Chapter 4.
Otto was knelt on the floor of the garage salvaging some of his less damaged tools when Junie shouted in to him from outside.
"Otto, Memphis is here and it looks like Sway's with him!"
His heart rose in his chest and the heavy weight that had been resting in his gut for the past couple of hours disappeared as he clambered to his feet "Thank God." He said to himself as he made his way outside to stand with his wife.
They watched as Eleanor pulled up the drive and Memphis and Sway climbed out.
"You nearly gave us a heart attack girl, don't you ever pull that one again." Otto walked to meet the pair and playfully punched Sway on the shoulder. She grinned but it never quite reached her eyes. She stood next to Junie who placed an arm around the young woman's waist and watched her surveying the ground where the broken remains of her dream had previously been lying.
"We cleared the pieces away." Said Junie softly.
Sway looked up at her and nodded, her blue eyes tarnished with pain. Junie had never really understood the connections that these people had with their cars (or in this case Bikes), but she knew that that bike had meant everything to the young woman standing beside her, and losing it was as if she had lost a child.
The four walked back into the garage together and Sway let out a long whistle as she noticed the carnage around her.
"Whoa, Jesus Otto, that is one hell of a mess!"
"Yep," Otto replied sighing "Tell me about it."
"We need to come up with a bet." Interjected Memphis suddenly "I know this is something that we would rather ignore, but it isn't going to happen. We have to face up to this, this is happening and there is nothing we can do about it." He looked over a Sway who glanced away, "We can't just leave our homes and our lives behind for scum like Johnny, we have to fight for this."
"We know," Said Otto softly, placing a hand on Memphis's shoulder "but we cant do this alone. How much time do we have?"
Memphis looked down at his watch "45 minutes."
"Lets get going on this then." Said Otto forcefully. Sway and Memphis pulled mobile phones out of their pockets and Otto picked up the garage landline. "Time to re-unite the gang." Mumbled Junie quietly to herself as she walked out to make some coffee, leaving behind her the sounds of urgent conversation into three separate phones.
***
As Memphis scanned the room he got a sense of ironic dejavu at the sight before him. Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man and Freb sat lounging on one of Otto's desks and the area surrounding it, unable to hide the curiosity and excitement from their faces. Sphinx lent against a wall in the shadows an enigma as ever. Otto stood besides him deep in his own thoughts and Sway sat in a chair, arms crossed across her chest looking at Memphis tensely.
"Is everyone here," asked Memphis "Where's Toby?"
"Er, I told him not to come unless we need him," answered Kip running a hand through his mussed hair "after what happened last time I thought-"
Memphis nodded and Kip trailed off.
"Right guys I guess you all know what going on here, Johnny B's back in town and he aint happy," Memphis looked around at them all "he wants us all out of long beach."
"And if we don't go?" Asked Tumbler.
Memphis glanced across at Sway who quickly lowered her gaze "You don't want to know." He said keeping his eyes on her.
"So, like, what's all this about a bet then?" Kip raked a hand through his hair again as he spoke.
"Well, Johnny aint too bright," everyone smirked as Memphis said this "and I managed to convince him that this was about pride as well as revenge. If we can come up with a decent bet in," He looked at his watch "10 minutes, he will take it and we got a chance to stay and earn some cash in the process." He took a deep breath "I understand that this is hard for you all, but we need to do this and I need your help."
They all nodded, and agreements of "Sure" were muttered.
"Good, then we need to get thinking, we need to find something that he-" He cut off as Sway pushed back her chair and walked from the garage.
"Sway," He called after her "Keep thinking." He said to the rest of them as he followed his girlfriend out of the door.
***
Sway stood against the garage wall, head back, eyes closed.
"Sway." Memphis prompted softly.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes "I can't do this." She said staring straight ahead.
"You don't have to boost if you don't want to. We need plenty of people behind the scenes as well."
She turned to look at him shaking her head "No Memphis, I can't do this." She gestured around herself "Look at you, you're doing things that you vowed never to do again-"
"I don't have a choice Sway you know that."
"Exactly Memphis. You don't have a choice. Because of me, I'm the reason that all this is happening-"
"Your not the reason, you just happen to be the unlucky one that Johnny picked on."
"Yeah." Sway looked down at her feet and drew a deep breath "I think I should leave Memphis."
"What!" Memphis walked around in front of her and grabbed her arms urgently "You're going nowhere Sway, I need you right now."
She looked him in the eyes "Memphis, if I leave, Johnny holds nothing against you. You can end this stupid bet-"
"Until he picks the next of you for ransom. Kip, Junie, Mom, you, you're all the same to him Sway, a way to get at me." He sighed and kissed her forehead gently "If anyone should leave Sway, it should be me, but I can't." He removed his hand from her arms and rested them against the wall behind her, leaning in to her body.
She looked away for a second unsure and confused as to what she should do, and then when her eyes met his she knew that there was no way she could leave this man. She had fallen in love with him all over again and would do anything she could to help him through this. She nodded and kissed him softly on the lips.
"I know Memphis, I'm sorry."
"I won't let him hurt you Sway," Memphis spoke severely "We are going to do this and we are going to do this together." He pushed back of the wall and held a fist out in front of her at waist level "You with me?"
Sway smiled at his outstretched fist. A gesture to start a handshake they had had along time ago, when they had boosted cars together, as a living. She brought her own fist down on top of his and then did the same to the underside.
"I'm with you." She grinned and grabbed his jacket lapels pulling him in to her and covering his mouth with her own.
They stood together locked in a long embrace, before being interrupted by someone clearing their throat to their left. They quickly pulled apart and Kip grinned at them.
"We're waiting for you guys in there."
"Okay," Said Sway pulling her jacket back onto her shoulders "We're coming now Kip."
Memphis looked at her inquisitively "Are you sure?"
She nodded once and took his hand in hers, walking with him and Kip back into the garage, a plan already formulating in her mind.
*** end chapter 4 ***
Otto was knelt on the floor of the garage salvaging some of his less damaged tools when Junie shouted in to him from outside.
"Otto, Memphis is here and it looks like Sway's with him!"
His heart rose in his chest and the heavy weight that had been resting in his gut for the past couple of hours disappeared as he clambered to his feet "Thank God." He said to himself as he made his way outside to stand with his wife.
They watched as Eleanor pulled up the drive and Memphis and Sway climbed out.
"You nearly gave us a heart attack girl, don't you ever pull that one again." Otto walked to meet the pair and playfully punched Sway on the shoulder. She grinned but it never quite reached her eyes. She stood next to Junie who placed an arm around the young woman's waist and watched her surveying the ground where the broken remains of her dream had previously been lying.
"We cleared the pieces away." Said Junie softly.
Sway looked up at her and nodded, her blue eyes tarnished with pain. Junie had never really understood the connections that these people had with their cars (or in this case Bikes), but she knew that that bike had meant everything to the young woman standing beside her, and losing it was as if she had lost a child.
The four walked back into the garage together and Sway let out a long whistle as she noticed the carnage around her.
"Whoa, Jesus Otto, that is one hell of a mess!"
"Yep," Otto replied sighing "Tell me about it."
"We need to come up with a bet." Interjected Memphis suddenly "I know this is something that we would rather ignore, but it isn't going to happen. We have to face up to this, this is happening and there is nothing we can do about it." He looked over a Sway who glanced away, "We can't just leave our homes and our lives behind for scum like Johnny, we have to fight for this."
"We know," Said Otto softly, placing a hand on Memphis's shoulder "but we cant do this alone. How much time do we have?"
Memphis looked down at his watch "45 minutes."
"Lets get going on this then." Said Otto forcefully. Sway and Memphis pulled mobile phones out of their pockets and Otto picked up the garage landline. "Time to re-unite the gang." Mumbled Junie quietly to herself as she walked out to make some coffee, leaving behind her the sounds of urgent conversation into three separate phones.
***
As Memphis scanned the room he got a sense of ironic dejavu at the sight before him. Kip, Tumbler, Mirror Man and Freb sat lounging on one of Otto's desks and the area surrounding it, unable to hide the curiosity and excitement from their faces. Sphinx lent against a wall in the shadows an enigma as ever. Otto stood besides him deep in his own thoughts and Sway sat in a chair, arms crossed across her chest looking at Memphis tensely.
"Is everyone here," asked Memphis "Where's Toby?"
"Er, I told him not to come unless we need him," answered Kip running a hand through his mussed hair "after what happened last time I thought-"
Memphis nodded and Kip trailed off.
"Right guys I guess you all know what going on here, Johnny B's back in town and he aint happy," Memphis looked around at them all "he wants us all out of long beach."
"And if we don't go?" Asked Tumbler.
Memphis glanced across at Sway who quickly lowered her gaze "You don't want to know." He said keeping his eyes on her.
"So, like, what's all this about a bet then?" Kip raked a hand through his hair again as he spoke.
"Well, Johnny aint too bright," everyone smirked as Memphis said this "and I managed to convince him that this was about pride as well as revenge. If we can come up with a decent bet in," He looked at his watch "10 minutes, he will take it and we got a chance to stay and earn some cash in the process." He took a deep breath "I understand that this is hard for you all, but we need to do this and I need your help."
They all nodded, and agreements of "Sure" were muttered.
"Good, then we need to get thinking, we need to find something that he-" He cut off as Sway pushed back her chair and walked from the garage.
"Sway," He called after her "Keep thinking." He said to the rest of them as he followed his girlfriend out of the door.
***
Sway stood against the garage wall, head back, eyes closed.
"Sway." Memphis prompted softly.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes "I can't do this." She said staring straight ahead.
"You don't have to boost if you don't want to. We need plenty of people behind the scenes as well."
She turned to look at him shaking her head "No Memphis, I can't do this." She gestured around herself "Look at you, you're doing things that you vowed never to do again-"
"I don't have a choice Sway you know that."
"Exactly Memphis. You don't have a choice. Because of me, I'm the reason that all this is happening-"
"Your not the reason, you just happen to be the unlucky one that Johnny picked on."
"Yeah." Sway looked down at her feet and drew a deep breath "I think I should leave Memphis."
"What!" Memphis walked around in front of her and grabbed her arms urgently "You're going nowhere Sway, I need you right now."
She looked him in the eyes "Memphis, if I leave, Johnny holds nothing against you. You can end this stupid bet-"
"Until he picks the next of you for ransom. Kip, Junie, Mom, you, you're all the same to him Sway, a way to get at me." He sighed and kissed her forehead gently "If anyone should leave Sway, it should be me, but I can't." He removed his hand from her arms and rested them against the wall behind her, leaning in to her body.
She looked away for a second unsure and confused as to what she should do, and then when her eyes met his she knew that there was no way she could leave this man. She had fallen in love with him all over again and would do anything she could to help him through this. She nodded and kissed him softly on the lips.
"I know Memphis, I'm sorry."
"I won't let him hurt you Sway," Memphis spoke severely "We are going to do this and we are going to do this together." He pushed back of the wall and held a fist out in front of her at waist level "You with me?"
Sway smiled at his outstretched fist. A gesture to start a handshake they had had along time ago, when they had boosted cars together, as a living. She brought her own fist down on top of his and then did the same to the underside.
"I'm with you." She grinned and grabbed his jacket lapels pulling him in to her and covering his mouth with her own.
They stood together locked in a long embrace, before being interrupted by someone clearing their throat to their left. They quickly pulled apart and Kip grinned at them.
"We're waiting for you guys in there."
"Okay," Said Sway pulling her jacket back onto her shoulders "We're coming now Kip."
Memphis looked at her inquisitively "Are you sure?"
She nodded once and took his hand in hers, walking with him and Kip back into the garage, a plan already formulating in her mind.
*** end chapter 4 ***