The lack of windows down here doesn’t give me any information on what time it may be. I figure we slept at least half of the day.
“I’m about to get up. I need to go upstairs and see what’s been planned. Church will be called as soon as possible, and I’ll probably be in there for a while. Are you good down here? You and Mindy?” I ask, pressing my lips to her forehead and resting them there.
“We should be great, baby. Well, we may need some food. Scratch that. Mindy isdefinitelygoing to need something to eat,” she says, matter of factly.
“Let’s check and see if there’s anything going on upstairs first. They might have something good cooking,” I tell her, slipping out from under her. She sticks her lip out in a pout as I remove our bag from underneath the bunk and rustle around until I find a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve Hounds shirt.
I got this shirt from this charter years ago. We don’t make them back home because we get two days of winter and no one buys a long-sleeved shirt down there. I set Lilly’s bag near her feet so she can rummage through it and get dressed. She sits up and wipes her eyes then puts on a pair of blue jeans and one of the sweaters she packed. It’s a light, mint green and the color compliments her skin tone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear that color before.
“Come on,” I say, taking her by the hand and leading her upstairs.
The clubhouse smells of stale cigarettes, but something is certainly cooking up here and it ain’t meth. It smells delicious. My mouth waters and my stomach growls at the smell of food. There are a few members hanging out at the bar and I spot Aaron behind the bar with one of the OKC prospects, serving drinks and plates of food.
My nose did not deceive me. They rolled out the red carpet for us. Steaks and baked potatoes are being served and I cannot wait to devour one of them. I’m starving. I’m exhausted. This trip took a lot out of me, both physically and mentally. And we’re just getting started. The bar is mostly full of members, so I lead Lilly to one of the tables.
“I’ll grab us a plate and something to drink. What do you want to drink?” I ask.
“I‘ll just take a Dr. Pepper,” she says, wiping her eyes.
I kiss her hand before I walk away to order drinks and two plates of food. Aaron is busy so I talk to the other prospect. He introduces himself as Druse, and I shake his hand. He hands me our drinks and then tells me he’ll bring the plates of food out when they’re ready.
I sit Lilly’s drink down in front of her and sit down in the barstool beside her. The tables are high, like the bar, and the bottom of the table is an eighteen-wheeler rim. Clever.
Lilly takes a sip and hums her approval.
“Is that what you needed in your life?” I ask, amused.
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes. So much.”
It only takes a few minutes before our steaks are sitting in front of us. Lilly digs in immediately, slathering her potato with butter and cheese. I gobble down my steak before Lilly’s finished even half of hers. I wipe my mouth with one of the bar napkins sitting on our table and toss it onto my empty plate. Lilly shoves another bite of baked potato in her mouth and stares at me, wide-eyed.
“Were you hungry, my love?” She asks.
I nod and smile at her, patting my stomach. “I was. Now I’ve got a full belly and ready to take on the world.”
I leave her sitting at the table and head over to talk to one of the members sitting at the bar. I haven’t seen him in ages,and the last time I did see him, he had just patched in after our national meeting.
Junk has always been around the club. Brock is his uncle; he was Aunt Cora’s sister’s kid. Uncle Brock and Aunt Cora always did try for a baby, but they weren’t successful. The doctors said that she had a condition that prevented her from conceiving. She never let it dull her shine though. She made my childhood something special, too.
“Hey, man. That patch looks good on you,” I say in greeting.
He laughs and shakes my hand. “Thank you. I worked hard for it.”
“I know that’s right. Clayton and Brock don’t give anything away for free up here.”
He gives me a knowing look and nods in agreement.
“Any news on church?” I ask.
“Yeah. In about an hour, we’re going to go into the chapel.”
I nod. “Sounds good. I’ll send my girl back down to the bunk room.”
“Nah, man. She can stay up here. The other ol’ ladies will be hanging here, too. Or they’ll go venture out and find something to do. It depends on how bored they get,” he says with a shrug of his shoulders.
I send Lilly down to get Mindy, and I search the bar for Linc. He’s sitting beside Scott and they’re deep in conversation when I walk up.
“Church in about an hour,” I tell them.
