“Kid, we voted you in as president of a new chapter based in Ortonville,” I added.
Calamity stared for such a long time that I wondered if he’d stroked out on me.
“Calam?”
“Sorry, Prez, I thought you said you wanted me to be president of a new chapter.” Calamity laughed.
“Son, you heard correctly,” I replied, and Calamity stopped laughing and started peering around. “What are you doing?” I demanded, wondering if he’d lost the plot.
“Looking for the cameras. This is a joke, right? It was a good one.” He began to get up out of his chair.
“Sit. Down.” I ordered, and Calamity obeyed. “This isn’t a prank. The meeting was held yesterday. The inner circle voted, and it was unanimous. We were hoping you would open a new chapter in Ortonville. Naturally, RC will be the national chapter, and I’ll be the National President.”
“Nah, you don’t want me! What the hell do I know about leadership?” Calamity shook his head in denial.
“That right there is why. Your humility, respect, honour, and loyalty. Believe me, Calamity, this wasn’t an easy decision to make,” I said.
“See, that’s why…”
“Shut up, kid, and let me finish. This wasn’t simple, you’re the ideal brother, and I want to be a selfish fucker and keep you close. But that’s not fair. You’re the easy choice, but it’s fuckin’ hard letting you go. You’re thirty now, Calamity, and grown into a man I’d stand beside any day of the week. It’s been a long, difficult journey from when you first set foot on Rage, and I couldn’t be prouder of you, not even if you were my son.”
“Drake…” Calamity said in a strangled voice.
“No, listen, Calamity, you walked onto my forecourt and fought for the right to be here. You picked your own name without shame and overcame everything in your path. I failed you terribly when you and Rosie became a couple. You stood tall and risked everything for love. That’s when I knew where you were headed. Calamity, you can’t be president here, and for you not to hold that position is a crime.
“Like it or not, you were born to manage an MC. The values we try to instil in the Hellions, and that we search for in candidates and rarely find, are overflowing in you. Nothing is set in stone, and the future didn’t look great for anyone. You could have run, but you stayed. The injury to your leg would have given you a get-out-of-jail card, but you didn’t use it. Courage,strength, loyalty, consideration, and so many other qualities flow through your veins.
“If I didn’t have Dante or my other sons, you’d be my legacy, no mistake about it. I’m proud to walk beside you. I’m fuckin’ grateful watching you grow into the man you’ve become, and I’m blessed to call you family,” I said and let emotion leak into my voice.
Calamity ducked his head and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Prez, I’d have picked you to be my father if I had been given a choice,” he admitted.
“Take this honour and run with it. Go home and talk to Rosie, see what she says,” I ordered.
Calamity nodded and got up. Just before he opened the door, I called out. “Calamity, consider who you want to take with you. Once we announce this, you can ask them, but we can’t force them to join you. Some may even volunteer.”
“Thank you—for everything,” Calamity whispered and offered a chin jerk before walking out.
I relaxed in my chair. Rage would have its new chapter. Calamity would come through. With a smile, I dragged over the mountain of paperwork involved in setting up a new chapter. This was something I’d never done, so this was a learning curve.
Calamity
I sat on the back steps of my house as one of the dogs came over for a pet.
“Hey, Busker,” I said as the golden retriever nudged at me. Drake’s words kept running through my mind, and two hours later, I was still there when Rosie arrived back from the animal sanctuary.
“You okay?” she asked with concern.
Still bemused and unsure what to say, I shook my head. Rosie sat down beside me and laid her head on my shoulder.
“Where are the kids?”
“With Dad and Penny. Thought I’d let them have the mayhem tonight.” She chuckled.
“Good timing. We’ve got something to talk about.”
Slowly, I began telling Rosie what Drake had offered. I’d been going around in circles ever since this afternoon, waffling about my options. Rosie listened, and she was as stunned as me.
“Dad’s a shit; he never even hinted,” she complained.
