orangetoughguy | log post II

Yep. Why, what do you think she looks like? A Honey West?

[He gestures to the glossy bike whose new parking space is an alcove towards the rear maintenance entrance of the building. Don't ask how he got the space (he's renting it), just marvel over how the kid can learn a thing or two about old stuff after all.]

Honey Love.

[Both. The adoration for the man as well as the machine. Woah. It's a nice space there for it. He nods not quite answering as he surveys the alcove. The wheels in his head are turning. They gonna go as is to the other side? He would not dispute. That's what today was going to hold though he imagined there'd be more talking.]

Need a ride there, cowboy?

[On the bike.]

Honey Love's overdoing it.

[Fffff he waves a hand at Larry before mounting the lovely lady himself.]

Just get on.

[The back. He hooks a thumb over to the bitch seat. Making a break for the barrier though isn't what the kid has in mind at all. Should he?]

[For not owning a bike for very long how is it that he can seat himself up and over and do so looking so professionally? Larry figures it's because the kid made it for himself.]

On the back?

[As though there is another seat for him.]

That where you like me best?

[Has Larry already forgotten Freddy's precious Nighthawk? Anyway it seems to him the other man is stalling.]

Yeah on the back so you can put your big thick arms around me and show all the girls who's boss. Get. On. Now.

[Come on now, he couldn't forget. Sleep is falling away from the old man. His head is wrapping around what they're supposed to talk about. The words and questions don't want to come. Talking over other elements into the dirt that seems far more worth while.]

Okay boss.

[Sit he does and plops the helmet on. Arms go around him automatically. It's as intimate as fucking with all the ease of lounging watching a game or a movie.]

You call the shots.

[If they left Freddy would have far more to face than Larry. Sure, the old man has the law that's out to get him yet there are no peers to stick it to him. The kid as far more music to face and dance to.]

Cool.

[The kid smiles, satisfied to have Larry behind him and holding him like they could be fucking. But aren't. And although Freddy's in front the old man's in the bitch seat. That's called balance right? Helmet and visor down now, he walks the bike out then a burst of speed takes them onto street level.]

[Balance? He wouldn't say that but they're equals. And it's okay to take bitch sometimes. Larry drives most of the time anyway. Freddy can drive about the same anyway, there's no surprise there. ...The old man is rationalizing why he's not making a fuss about holding on from the back again. Chiefly, the kid knows where they're going.]

Woah.

[That's for the take off, he's holding on tightly.]

[Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay sure. Yep.

Vroom vroom vroom Freddy's quickly peeling through the streets to get out of the City proper. While they could take a road out to the coast this tough guy's got another surprise trick up his sleeve. On this street there's a driveway headed straight for the crossgate. Freddy's zooming right towards the gate without slowing down.]

Hold on!

[The unspoken part here is don't get scared.]

[There's no other choice but to hold on. It has the old man's heart racing but he's not going to say nothing. The clutch at Freddy is more solid, both hands gripping and his thighs pressed against the kid. Zooming this way and that way it's like a low to the ground roller coaster.

Larry never liked roller coasters that much. That's okay. He loves tough guys.]

[The sound of them going through the gate is loud but short and contained, like a space vacuum sucking them into oblivion. Yet in the blink of an eye the other side spits them out onto the road towards the sea. Freddy compensates like a pro, driving like all they did was jump a gap. The bike turns sharply onto the highway now, taking the pair along as if this might be PCH instead of some otherworldly universe.]

How you doin'?

[Freddy shouts just to make sure. He starts taking the speed down a couple notches, the better to enjoy the scenery.]

[Whatever souped up engine that Saya and the kid put together sure packs a punch. The way it echoes in the small space it could be some lion hornet. The blue of the shore and the sky its a relief from the brickwork. It could be California. And maybe it all could be some kind of a dream.]

Great.

[Besides a little winded. No complaints at all. The sun gleams on the water, picturesque but not still. It's like it's trying to race along at their side.]

Want tacos?

[As if Freddy has to ask, but he will because he can and it makes all of this feel like their home, or at least their planet. Like they can just take a ride out of Los Angeles to get fish tacos at the beach, which is the kid's plan today.]

Sure.

[Does that even warrant a question? It's the best kind of breakfast outside of cereal.

He tells himself he's not asking where they plan on heading because they're on the road. You can't carry much of a conversation on the road.]

[With that answer it's Freddy's cue to speed up and zip around curves and things, up and down, until he takes a turn off the highway. Christie handles off roading just as well, bumping along until they reach something of a boardwalk. It's a lot smaller than something you'd see along the Southern California coast, but it's nothing to laugh at either. And wouldn't you know it? They got fish tacos.

Freddy walks the bike to a spot where people are hitching their bicycles, scooters, uh is that someone's horse and a big bright yellow ostrich looking creature? (It's called a chocobo.)]

Tacos. [The kid says again, gesturing to the sign of a fish in a sombrero.]

[Freddy can handle a gal like Christie with no problem at all. What's the old man so anxious about anyway? His grip doesn't fall slack until they've slowed considerably. Salt water is in the air but it cannot hide the smell of tortillas, carne, queso and fish.

When he's sure that the bike is still. Larry gets up and off. It almost feels like the bike is still roaring between his legs. The helmet comes off too.]

Have you been here before?

[The establishment or perhaps this side of the shore. It's bringing nostalgia like a wave. He eyes that funny looking Big Bird a moment before giving Freddy his whole attention.]

[Hey hey Big Bird's eyeing you right back, Lawrence Dimick. Kweh. Anyway he loops his helmet and doesn't bother with chaining up the young lady. The stand's within sight so Freddy has little to fear of someone trying to take her. As for being here before, he shakes his head while taking his jacket off.]

Nope, just seen it from the road. Kinda like a neat hidden treasure huh?

Uh huh.

[This fucking kid is too cool. Larry doesn't have his sunglasses, looks like he forgot them. His eyes are in plain sight as they move this way and that watching as he sets his bike in order.]

Smells good.

[He half turns to the taco stand. Another look to that bird, damn is it big. Kweh kweh.]

We must have missed it entirely last time.

[The last time they went all the fuck around the island. Then again they weren't looking to stay or looking for much else other than the freeway on ramp.]

Nice enough to eat out here.

[There are tables if they wanted to use them.]

And it's a big island.

[Freddy nods, finding it no thing that they missed it once before. At least they can try it out now. Could they do that in LA? In the US? Green eyes note the big yellow bird with its big blue eyes. Funny beast. Then it's off to the taco stand where the kid already claims a table for themselves. He did the driving, now Larry can do the buying.]

Surprise me. [ie. pick the food for the kid, then he points.] And a corona.

Sure is.

[Big enough to hide from the cops in. That has always been a positive. Then again, how much illegal activity have they gone through? Larry ticks off the offenses in his head as he waits and places their order. Grand theft auto, breaking and entering, murder (for himself), fraud, assault... The eats are slightly steep for a taco stand but he can smell how fresh the fish is. Frankly, the old man doesn't give a fuck.

He takes their order number back to the table. One corona for Freddy. The old man gets another for himself.]

Shouldn't take long.

[Automatically he's taking the tops off of the bottles. Pop one for Freddy. Pop one for himself.]

[Freddy watches as he pops those caps off with his bare hands. As if he needs the help, but he would be the biggest liar of them all if he said he didn't enjoy watching Larry twist off bottle caps.]

Thanks.

[Whoops that came out too sultry. He sips to cover it up seeing as how they're in public. And being in public it's obvious they aren't the only ones not making a break for that barrier. The kid leans forward to whisper while tipping his bottle at Bird Bird over yonder.]

What do you think, born that way or science experiment?

[Habit and courtesy get him to loosen the caps. Should he ever tell Freddy it feels like they make them more loose as a consideration to the consumer? Nah. Then again he wouldn't have the privilege anymore if the kid could do it easily himself. Maybe. Who can say.]

It's nothin'.

[Brown eyes follow his tipped glass to that bird lurking out the window. Kweh it says. You'd think it would squawk.]

Gotta be science. It's yellow.

[He'd still invite Larry to do it just to watch those muscles flex.]

Baby chicks are yellow.

[Sip. Touche kid.]

So you calling that--

[He tilts his head to the window, the bird.]

That right there a baby?

[That gets a shrug.] I'm not an expert or anything how the fuck should I know?

[Growing up in Fresno doesn't mean growing up on a farm. Fff.] Why don't you ask it?

[WARK. Something knows it's being talked about.]

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