Page 2 of JoyRide

“Happy birthday, son. Might keep you happy for a lot of years.”

I jumped to my feet and ran out the back door. Both dogs barking and running behind me—just because I was running—Max and Sarge wanted to run too.

Down the hall and out the back door. Through the woodshedand outside into the big parking space between the outbuildings and the barn.

Out of breath, I stopped next to it and couldn’t believe my eyes. Did I say I had the best fuckin dad in the entire universe?

I threw my leg over the seat and grabbed onto the bars. Just the Harley smell of it made me dizzy.

The screen door slammed on the woodshed, and I knew everybody had come outside to watch me. I started the engine and just sat there with my hands on the bars listening to the big engine rumble.

“Can I get on?” hollered Tammy.

“Sure. Toss your leg over and get on behind me. Hang on, girl.”

Tammy wrapped her arms around my waist and squealed as I gave the bike some gas and steered it down the laneway towards the road.

Travis and Billy leaned on the woodshed and watched the kids ride off. The rumble faded as they went farther down the highway.

“We got ourselves two good kids, Billy. We fuckin lucked out.”

Billy laughed. “Is two enough, Travis?”

“Yep. I’d say so. Two is just the right number to handle easily. Why? Were you thinking we should go for three?”

“Nope. Two is perfect.”

During the afternoon, we took the horses for a ride to the back of the ranch looking for the wild mustangs that liked to run through our property.

Travis rode Outlaw, a beautiful blue roan. Tammy rode her barrel-racing quarter horse, Bonnie Grace, and I rode Windrider. I loved that horse, and he loved me back.

We were about to turn around and head back to the house when three wild horses ran through our ranch from east to west.Close to the back fence, but not too close.

Their manes and tails blowing in the wind, symbols of their freedom, they were a beautiful sight to see. Every time we saw them on our ranch, Travis marked it on the calendar in the kitchen. Just something my dad did.

When we got back to the barn, Tammy and I cooled the horses out and put them into the corral. They needed a lot of water after a big ride. Horses got thirsty, just like people.

After the horses were set and munching on a slab of hay, Tammy and I sat on a bale of straw with the barn door open and just vegged.

“Good birthday, Harlan?” She slipped her arm around my waist and hugged me close to her. Kind of a sister hug, but she was fully capable of other moves from time to time that I had to watch out for.

“Best birthday ever, Tam. Are you cooking me a birthday dinner tonight?”

“Nope. Somebody else is doing the cooking.”

“Who?”

She giggled. “Can’t say.”

I laughed at her. She wasn’t the best at keeping secrets. “You could say if you wanted to.”

“But I ain’t gonna say it. It’s a surprise.”

“I can wait for it. Nothing else I need after Travis getting me a goddamned big Harley. What could be better?”

“If you had one other birthday wish, what would it be?”

“Umm…guess it would have to be spending my birthday with my brother Virge. His birthday is today too, and I haven’t seen him since he was four years old. He’d be sixteen today.”

---