Crazy Butte

16

We sat there, with me in his lap as he cried loudly, for over a half hour. "I'm so sorry shorty! I didn't mean to do that. Not very fuckin manly is it?"

"Love, it's more manly to release the grief, than die of a heart attack by bottling it all up. I will always be here for you. That's what I think love is. Although I never had much of an example until I met your family."

"I love you so much Tara. I feel guilty for loving you when Asher will never have that chance again. He deserved to be happy and have a family. But instead, he's lying there in a casket."

"I like to think that he was happy before he died. He loved you most of all. He loved Vic, Gina, Lana, and Carl. I think that he loved me too. He loved working with you. He loved his bike. He loved life."

"He did! He laughed as he told me about how you got drunk and thought that you were on a boulder floating through the air. I'm sure that he exaggerated a little on how much Jack it took to get you drunk, though. He said that it was like fourteen shots!" He laughed.

"That's what Vic told me it took. It was the day that everything happened with George. I was pretty screwed up. Your mom came in and told Vic to start shoving it down my throat."

"Why didn't you tell me about that? I didn't know that you were hurting so badly. I'm so sorry shorty!"

"I'm good. Wasn't your fault that I'm a product of a sick bastard and his victim. Also a family who didn't want anything to do with me. It just all hit me that day."

"Some times it happens like that. Just know that Asher loved you with his whole heart. Hell we would be looking for him at the compound. He would be here watching you."

"He never talked to me though. He would signal for a beer. Nod at me when he came in or left. That was his way of communication with me." Griffin chuckled. "I'm serious! I didn't even think that he knew my name!"

"Oh he knew everything about you."

"Except Heaven. Nobody knew about her."

"No we didn't know about her. But once he did, he wanted to help you heal from the loss. He ordered the headstone. It will be put in tomorrow."

"That's so sweet of him. I guess that's his last gift to me."

We talked until around two a.m. before falling asleep on an air-mattress that Griff brought out of the office. We had already put his bike into the back hallway.

The next morning we were awakened by Vic and Gina coming in the front door. "Hey guys. Get much sleep?" Gina asked. I looked at my watch and discover that it is eight o'clock.

"A few hours. It was a rough night. But now we need showers and breakfast."

"Alright go shower. We have breakfast coming in half an hour."

"Alright we'll hurry. You ready Griff?"

"Yeah. Lets go."

Within forty-five minutes, we were back at the bar dressed for the funeral. Breakfast was lined up on the bar. We ate and talked, sharing memories. Griffin brought up the question on his mind. "Dad, how many shots did it take to get Tara drunk?"

"That little girl can put away the Jack Daniels! Fourteen shots! That's what it took to get her passed out drunk!"

"Was it watered? I just can't see my sweet little Tara drinking it straight."

"Well she did! I saw it." Gina said. Soon it was time to leave for the cemetery. The funeral home hearse was there and we followed them to the grave site. By nine-forty-five, there were at least a hundred motorcycles parked in the cemetery. The funeral lasted around three hours as people kept standing and sharing memories of Asher. We went back to Vic and Gina's house.
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2 months later**