Page 39 of Nobody's Ol Lady (Nefarious MC)

She walked over and kissed his cheek as she whispered, “Watch out for her, she is just like Roberta, I’ll be back as fast as I can.” She ran to the bathroom and jumped into the shower letting the hot water pound some of her hangover away. She soaped her body and shampooed and conditioned her hair before quickly rinsing off. The water was certainly helping her headache.

Mrs. Reed watched Black Dog as he sliced the peaches and decided to talk to him. Teddy had not come up and she wanted to know about this man that seemed to have changed her youngest daughter’s life so drastically.

“Do you have another name besides Black Dog? I feel very uncomfortable calling you by that name. I am sure you have a given name I can use, the one your parent’s gave you?”

“I do and it is Dylan, or you can call me BD like Willie does but not in public. My given name is Dylan Blackwell. I’ll call you mom or do you want me to call you another name?” Black Dog was turning his charm on.

“My daughters call me ‘Mother’ usually but I think you should call me ‘Mom.’ I can imagine you’d be thinking ‘fucker’ each time you said ‘Mother.’ My name is Donna and I don’t like the Donna Reed jokes. I need some plates for these bagels, and where is my daughter Theodora?

“I spent the night in the hospital with my oldest daughter, Roberta. It was a terrible night, that biker Wolf insisting that he didn’t beat up my daughter, and this morning she confirmed his story. He didn’t get out of jail yet thankfully, he has fines to pay. Dylan, can you help me get Roberta away from that man? Roberta is not thinking with a clear head.” She took the mug of coffee carefully from Black Dog and stirred in the sugar and cream he had placed on the table.

Teddy stood on the stairs listening to her mother talk to Black Dog and was in shock that her mother was using the fuck word and talking to him at all. She cracked the door open a bit more and caught Willie peeking from the hallway.

“Teddy, really, at your age youstillhave thatrudehabit of eavesdropping. I know you’re by the door so you may as well come and eat a bagel. If Willie would hurry up, we could all sit down and talk like normal people.” Donna knew her daughters well.

Black Dog laughed out loud as Teddy came into the kitchen and gave her mother a guilty look.

“Good morning mother and thank you for bringing the bagels. How is Roberta?” Teddy wasn’t going to beat around the bush, she was going to get right to the point and she had the folder marked Wilhelmina in her hands.

“Teddy, why do you have that folder? Your father has been acting like a madman since his filing cabinet disappeared. He is barely home and when he is all he does is yell at me and argue.” Donna looked at Teddy not yet understanding where the file cabinet had gone.

Willie walked into the kitchen and got a mug of coffee and sat next to Black Dog. She watched him slice bagels for all of them and wished again she hadn’t drank so much the night before.

“Mother, we need to have a serious conversation here and get right to the point. Willie has been treated like shit for years and Roberta is a lying conniving bitch. Daddy is a cheating bastard and I’m sure you’re well aware of the affair he’s had for the most of your marriage.” Teddy spoke bluntly.

Donna Reed closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her daughters looked at each other in shock; by the look on their mother’s face she was clueless or seemed to be.

Willie spoke next, “Mother, we don’t mean to hurt you but daddy has been having an affair for over twenty-four years and it is hard to believe you don’t know about it. The whole damn town knows Althea is his daughter by Laura!”

Opening her eyes Donna looked at her daughters. “I knew he cheated on and off during our marriage but I never knew about Althea. It makes sense; she does look like quite a bit like Willie. However she was always a rotten, spiteful child and I hated her. I never understood why Roberta was always so friendly with her. How did you find out about it? Don’t tell me your father has a file on her too?” Her hand went up to her forehead.

Black Dog decided it was time to lay it all out for Donna Reed. “There are files on many people in that cabinet. Willie never had a baby either but Althea did and used Willie’s identification. Your husband knew that and turned a blind eye to it seems. Now that child happens to be my daughter from what the birth certificate says.

“You have a choice to make here, stick by your husband or help clear up this mess he’s made. Think very carefully, because some of the things that have been done to Willie and to me are very illegal. You may think I’m a biker and I break the law but I’m a smart biker and I have a lawyer on his way over here right now as we’re clearing the air so to speak. I use the law whenever I can. I love my country, guns and all that shit. And I’m not about to let any child of mine be taken from me without knowing if she is mine or not. Now would be the time to speak up if you’re aware of Althea’s baby.”

Donna looked at all of them in horror. “No, I am not! I was so angry when Roberta gave her son up. Then, when my husband told me Willie had given her child up for adoption, I was heartbroken. I tried to reason with Roberta but Willie was away at school and my husband and Roberta wouldn’t let me talk about it to her. They said Willie was doing the right thing and I finally gave up trying to understand any of my daughters!”

She glared at Teddy. “Roberta is in a hospital bed with a concussion, broken ribs and God knows what else. Beaten up supposedly by burglars, which I do not believe for one minute! Willie is living in sin and you, Teddy; I don’t even know where you live!”

“I don’t want you snooping in my life, mother. I’m the middle child and middle children are different. Since we’re clearing the air, I’ll tell you about myself, but you aren’t going to like it. I am a dancer; I take fashion design courses because I wanted to design clothes.

“Daddy said that was frivolous and refused to pay for college for me. Do you recall that? I design costumes for dancers and I sew them too. I make good money at it but I’d like to do more with my life. I don’t have any babies and I don’t have a steady boyfriend. In fact I think I’m your most normal daughter although some would say otherwise!” She looked at Black Dog and Willie with a grin.

“Teddy, I know you have your issues and have every right to have them but I’d like to find out where this child is and to clear my name. I paid for college with scholarships and a loan. Roberta was the only one daddy put through college.” Willie wasn’t happy the subject was turning toward Teddy’s issues.

“I know Willie, I’m sorry but she did ask so I told her”, replied Teddy

Black Dog’s fist crashed on the table. “Enough! I think we all agree Willie didn’t have a baby and that your husband is a scumbag. Now that you know Althea is your husband’s child, what do you plan to do?”

Donna looked blankly at all of them. “I don’t know what to do. All I ever wanted was to raise my daughters and be a good wife and I’ve failed miserably at all of it. What am I supposed to do now?”

Willie took pity on her mother. “I think a divorce and a new life with a decent man would be a good idea. I don’t want daddy in my life at all! He isn’t a nice person and Roberta is just like him. You need a lawyer, mother and we’ll help you if you want to make a fresh start.”

Teddy shook her head, “She won’t leave him Willie, and she will kiss Roberta’s fucking ass until the day she dies. There is no hope for her. Mother, you’d better keep your mouth shut about what was said at this table. The police are going to be very interested in what I found in that filing cabinet. Unless we, meaning Willie and I sell the contents to the highest bidder and I like that idea.

“Your husband continues to blackmail people in our town. He supports Laura and even bought her a house. I don’t intend to ever speak to daddy again. You’re going to lose your two daughters and everyone is laughing behind your back, I bet. You don’t deserve it because you’ve always tried to be a good person.

“I wish you’d listen to Willie and move from this damn town. Roberta owes that motorcycle club money for drugs. That’s why she is with that Wolf. Nothing good will come of that either. At least Black Dog is a decent man. I’ve had my say so now it is up to you to do what you want with everything we’ve told you.”

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