreck on 129 or that I ruined her life and if she never saw me again it would be to soon? Does any of that ring a bell or did I just imagine her taking a crowbar to my bike that day and taking a swing at my head with it? What part of that makes it come from me better?" I ask them.
Preacher looks at me and said," Son you know Sissie said all that but she didn't mean it you had broken her heart cause she thought you had been sneaking around with that Jones girl and you were drinking even though you promised her you would stop and I'm sure now that time has passed she feels differently."

"Besides BG you are the one who knows her the best and could always handle her and pretty sure that hasn't changed. I mean you are this country superstar now and have your pick of women so we all figured that you would be the best cause she cut off with us because she blamed us for your drinking and drug problem. Told us all that if we hadn't let you in the club she wouldn't have to be scraping you up off the pavement. She cut all contact with Casey for a year but he always went and visited her in Athens and paid for her education and she came around but she hasn't been in the clubhouse since that night. He always visited her. BG she is gonna need support and you are the best one."

"Okay give me the name of the school and I will head out right now but I am telling your asses right now if she makes a scratch on my bike I will take it out in payment in your hide. " I tell them as I get up knowing that this is gonna be so damn hard. Last time I saw Sissie, she was 19 and the girl I had loved since I first laid eyes on her at 16. Only that night I was so fucked up I didn't know that another girl had come into my room at the clubhouse and stripped , crawled into bed with me and took pictures sending them to her. That was the last straw for her, the wreck on 129 and then that night. She left and went to college and as far as I knew never looked back.