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“ ‘Old Man, Sit Down,’ the Teen Laughed — Then a Biker Whispered, ‘That’s Our Founder’ ” — Transcript

by Motor Mafia · 4,577 words · 635 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00And it was one of those Tuesdays where
0:02the heat didn't just sit on you. It
0:04pressed down like a heavy woolen
0:06blanket. High noon in the middle of
0:08July. And the kind of day where the
0:09asphalt turns soft and sticky, grabbing
0:12at the soles of your boots, trying to
0:14hold you in place. And the air shimmered
0:16off the hoods of the cars parked outside
0:18Daisy's Diner, warping the world like a
0:21bad marriage. Inside, the air
0:23conditioning was fighting a losing
0:24battle. And the diner smelled like it
0:26always did. burnt coffee, bacon, grease,
0:29and lemon floor cleaner. It was a smell
0:31that felt like home to guys like us. And
0:33we had taken over the back section, me,
0:35Tiny Breaker, and about 15 other
0:38brothers from the motor mafia. We
0:40weren't there for trouble, and we were
0:41there for the meatloaf special and the
0:43iced tea. We were loud. Sure, Tiny was
0:46laughing at some jokereaker made a deep
0:48and rumbling sound that rattled the
0:50silverware on the tables, but mostly we
0:53were just escaping the sun. But in the
0:55front of the diner, near the big plate,
0:57glass window, and sat a ghost, Gunner.
1:00At 90 years old, Gunner looked like he
1:02was made of parchment paper and fragile
1:04bird bones. He was sitting alone in a
1:06booth meant for four people, and the
1:08sunlight was streaming in, hitting him
1:10directly, illuminating every wrinkle,
1:12every liver spot, every gray hair on his
1:14head. He wore a faded flannel shirt and
1:17buttoned all the way to the top despite
1:19the heat. And that cap, that old navy
1:21blue cap with the gold lettering that
1:23had started to peel years ago, Ka
1:25Vataran. And Gunner wasn't eating
1:27meatloaf. He was eating tomato soup. Or
1:29he was trying to. I watched him from
1:31across the room. I always kept an eye on
1:34Gunner. And he was the reason we were
1:36all here. He was the reason I wore this
1:38vest. 60 years ago, he stitched the
1:40first cut together with fishing line and
1:42denim. And he built the motor mafia when
1:44bikes were just engines on bicycle
1:46frames. But time. Time is the one enemy
1:48you can't outrun. Not even on a Harley.
1:51His hands were shaking and Parkinson's.
1:53It started in his fingers a few years
1:55back. Just a twitch. Now it was a
1:57violently rhythmic tremor that never
1:59stopped. And he gripped his spoon with a
2:01white knuckled fist, trying to force his
2:03muscles to obey. He dipped the spoon
2:05into the red soup. He lifted it. Shake.
2:08Shake. And half the soup spilled back
2:10into the bowl before it reached his
2:12lips. A little red drop landed on his
2:14chin. He didn't notice. He just focused
2:16and eyes narrowed behind thick glasses
2:19trying to get nourishment into his body.
2:21It was painful to watch. A man who once
2:23led charges into enemy fire and a man
2:25who once rode a rigid frame chopper
2:27across the country with no suspension.
2:29Now struggling to conquer a bowl of
2:31soup. He's having a bad day. Tiny
2:34whispered to me and noticing my gaze.
2:36Tiny's voice was low. Respectful. Yeah,
2:38I said. Heat makes the tremors worse.
2:41Should we go help him? Tiny asked. He
2:42started to rise and I put a hand on
2:44Tiny's arm. No, let him be. You know,
2:47Gunner, he's proud. If you feed him like
2:49a baby, it'll kill him faster than the
2:51disease. Let him fight his battle. And
2:53so we watched, silent guardians, just
2:56making sure he was okay. Then the bell
2:57above the door chimed, "Ding, ding." The
2:59atmosphere changed instantly. Four
3:01teenagers walked in. And you know the
3:04type. High school seniors, maybe fresh
3:06college freshmen. They rire of expensive
3:08colon and entitlement. They wore varsity
3:10jackets unbuttoned and showing off brand
3:13name t-shirts. Their hair was styled
3:15perfectly and their shoes, man, their
3:17shoes were pristine, bright white,
3:19limited edition, and worth more than
3:21Gunner's monthly pension check. They
3:23were loud. Not the deep brotherly loud
3:25of the biker table. They were screechy
3:27loud, performative loud, and they wanted
3:29everyone to look at them. "Man, I am
3:31starving," the leader yelled. Let's call
3:33him Kyle. Kyle had that look and the
3:36look of a kid who has never been told no
3:38in his entire life. He had frosted tips
3:40and a smirk that needed to be wiped off
3:42with sandpaper. They scanned the diner
3:45and it was packed. The lunch rush was in
3:47full swing. Every booth was taken. The
3:49counter was full except for one booth.
3:51The booth by the window and where a
3:5390year-old man was sitting alone. Kyle
3:56nudged his buddy. He pointed at Gunner.
3:58They whispered something and laughed. A
4:00cruel sharp laugh. They walked over and
4:02they didn't wait for the hostess. They
4:04just marched right up to Gunner's table.
4:06They surrounded him like a pack of
4:08hyenas circling a wounded lion. I
4:10stiffened and I felt the leather of my
4:12vest creek as my muscles tensed. Tiny
4:14stopped chewing his burger. "Hey pops,"
4:17Kyle said. His voice was dripping with
4:19mock polyess and but underneath it was
4:21pure venom. "You almost done there."
4:23Gunner didn't look up immediately. He
4:25was in the middle of the arduous process
4:27of lifting the spoon and he was
4:29concentrating. I said. Kyle said louder
4:32this time, slamming his hand on the back
4:33of the booth seat. Are you done? We got
4:36a group here. We need the table. And
4:38Gunner flinched. The sudden noise
4:40startled him. His hand jerked. The spoon
4:42hit the side of the bowl. Clink. Gunner
4:44looked up slowly. It took him a second
4:46to focus his eyes and he saw four
4:48towering figures blocking his light. I
4:50I'm still eating sun, Gunner said. His
4:53voice was weak. It sounded like dry
4:55leaves scraping together. And I move a
4:57little slow these days. No kidding. One
4:59of the other kids scoffed. You're moving
5:01backwards. Look, just wrap it up, okay?
5:03And there are paying customers waiting.
5:05I'm a paying customer, Gunner whispered.
5:08There was no anger in his voice. Just a
5:10tired resignation. He had fought real
5:12enemies, and he had no energy left for
5:14children. You're taking up a four top
5:16for a bowl of soup that costs $3, Kyle
5:19said. He leaned in closer. And you're
5:22practically stealing space. Why don't
5:24you go back to the old folks home or the
5:26cemetery, whichever is closer? The other
5:28kids laughed and they thought this was
5:30peak comedy. I felt a heat rising in my
5:32chest that had nothing to do with the
5:34temperature outside. It was a cold,
5:36sharp rage. Jax Tiny growled. I'm going
5:39to snap his neck. Hold, I said. My voice
5:42was calm, but my hands were clenched
5:44into fists under the table. Wet. Gunner
5:46tried to ignore them, and he tried to
5:48take another bite. He just wanted to
5:50finish his lunch. He lifted the spoon
5:52again. His hand was shaking violently
5:54now, aggravated by the stress and by the
5:56confrontation. Shake, shake, shake. Kyle
5:59was leaning on the table, tapping his
6:01fingers impatiently near Gunnar's bowl.
6:03God, and watching you eat is disgusting.
6:05Kyle sneered. It's like watching a
6:07seizure. That comment hit Gunnar hard.
6:09His hand spasmed. The spoon flew out of
6:12his grip and it hit the rim of the bowl.
6:14Splease. A wave of thick red tomato soup
6:16flew into the air. It landed on the
6:18table. It landed on Gunner's lap. and
6:20three large and bright red drops landed
6:23perfectly on the toe of Kyle's pristine
6:25white $300 sneakers. Time stopped. The
6:28diner went silent. The music seemed to
6:30cut out and the clatter of plates
6:32vanished. Kyle looked down. He stared at
6:34his shoe. He looked like he had just
6:36been shot. My my Jordans. Kyle
6:38whispered. He looked up at Gunnar and
6:40his face twisted into ugly pure rage.
6:43You stupid old Senel freak. The sound
6:45tore through the diner. Look what you
6:47did. You ruined them. Why? And I'm
6:50sorry, Gunnar stammered. He reached for
6:52a napkin with trembling hands. I didn't
6:54mean to. Gunner reached out to dab at
6:56the shoe. K, and Kyle slapped Gunnar's
6:59hand away hard. The sound of
7:01flesh-hitting flesh echoed in the room.
7:03A 19-year-old punk had just struck a
7:0590-year-old veteran. And don't touch me
7:08with your shaky hands. Kyle yelled. He
7:10shoved the table hard. The bowl of soup
7:13slid off the edge and crashed onto
7:14Gunnar's lap and soaking his trousers in
7:16hot liquid. Gunner gasped. He didn't
7:18scream. He just looked down at the mess,
7:20his lower lip trembling. He looked
7:22small. He looked broken. "And you're
7:25pathetic," Kyle shouted. "Get out of
7:26here before I drag you out." Kyle felt
7:28big. He felt powerful. He was the alpha
7:31male of the diner. And he was so busy
7:33screaming at a defenseless old man that
7:35he didn't hear the sound behind him. And
7:37the sound of 20 heavy chairs scraping
7:39back against the floor at the exact same
7:41time. The sound of 20 pairs of heavy
7:43combat boots hitting the lenolium. T she
7:47and T. Kyle didn't know it yet, but he
7:49had just made the last mistake of his
7:51social life. He didn't know that the
7:53pathetic old man had an army. And and
7:55the army was on the move. The diner
7:57didn't just go quiet. It went dead. You
7:59know that feeling when the air pressure
8:01drops right before a tornado hits? That
8:03sudden and heavy vacuum where your ears
8:06pop and the birds stop singing? That's
8:08what happened inside Daisy's diner. The
8:10clatter of silverware stopped and the
8:12sizzle of burgers on the grill stopped.
8:14Even the waitress, a sweet lady named
8:16Barb, who had seen it all, froze with a
8:18coffee pot in midair. Kyle, and the kid
8:21with the frosted tips and the stained
8:23Jordans, was the only one making noise.
8:25He was breathing hard, chest heaving,
8:27adrenaline pumping through his veins,
8:29and he was staring at Gunnar, waiting
8:31for the old man to cry or to leave. He
8:34wanted the satisfaction of total
8:36victory. He didn't notice the shadow
8:38that fell over his table, and the booth
8:40was right by the window. It had been
8:41bathed in bright, unforgiving sunlight a
8:43second ago, but now darkness. I stood
8:46directly behind Kyle and I'm 6'4 in my
8:49boots. I weigh 260 lbs of muscle and
8:52scars. When I stand in front of the sun,
8:54I block it out completely. Kyle frowned
8:57and he noticed the light was gone. He
8:59probably thought a cloud had passed over
9:01the sunk. He turned around to check. He
9:03didn't see a cloud. He saw a patch and a
9:05threepiece patch on a black leather
9:07vest. The top rocker said mad eye. The
9:10setter patch was a skull with piston
9:12crossbones. And the bottom rocker said
9:14the name of our city. Kyle's eyes
9:16traveled up past the leather, past the
9:18beard, up to my eyes. My sunglasses were
9:20off, and my eyes were locked onto his
9:22like a predator locking onto a wounded
9:24rabbit. Going somewhere? I asked. My
9:26voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
9:29It rumbled in my chest and low and
9:31grally like a Harley idling at a red
9:33light. Kyle blinked. He took a half step
9:35back, bumping into the table he had just
9:37shoved. I uh Kyle stammered and he
9:40looked past me. He saw Tiny standing to
9:42my left. Tiny was cracking his knuckles.
9:44Crack. Crack. It sounded like dry tree
9:47branches snapping in a storm. And he saw
9:49Breaker to my right. Breaker had a
9:51toothpick in his mouth and a look on his
9:53face that said he was bored. And in
9:55Breaker only gets bored right before he
9:57breaks something. And behind wall 20
9:59bikers, arms crossed, staring, not
10:02blinking. The diner had become a
10:04courtroom and and the jury was wearing
10:06leather. I asked you a question, I said,
10:08stepping into his personal space. I
10:10smelled his expensive colong. It smelled
10:12like fear now. And are you going
10:14somewhere? My shoes? Kyle shrieked. His
10:17voice cracked. He pointed a shaking
10:19finger at Gunnar. Look at them. They're
10:21Jordans. And they cost $300. I didn't
10:25look at the shoes. I looked at Gunnar.
10:27Gunner was wiping the hot tomato soup
10:29off his trousers with a thin paper
10:30napkin. and the napkin was
10:32disintegrating. The soup had soaked
10:34through to his skin. He looked
10:36humiliated. He looked like he wanted the
10:38floor to open up and swallow him whole.
10:40And Jack's Gunner whispered. His voice
10:42was trembling. It's fine. I I was
10:44clumsy. I'll pay for the cleaning. You
10:46won't pay a scent pop. I said softly to
10:49him. And then I turned back to Kyle. The
10:51softness vanished. You worried about
10:53your shoes? I asked. Yes, Kyle said,
10:56gaining a little confidence because I
10:58hadn't hit him yet. And he spilled food
11:00on me. It's disgusting. He should be in
11:02a home where nurses can feed him, not
11:04out here ruining people's lunch. I
11:06looked at the soup on the floor and then
11:08I looked at the red mark on Gunner's
11:10hand. The spot where Kyle had slapped
11:12him. You touched him, I said. The
11:14temperature in the room dropped another
11:1610°. I And I just pushed his hand away.
11:19Kyle defended himself. He was making a
11:21mess. I took another step forward. Kyle
11:24hit the back of the booth. He was
11:25trapped and you slapped a 90year-old
11:28man. I said. You shoved a table into his
11:30chest. You poured hot soup on a veteran.
11:33He's just an old guy. Kyle yelled and he
11:35looked at his friends for backup. Right,
11:37guys? He's just some cenold. Kyle's
11:39voice trailed off. His friends, the
11:41three other teenagers in varsity
11:43jackets, and they were gone. Well, not
11:46gone, but they had vanished from the
11:48fight. Two of them were staring intently
11:50at the menu, pretending to read the
11:51breakfast specials. And the third one
11:53was looking out the window, praying he
11:55was invisible. Kyle was alone on an
11:57island and the tide was rising. Just an
12:00old guy, I repeated and I let the words
12:02hang in the air. I reached out and
12:04grabbed a chair from the next table. I
12:06dragged it over. Scrape. I spun it
12:08around and sat down, straddling it. And
12:10so I was eye level with Kyle's chest.
12:13Let me tell you a story, kid said. Since
12:15you like history class so much. I don't
12:18care about your stories, Kyle muttered.
12:20And though he looked terrified, you're
12:22going to listen, Tiny rumbled from
12:23above. or you're going to eat that
12:25table? Kyle shut his mouth. I pointed a
12:27thumb at Gunnar and Gunnar was still
12:29trying to clean his pants, his hands
12:31shaking violently. You see that shake? I
12:34asked. You called it disgusting. You
12:36said it looked like a seizure. And Kyle
12:38didn't answer. That's called
12:40Parkinson's. I said, "But that ain't
12:42where it started. It started in 1950 in
12:44a place called the Chosen Reservoir." I
12:46leaned in closer and it was 30° below
12:49zero, not 30. 30 below. The ground was
12:52so frozen they couldn't dig foxholes.
12:54They had to stack frozen bodies to make
12:56walls for cover. And Kyle's eyes
12:58flickered to Gunner. For the first time,
13:00he wasn't looking at a stain. He was
13:02looking at a human. Gunner was 19. I
13:04said, "Same age as you and maybe
13:07younger." "While you were worried about
13:08keeping your sneakers white, he was
13:11worried about his fingers turning black
13:12from frostbite and falling off." And I
13:15grabbed Gunner's hand. Gently, I held it
13:17up. It was trembling against my steady
13:19grip. He held a rifle for 3 days. I said
13:22he didn't sleep. He didn't eat. And he
13:24just held the line. He watched his
13:26friends die so that people back home
13:28could sit in diners and eat burgers in
13:30peace. And I dropped Gunner's hand
13:32gently back onto the table. He came
13:34home. I continued. I didn't ask for a
13:36parade. He didn't ask for free Jordans.
13:38He bought a motorcycle and he started a
13:41club, a brotherhood to protect the ones
13:43who couldn't protect themselves. I stood
13:45up. The chair scrapped again. And he is
13:47the founder of the Motor Mafia. I said
13:49my voice rose filling the diner. Every
13:52biker in this city, every man wearing a
13:54patch answers to him. I leaned down and
13:56nose tonose with Kyle and you just
13:59slapped the king. Kyle's face went white
14:01like sheet of paper white. He looked at
14:03the patch on my chest and then he looked
14:05at Gunner's old faded cap. Caravan, he
14:08realized suddenly and violently that he
14:10wasn't the predator. He was the prey. I
14:12And I didn't know, Kyle whispered. Tears
14:15were starting to well up in his eyes. I
14:17swear I thought he was just nobody.
14:19That's your problem, I said. And you
14:21think anyone is a nobody? You think
14:23because his hands shake he's weak? I
14:25pointed to the floor to the puddle of
14:27tomato soup and to the crackers crushed
14:30into the lenolium to the mess Kyle had
14:32caused. You made a mess, I said. I I'll
14:34pay for it. Kyle said quickly. He
14:36reached for his wallet. And here I have
14:38a credit card. My dad's card. Take it.
14:41Buy him lunch. Buy him 10 lunches. I
14:43slapped the wallet out of his hand and
14:45it flew across the room and landed under
14:47a booth. We don't want your daddy's
14:49money. I said, "Money is easy. Respect.
14:51Respect is hard work." I looked at Tiny.
14:54Tiny and give me your rag. Tiny reached
14:56into his back pocket. He pulled out a
14:58grease stained gray shop rag. He uses it
15:00to wipe oil off his engine. It was dirty
15:03and it smelled like ton W40 and road
15:05grime. Tiny tossed it to me. I caught
15:07it. I threw the dirty rag onto the table
15:09in front of Kyle and it landed right
15:11next to his pristine white sleeve. You
15:13got a choice, kid, I said. Kyle looked
15:15at the rag, then at me. Choice? Option
15:18A, I said. And what? Take this outside,
15:20just me and you. And I teach you about
15:22gravity. Kyle swallowed hard. He looked
15:25at my arms. He knew option A ended in a
15:27hospital. And option B, I said, you fix
15:30what you broke. I I'll do option B, Kyle
15:32said immediately. What do I do? I
15:34pointed to the floor. Get on your knees,
15:36I said. and the diner gasped. The
15:38waitress covered her mouth. What? Kyle
15:40asked. You heard me? I said, "Get on
15:42your knees and clean up that soup." Kyle
15:44looked around and everyone was watching.
15:47The bikers, the customers, the staff, my
15:50pants, Kyle whed. These are designer
15:52jeans. The floor is dirty. I leaned in
15:55and Gunner crawled through mud and ice
15:57for you. I whispered. I think you can
15:59handle a little lenolium. Tiny took a
16:01step forward. Knees now. Kyle looked at
16:03Tiny and he looked at the exit. The exit
16:06was blocked by breaker. Slowly,
16:08painfully, Kyle lowered himself. He went
16:10down on one knee, then the other. He was
16:12on the floor and right next to Gunner's
16:14boots. He picked up the greasy shop rag.
16:16"Start scrubbing," I said. "And if you
16:18miss a spot, we start over." Kyle
16:20scrubbed and he was on his hands and
16:23knees. His $300 sneakers were bent at
16:26the toe, creasing the leather, and his
16:28designer jeans were soaking up the dirty
16:30water and grease from the floor. Scrub,
16:32scrub. The shop rag Tiny gave him was
16:35filthy and it was smearing oil into the
16:37tomato soup. It was making a brown red
16:39sticky mess. But Kyle didn't stop. He
16:41was too terrified to stop. He was crying
16:43now, silent and humiliating tears that
16:46dripped off his nose and mixed with the
16:48soup. "You missed the spot," I said,
16:50pointing with the toe of my boot to a
16:52splatter near the table leg. And Kyle
16:54scrambled over. He wiped it up. He was
16:57breathing hard, panicking. I looked up
16:59at the booth. The other three teenagers
17:01were still sitting there frozen and
17:03trying to blend into the upholstery. You
17:05three? I barked. They jumped. You think
17:07this is a spectator sport? I asked. You
17:09laughed. And you thought it was funny
17:11when your buddy shoved a veteran. I
17:13grabbed a stack of paper napkins from
17:15the dispenser. I threw them at the kids.
17:17They fluttered down like snow. And get
17:20down there, I ordered. Help him, but we
17:23didn't do anything. One of them whined.
17:24Tiny took a step toward them. He didn't
17:26say a word. He just cracked his neck and
17:28CRK, that was enough. The three of them
17:31scrambled out of the booth. They hit the
17:33floor. Now four high school seniors in
17:35varsity jackets were on their hands and
17:37knees and shoulderto-shoulder scrubbing
17:40the lenolium in front of an old man they
17:42had mocked 5 minutes ago. The diner
17:44watched in silence. It was a painting of
17:46poetic justice. And Gunner watched them.
17:49He didn't look happy. He didn't look
17:50like he was enjoying it. He just looked
17:52sad. He reached into his pocket. His
17:55hand shook and but he managed to pull
17:56out a clean white handkerchief. He
17:59leaned down. Gunner whispered. Kyle
18:01looked up. His face was red, stre with
18:03tears and sweat, and he looked at the
18:05old man he had called a freak. Gunner
18:07held out the handkerchief. "Here,"
18:09Gunner said. His voice was gentle. "Wipe
18:11your face and you got grease on your
18:13cheek." Kyle froze. He stared at the
18:15handkerchief. He had slapped this man.
18:17He had insulted him. He had humiliated
18:19him. And now, and now this man was
18:21offering him dignity. Kyle took the
18:23handkerchief with a shake to hand. Kal
18:25choked out. I I'm so sorry, sir. I know,
18:28Gunner said softly. And get up now. The
18:31floor is clean enough. The boys stood
18:33up. They were a mess. Their knees were
18:35black. Their hands were stained red and
18:37brown. And they looked like they had
18:38been working in a pit for a week. We We
18:41can go now, Kyle asked me, his voice
18:43trembling. I looked at the floor. It was
18:45spotless. And I looked at Gunner. He
18:47gave me a small nod. The floor is clean,
18:50I said. But we ain't done. Kyle's
18:52shoulders slumped. "What else?" "I did
18:54what you said." "And you ruined his
18:56lunch," I said. "You shoved the table.
18:58You made him drop his spoon." Gunner
19:00didn't get to finish his soup. "I'll buy
19:01him another bowl," Kyle said quickly.
19:04"And I'll buy him 10 bowls. I have a
19:06credit card." He scrambled to find his
19:08wallet under the booth where I had
19:10slapped it. He grabbed it like a
19:12lifeline. "And I'll pay for it right
19:13now," Kyle promised. I smiled. It wasn't
19:16a nice smile. "That's generous of you,
19:18kid," I said. But see, it's not just
19:20Gunner who's hungry. And I turned
19:22around. I swept my arm across the back
19:24of the diner. The boys are hungry, too,
19:26I said. Kyle looked. He saw Tiny Breaker
19:28and the 15 other bikers sitting in the
19:30back. They were all watching him. Some
19:32were eating burgers. Some were eating
19:34pie. What do you mean? Kyle squeaked.
19:37And I mean, I said, you interrupted our
19:39meal. You ruined the vibe. And when the
19:42motor mafia gets interrupted, we get
19:44hungry. I snatched the check from our
19:46table. And then I walked over to Tiny's
19:48table and took his check. I walked to
19:50the next table and the next I gathered a
19:52stack of receipts. I walked back to Kyle
19:54and I slapped the stack of paper into
19:56his greasy hand. "You're paying for
19:58everyone," I said. Kyle's eyes bugged
20:00out. He looked at the receipts, but and
20:03but there's 20 of you, he stammered.
20:05This is This is going to be like $300.
20:08$342,
20:09actually. I said, "Plus tip. And don't
20:12forget Barb. She's working hard. I
20:14can't. My dad will kill me. Kyle
20:16whispered. "Your dad should have taught
20:17you manners," I said. "Consider this a
20:20tuition fee and education is expensive,
20:22kid." Kyle looked at his friends. They
20:25looked away. They weren't going to split
20:26this bill. Defeated, Kyle walked to the
20:29register. He was shaking and he handed
20:31his card to Barb. Barb looked at me. She
20:33winked. She ran the card. Be proved.
20:35Kyle took the receipt. He looked like he
20:38was going to be sick. "And can we go
20:40now?" he whispered. "One last thing," I
20:42said. I walked Gunner out of the booth.
20:44He stood up, leaning on his cane. He
20:46looked at Kyle and he stood as tall as
20:48his curved spine would let him. "You got
20:50strong legs, son." Gunner said, "Strong
20:52hands. Don't waste them pushing people
20:54down and use them to pick people up."
20:56Kyle nodded. He couldn't speak. He just
20:59nodded. "Get out of here," I said. The
21:01four of them ran. They didn't walk. They
21:03bolted for the door and tripping over
21:04each other, desperate to get into the
21:06sunlight and away from the leather clad
21:08judgment. The door swung shut behind
21:10them. Ding, ding. And the diner was
21:13quiet for a second. Then Gunner started
21:15laughing. It started as a weeze, then a
21:17chuckle, and then a full belly laugh
21:19that made his shoulders shake more than
21:21the Parkinson's. $300. Gunner laughed,
21:24wiping his eyes. Jacks, you pirate, and
21:27you absolute pirate. He got off easy,
21:29pop, I said. Sitting down opposite him.
21:31Barb, another bowl of soup for the
21:33general and make it hot. The whole club
21:35cheered and Gunner looked at me. He
21:37reached across the table. His hand was
21:39still shaking, but he laid it on my arm.
21:41His grip was surprisingly strong. "Thank
21:43you, son," he said. "And time, Gunner,"
21:46I said. "Anytime." We finished our
21:48lunch. It tasted better than usual.
21:50"Maybe it was the seasoning. Maybe it
21:52was the company. Or maybe, just maybe."
21:54And it was the taste of justice. We
21:56walked out into the heat. We fired up
21:58the bikes. The engines roared. 50
22:00pistons firing in sync. We rode down
22:02Main Street. And people stopped and
22:04stared. They saw a gang. They saw noise.
22:07They saw trouble. They didn't see the
22:08truth. and they didn't see that we were
22:10just a bunch of guys protecting a
22:1290-year old hero who once held the line
22:14in the snow. So, here is the deal. The
22:17world is full of Kyles and they are
22:19loud. They are shiny. They think they
22:21own the place because they have new
22:23shoes. But remember this story. Remember
22:25Gunner. Strength isn't about what you
22:27wear. And it isn't about how loud you
22:29yell. Strength is quiet. Strength shakes
22:32sometimes, but strength never ever backs
22:34down. If you see a gunner out there and
22:36if you see someone fighting a battle you
22:38can't see, offer them a hand or at least
22:41don't spill their soup because you never
22:43know who is watching from the shadows.
22:45And ride safe, respect your elders, and
22:47keep the shiny side up. This is Jack
22:49signing

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