Page 96 of Memphis

“God, ain’t that the truth.” I finished off my beer and stood. “And on that note, I believe it is time for me to head home to my beautiful girl.”

“Smart boy.”

I gave him a side hug as I said, “Thanks for everything, Pop.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” I was about to turn and leave when he asked, “You two coming to the BBQ tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Great, I’ll see you both then.”

“Oh, wait. I meant to ask earlier... What’s the plan with Mom? Any idea when she’ll get here?”

“Supposed to be here by morning.”

“Ah, so she’ll be here for the party?”

“Afraid so.”

“Any idea how long she’ll be here?”

“Got no idea.” He shook his head and sighed. “Gonna need you to pray for me.”

Dad and Mom had spent a lot of time together while I was in the hospital, and while they were still wary of one another, they managed to be cordial. I knew it wasn’t easy for either of them. They shared a lot of hard feelings over how things had played out between them and with me. But time has a way of healing the worst wounds.

But Mom could still be a handful, so I chuckled, “I’ll pray for us both.”

“Good idea.”

I said my goodbyes to Ghost and the rest of the brothers before heading outside to my bike. It was late, and I was eager to get home and crawl into bed with Toni, but I had a stop I needed to make first.

It had been a while since I’d been there. I just hadn’t had it in me to go and see him, but there were things that needed to be said. So, I drove down the dark, curvy road and through the brick gates, and even though it was dark, I knew the way by heart.

I parked, and with a heavy heart, I walked up to the marble headstone. “Hey, Beck. It’s been a while.”

I knelt with a sigh. “You’ve been on my mind a lot today. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what you did, and I gotta tell ya, I didn’t get it for a long time. I thought you’d thrown your life away for no good reason, but then I met Toni, and I finally get it. I would’ve done the same fucking thing if it wasToni, so I’m sorry. I’m sorry for being angry at you for so long. I’m sorry about it all.”

I sat there for a minute, then told him, “She’s really something, man. You’d really like her.”

I told him all about her, and by the time I was done, I was even more eager to get home to see her beautiful face. It had quickly become the best part of my day, so I got back on my bike and drove straight to the house.

When I walked in, I was surprised to find that Toni was still awake and in the kitchen looking through the cabinets. As soon as she saw me coming towards her, she gave me a warm smile. “Hey, you’re home!”

“Yeah, the meet didn’t take as long as I thought.” I walked over and leaned against the counter. “I thought you’d be in bed.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Something on your mind?”

“Not really. I’m just having a hard time winding down, and I’m kind of hungry.”

“I could eat. You wanna order a pizza or something?”

“Pizza would be great.”

“Good deal.” I pulled out my phone, and after I called in our order, I told her, “We’re going to have a gathering at the clubhouse tomorrow. Would you be up for going?”

“Sure. Is there something going on or just a simple gathering?”

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