Update straight from my new tablet, yo! So as usual, I don't own the SOA characters, Kurt Sutter owns that. I own my own characters only, Esther, Everett and Jack, Sailor and Madison. Silk, even if only briefly mentioned.
Happy reading!
Seventy two hours they held him, as much as they possibly could, but they had nothing on him. Shit was serious now, however, there would be a cop sitting on Esther's house permanently, so he couldn't just pop by anymore. And he would have to get himself a new burner, and get rid of this one, the cops had access to it. For three whole days.
His bike had been impounded, that was a given. On his phone, a whole ton of missed calls. Jax, Tig, Chibs, and some unknown numbers, all from public payphones in the LA area. He kept the prepaid as his phone for now, he had no secret business to attend to, right now. Just get his bike from impound, buy a new prepaid, maybe go see Sailor before leaving LA.
He was waiting in line to get his bike from the impound when his phone rang, again a payphone from the LA area, he picked it up, out of curiosity as to who it was.
-Yeah?
A long silence, he almost hung up. What bullshit was that?
"Happy Lowman?"
-Who's this?
"Meet at Gramercy Market Place at noon."
-Who's this?
It hangs up, the voice was juvenile, but not that of a kid. He was curious as to what this was about, and noon was an hour and some away. So he checked out his bike, tossed the burner after deleting all of the numbers and texts and headed that way. Bought a new phone on the way, he got to Gardena at ten past noon. Gramercy Market place was a little market not too far from a school, there was a payphone in front of it. No one outside.
Inside, a mean old lady behind the counter telling him as he barely walked in to buy or bounce, the store was empty. What a waste of his time.
He was about to straddle his bike when the payphone rang, he hopped over to answer it.
-Yeah, I'm here.
"Happy? It's Everett."
He had a pause, looked around, he could not see her anywhere. It felt all sorts of wrong.
-Yeah, it's me, baby. What's going on?
"Can you meet me at the 7/11 on Van Ness?"
-Is that far from here?
"Two streets over, west of the Gramercy."
-I'll be there in a minute, baby. Don't you move from there, ok?
Partly because he didn't want to play this game all day, partly because she was eight, and a 7-11 parking lot was no place for a kid.
She was sitting on a newspaper dispenser, drinking a slushie when he got over, he pulled in the parking lot, killed his bike and took his helmet off, she didn't move form the shady spot she had picked for herself.
-How did you get my number?
-I swiped your phone, when I showed you my leprechaun, on Friday.
-You know that put me in a lot of trouble, right? Hiding it in your mom's bed?
-Jack is gone.
-You mean your dad?
He got cold sweats from having to say these words, his arms were tingling, and he felt the tip of his fingers getting numb. She had a smile, pulling on the straw of her slushie, she had picked a red one.
-She has your name tattooed on her arm. When I was five and I could read, I asked her why it said Happy. She said it was someone from her past, and he was dead.
-I wasn't dead. I was in jail.
-Why were you in jail?
-I hurt people. Men.
-Mommy hurts people, too. She never went to jail for it.
-You mom messes with people's sanity. You can't go to jail for that.
-Are you insane?
-No, baby, just messed up.
She has a pout that make Happy smile, even more when she nods understandingly, or like she was agreeing that being around Esther was bad for one's mental health. She's wearing a white and pink and golden striped shirt, long sleeves, and some grey slacks, purple sneakers. Her hair is braided again, but just one braid hanging at the back. And she's staring at him intensely, she looks like she wants to be in control of the conversation. But she's waiting for him to engage the next part.
-Why is Jack gone?
-You know, I saw a movie once. The wife wants to leave her husband, but if she leaves, she's not getting any money. So she made it look like her husband was cheating on her. So she got everything instead of half.
-Is that what you did to your mom?
-I heard mom and aunt Kary talk a lot.
Another sip, anything "aunt" Kary ever said about him could never be good, she never liked him in the first place. It takes everything in him not to laugh, Everett would probably feel insulted if he did.
-About what?
-Getting rid of something that was bothering them. What's C4?
-It's a plastic. Catches on fire very well, they use that to make explosion in movies.
Or blow up ex boyfriends. Depending on your immediate needs. He's sitting in the sun, but he's feeling so cold from having this conversation with his daughter.
-What's the truth, Happy?
-I just told you the truth.
-Jack found your phone. He started yelling at mom that her and you were getting back together, because you came around a lot. He packed up and left. She's been crying.
-Well, she loves him?
-She doesn't love anyone but me. She wasn't crying because Jack left. She always says no to him about anything. She doesn't love him, I'm sure. I can hear them.
-What do you mean?
-Jack tells her he loves her all the time. She never once said it back, not even when I was younger. I don't think Jack is my real father.
-What would make you think that?
-Things mom says all the time. About my last name. She has two stories about how they met. One for me, and one for adults she speaks to. How long have you known my mother?
Holy shit, he didn't knew much about kids, the ones he knew, Opie and Jax's kids were way too young, when they got in jail. Abel was two, Kenny and Ellie a bit older, but not by that much, Kenny had to be eight, but Kenny was a quiet kid, still was. He rubs his stubbly chin, before deciding to never lie to that kid sitting in front of him. Because he could hear the undertones of what she was saying right now. She said "things mom says all the time", she meant "mom lies to me". And he didn't want to lose his daughter before even getting her.
-I've known her since she was seventeen years old.
-How long ago was that? I'm not really good at maths.
-Fifteen years.
-So maybe you can help me figure out my name.
-Everett?
-Everett Stars L. Kerns.
Holy shit, really? He can't help his physical reaction, brushes his hands across his head, before exhaling. It's all right there. His throat starts to tickle, he coughs a few time to try and make it pass, her eyebrow rose from his reaction.
-Can I have a sip of that?
-Do you have cooties?
-No.
She hops off the newspaper dispenser, gives him her slushie, he has a long sip, it feels good. He gives it back, someone walks out of the store as he gives it back, Everett leans back against the dispenser, wiping the top of the straw.
-Everett is a place near Tacoma. That's in Washington State. Stars is her favorite song, from Simply Red. L is for... Lowman. And Kerns is her last name.
-Why Everett?
-That's where I was born. And grew up.
-How long were you with my mom?
-Six years. Until I was arrested and incarcerated.
-Was I already in her stomach?
-Yeah.
-Who's lying to me, Happy? I want to know that. She says Jack is my dad, but he can't even pick me up from school, he's not on the list.
He can't reply "I'm not lying to you" without the huge implication that Esther is nothing but a lying whore. He scratches his shin through his jean, he's so cold. It's so stressful, having a kid with a sociopath. He ends up pulling his phone from his pocket, flips it open, and put a few number in there. His mother, Chibs, Silk and Gemma, he closes the lid, and hands it to her. She takes it warily, flips it open, closes it right away.
-You remember the guy that was with me at your soccer practice? Chibs?
-Yeah.
-I put his number in there. I put my best friend in the world's number, her name is Silk. And I put your two nana's phone numbers. Marjorie is my mom, and Gemma is just like a mother to me and my brothers. You want some truth, you call any of them.
Her eyes go from him to the phone, he pulls back, arms crossed on his helmet on the gas tank.
-You can keep it, and call them any time you want. Even in the middle of the night.
She flips it open, plays with it for a second, before pulling it to her ear. Waits a few moments, probably until it answers.
-Hi, this is Everett Kerns. Who is my father?
She was looking at the wheel of his bike since she put the phone to her ear, when she gets her answer, her glance hardens, and she lifts her eyes to look at him in the face.
-Are you sure? Ok. Thanks.
He swallows the lump in his throat as she hangs up, closes the flip, still not taking her eyes from him. Esther had the same kind of intensity.
-Why?
-I got a ton of answers for that, you'll have to be more precise.
-Why did she lie?
-Because you were not planned. We never planned on having you, ever. Your mom didn't want kids, and I didn't want kids with your mom. You happened anyways. And my life ain't good to have a kid in it. I guess she was just trying to protect you from my life.
-Did you know I existed?
-I did. I never knew if you were a boy or a girl, or where you were until I got out of jail. I've been fighting your mom to be able to be in your life since I got out.
-Are you and mom going to get back together?
-Me and your mom together, baby, it was never good. We mix about as well as matches and gasoline. We probably would have lost you to Child Services before you'd turn two.
-We're going to have to leave Jack's house. That's what mom said this morning. That we'd have to move where no one would find us.
No! He sure as hell doesn't want to lose his daughter now! Just the thought of it makes him ill.
-I don't want to live alone with her.
-Why not?
-Whenever Jack leaves town for a week, she becomes... She always on me, I can't even go to the bathroom without her checking on me.
-Overbearing?
-I want to live with you.
Ok. He needs a drink. He pulls himself up, walks into the 7-11, walks to the back, pulls a 40 from the shelf and down half of it on the spot, what the fuck can he answer to something like that? He wipes his face tiredly before heading for the cash, pays for it but leaves it there, Everett is in the door, looking anguished, like he's going to say no.
He's been dreaming of this moment, but it never happened this way. And he knows damn well Esther's never gonna let Everett go with him easily.
It's pulling a twenty dollar bill from his wallet that he sees the card Sailor's ex gave him, for that hot shot lawyer that worked miracles. Esther is going to murder him.
He pulls it out of his wallet, and walks out of the store handing it to his daughter.
-Put the number in your phone. A friend of mine gave me that number. It's a really good lawyer. You call her, and I'm gonna pay her. Don't let your mom catch you with this phone. I'm gonna call her ahead, figure out how much she costs, and you call her. ok? She'll figure everything out.
-Ok.
-Pf, your mother's gonna kill me. She's probably already pretty mad that my phone ended up in her bed.
-I have to get back to school.
-You need to reach me, for anything, you call Chibs. We're together a lot.
-Ok.
He sits against his bike, the lawyer's card in his hand, and he watches her walk away, holy hell, that kid was too smart for her own good. What in the hell was he going to do with all of that?
Gemma was waiting for him when he arrived at TM, and he was convinced she would hurl at shoe at his head for disappearing for four whole days. He tried to ninja his way into the office to clock, but it wasn't very big, and he knew it would be demanding to go completely unnoticed.
She pulled her glasses off and looked up at him, he froze, punching card in hand.
-You know who I just got off the phone with?
-Esther?
-Everett. She kept me on the phone for almost an hour.
-She called you?
-She's adorable, Happy. She was asking a ton of questions about you.
-What did you tell her?
-How you are. Stuff you like. She said you were looking into a lawyer.
-Yeah. Guess I'm keeping Rosen's girlfriend. Would probably be conflict of interest if Everett and I had the same lawyer.
-I'll pay her lawyer, baby.
-Nah, it's fine.
-I insist. She's my grand-baby, Hap. You told her so yourself. She asked if I was her nana Gemma. Abel's getting older, his fancy toys last much longer. I don't have to upkeep Clay anymore, or pay for where I live... I got all this money laying around, and not a lot of people to spend it on. I'll pay the retainer for Everett's lawyer.
-Thanks, Gem.
-Now, if you go back to LA next weekend and you don't bring me a photo of this grand-baby, I promise you I'll make you suffer, Happy.
He nods, clocks in and gets to work, careful not to bring any attention to himself. He was grateful for Gemma to be paying for the lawyer. It put him in a delicate situation towards Gemma, but at least, Esther could never accuse him of trying to bring people into conflict of interest.
Thoughts?