Page 3 of Red's Peril: Part 1

Truth is, I feel adrift. I have no one to care for now, no reason to get up in the morning. Each day for the last seven years my life has been on repeat, with hardly anything to break the monotony. If I stay here, I will just carry on existing. I want to find out who I am, what I’m capable of, and where my place is in the world. I want to find myself.

Hell, I don’t begrudge the time I spent with my dad, not for one minute. I’d do the same thing all over, even knowing what I was letting myself in for. But freedom is going to take a while to get used to.

I’d always known Dad had dreams to travel, to see different parts of the States, if not the world. It was why he’d encouraged me to become a soldier. I almost feel bound to make his dreams real now. Or at least, do what was robbed from him, to enjoy and experience life.

Manny looks up, catches Harry’s eye, and holds up two fingers, indicating we want more beer. When we’re served, he waits for Harry to regain his place behind the bar.

“I was fooling myself, hoping it wasn’t coming, son. Knew as soon as the funeral was over, you’d get itchy feet. Also knew as well as I do the sun sets in the evening that you wouldn’t be sticking around. Already put feelers out for a mechanic to replace you.”

I’m not surprised. “Found anyone?”

“Maybe. Someone I can call in to give a try.” He sits forward again. “So here’s the thing. You gave me two weeks’ notice, just like you should, but I’m not holding you to that, not if that’s not what you want. You want time to get your head around things, you’re welcome to carry on. But if you want to take advantage that the winter hasn’t really hit yet, then go now. Leave as soon as you’re ready to get on the road.”

“Appreciate that,” I tell him sincerely, casting my eyes back out the window again. “I’ve been hoping to head out before we get the snow. Just didn’t want to leave you in the lurch.”

Manny grins. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll get the jobs done, whether or not you’re here to help us. You wouldn’t be letting us down.”

I take a long swig of my second beer. “You’ve been good to me, Manny.”

“Ain’t a thing, son. You’ve been a fuckin’ good worker. The only thing you’ve never done is have fun. Took a load of responsibility on those young shoulders. Now you’ve got the chance to live for yourself, you should grasp your freedom and hold on to it. Maybe you’ll find a place to call home, get yourself a woman and settle down. Have a few rug rats.”

I grin at him. Yeah, that’s my plan. Let some wildness out of my system, then become a member of society again. Despite my desire for freedom, I’m too sensible to think my carefree days will last long. Eventually, I’ll need to earn money.

Long term? A family of my own is what I aspire to, a job that puts food on the table, and, obviously, the chance to ride my bike whenever I like.

Chapter Two

Saying a final farewell to Manny had been almost worse than watching my dad die. For my parent, it was a welcome release from his suffering, my sadness tinged with relief and the knowledge it was his time. Leaving my benefactor was different, as there was an underlying feeling I was letting him down, even if he denied it. I was also losing an anchor, and conscious of heading out rudderless into the world.

My second thoughts though, didn’t last long. If I’m ever going to find that family of my own that I’m looking for, I have to grow up first, and get some experience of living. Christ, apart from the women customers and the nurse, I barely know how to speak to a female. And certainly know nothing of courting one. Hookups in school had been easy. I was a football jock and picking up girls hadn’t been hard. Somehow, I think things will be different out in the real world.

A world of which I know barely anything.

I grin to myself. I’m not entirely ignorant. One thing’s for sure, if I have kids, I’d never baulk at changing a diaper, or have problems mushing up food.

Maybe it’s not the most rational thing in the world to set off into the unknown with nothing more than I can pack into the saddlebags on my bike, but it’s the start of experiencing things I’ve never had the chance to before. To act without simply reacting.

Standing next to my big two-wheeler, I pat my pockets to make sure I’ve got all I need at hand, and take one last look behind to the house that’s already got a foreclosure sign in the front yard. I’d love to say I’ll recall it with fond memories, but any happy days are so far in my rearview, it’s hard to remember them.

It’s a house of pain, of death, of struggles to survive. The last seven years had wiped out any of the pleasure of those that came before.

Move forward, son, don’t look back.

The air whispers around me, and I hear the echoes of my father’s voice, the one I’ve not heard for seven years. A fist clenches at my heart, knowing I’ll never see him again.I lost him years ago,I remind myself.It seems for almost a quarter of my life I’ve been grieving the man who raised me.

It’s time to move on. Deliberately, I swing my leg over the seat, zip my jacket up tight, pull on my full-face helmet and finally my thick winter gloves. I turn the key, then press start. The engine rumbles to life with a thunderous roar, making the ground tremble under my feet.This is it.The start of my life, a new beginning, my first step on the road to my future.

What will it hold? Where will the road lead me?As the first cold raindrop falls and lands on my nose, making me pull down the visor, I grimace, then grin.Somewhere warmer, I hope.

A lifesaver look behind me to check for traffic, then I pull away from the kerb.

Fuck, but Manny had been good to me, I think as I’m stopped by traffic I can’t pass. While my engine sits idling, I cast my mind back twenty-four hours.

After drinking the second beers, my now ex-boss had told me not to bother returning to work, but to go home and get myself ready for the next chapter of my life. His other instruction was to make sure I swung by at the end of the day to collect my final paycheck. When I’d done so, I’d been astonished when I found he’d given me a hefty bonus. To top that off, my fellow workers had done a collection and had pulled together a nice wad of cash as a going away present. If I’d had to turn away to rub at my eye, it was only because I’d had a speck of dust in it. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

It had made me question why I was so determined to leave all that behind. For a moment, I’d wavered. But interpreting my hesitation, Manny had given me the best gift of all—a security net with his insistence I’d always get a warm welcome, and my old job back, should my plans not work out. When we’d embraced, I knew I’d miss the old fucker more than I’d realised.

Finally clearing the jammed-up traffic, I drive through the streets I’ve known all my life, and with a sigh of relief, reach the city limits. Stopping off only to top off my bike with gas, once back on the pavement, I twist the throttle, determined not to look in my rearview.

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