3
1175 Words
Maranda
At thirty-five years of age, I thought I would have my s**t figured out enough never to have to rely on anyone. I thought I had figured out enough never to have to call my older sister to help save my ass, so my kids and I didn't end up on the streets. But here I was, a grown-ass woman with a ten-year-old and six-year-old moving into my sister's house. I loved my sister, but living with her even for a short time was the last thing I wanted to do. And that mainly lies with the man she chose to continue being married to and living with. I didn't care much for the man. Especially after years of listening to my sister cry over the phone because the guy cheated on her again. Only for her to forgive him, giving him the chance to do it again. It wasn't an example I wanted my son to see and think it was ok. But then again, my sister had raised two incredible young men who seemed to be better examples of the male species. So maybe my son wouldn't pick up on his uncle's bad habits. A mother could only hope. I could only hope that getting to watch his father for ten years, being a good father and husband, was enough.
Well, I should say my children's father had done better at hiding his faults better them my sister's husband. But then again, I still found out about them. Too bad it wasn't while he was still alive. Oh yeah, nothing like barring your husband who you thought loved you and you alone only for his mistress to show up at the funeral. Then have to spend months after his death trying to get his life insurance policy paid out, only to find out he had changed the beneficiary to his slut. Same with all his accounts. Even though I was the mother of his children and wife, it didn't matter. He had made up a will and everything and left everything to her, including my house. Well, his house. He had bought it before the two of us had been married and, in his will, had left it to her. Leaving me with only one option, moving my children away from the only home they ever knew to a new town.
As a school teacher, it didn't take me long to get a job with the elementary school in town. Unfortunately, it was summer break, and I would have to wait until the new school year before I had a steady income. Mandy and Bear didn't seem at all worried or concerned with me being in their home for a few months longer than I hoped to be. I had offered to get a job in the meantime to help out, but Mandy insisted I take time off and spend it with my kids, which is what I did. It was time I didn't realize I needed with them. The three of us needed time to heal and adjust to life without their father. I didn't leave the house unless the two of them were with me. I am sure this is what led to Mandy begging me to get out of the house and have grown-up time. I had spent the last month and a half not doing anything without my kids. And in just a few short weeks, I would be starting a new job and be busy with even more kids, which led to my sister getting me a babysitter and dragging me out with her and Bear to the only bar in town.
Mandy drove the two of us while Bear apparently would meet her there, saying he had something he had to do at the MC clubhouse. I bet he did, but I kept my comments to myself. Mandy seemed fine with accepting his story and getting out of the house. She parked her car, and the two of us got out. The first thing I noticed was the parking lot was full of motorcycles. Standing outside were a few guys smoking, all of them dressed similar to how Bear dressed. As the two of us got closer to the door, one of the guys opened it for us. Mandy got a slight nod when she thanked him, and I got a wink and a large smile. And I am sure a silent promise to be hit on later. But that could have been in my head. He could have just been being nice. Either way, I followed Mandy into the bar, which was filled with more bikers.
After getting our drinks, Mandy walked us over to a group of bikers standing around a pool table. Along with the guys were a hand full of women who Mandy greeted. "Maranda, this here is Jay, Blair, Patty, and Lisa. Girls, this is my younger sister." They all smiled at me, greeting me. "What's going on?" Mandy asked them after the introductions were over. One of the other women, Jay, answered her with a laugh. "Oh, the guys are determined to beat Tiny tonight. So Knuckles, Gunner, Army, Crow, Cookie, And Digits.." As she said the guy's names, she pointed them all out for me, "all bet Tiny a hundred each that they could hit in all the solids before he got all the strips in." Again Jay pointed to which guy she was talking about. Or so I thought. The guy she pointed at was anything but tiny. He was the tallest of the guys there and bulky. With his shirt and cut on, I couldn't really tell if he was just big or if he was muscular, or even a mix of both. To be honest, he wasn't bad looking with his natural tanned skin, short black hair, and dark eyes. Actually, I could say all the guys there weren't that bad looking. But I wouldn't say that out loud. Mainly because, if I was to guess, the ladies Mandy had introduced me to were most likely married to one of the guys in the group. However, I did note that Tiny was among the few guys in the group that didn't have a ring on. That, of course, didn't mean he was single or wasn't married. He could be like Bear and simply refuse to wear a ring to make it easier for him to f**k around. Either way, I was perfectly fine with enjoying some kid-free time with women my own age and watching the guys try and figure out how they were going to win. So far, they hadn't started the game yet as the group that planned to go up against one guy decided the order in which they would go. From what I understood, half of them would go, and then they would let Tiny go before the rest went. And if he hadn't beat them yet, the first group would go again. And they would continue to rotate through like that.
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