Interlude (22 page)

Hey babe. I knew you would try and leave
without breakfast, so I made some muffins last night after you went
to bed. They're your favorite. Blueberry chocolate chip! I'm bummed
I can't come. Be careful, and don't do anything too crazy!

I love you.

She grabbed one of the muffins and loaded her
bags in the car. She marveled at his ability to fulfill her needs,
when she didn't even know what they were. As she slowly drove down
the winding driveway, she looked up at her second story bedroom
window where he was sleeping. She blew him a slow kiss, and made
herself a promise to give him the real thing as soon as she
could.

Cal woke later in the morning. He was groggy,
and he still had the taste of blueberry in his mouth from the late
night surprise baking session for Karen. As he stood in the living
room, he checked his phone for her text.

Got UR muffins! They are 2 die 4! I will
repay with a muffin of my own when I get back ;) Love U! XOXO.

A garbled voice at the intercom startled Cal
out of his daze. He ambled over, trying to remember how to answer
the thing.

“Paging Cal. HELLOO! Calvin? Dr. Calvin
Johnson you're needed in the ER, stat!” The voice said in falsetto
tone.

Cal shook his head and smiled. “Jeremy! Damn
it's good to hear your voice! I'll buzz the gate open. Come on up!”
Cal punched in the code and went to make coffee. He opened the door
a little so Jeremy could come in.

“Damn cos, nice place you've been hiding at.”
He said as he walked into the expansive front room. He looked
around, his distracted gaze making him trip over his own feet.

“I wish I could take credit for it, but it's
all Karen, er really her dad.” Cal said. He shook his friend's
hand. All at once, he felt a twinge of homesickness. He brushed it
off. There was no home to be sick of. His new life was his
salvation. There was nothing worth going back for anyway.

“So, how are the wife and kids treating you?”
Cal asked.

“Not bad. It's your old lady that's a pain in
the ass.” He laughed. “Ever since you left, she's been at my house
all the time hanging out with Sarah. Even my old lady's getting
tired of it, but she doesn't want to say anything. Girl code and
all,” He paused, adding, “That reminds me, you've been served.” He
said, handing a large envelope to Cal with a joking salute.

“Ha! That's a hoot.” Cal laughed, taking the
heavy envelope. “Thanks for bringing this down.”

“I guess the hearing is coming up quick from
what Sarah told me. It’ll just Alice's lawyers and a closed
conference room. Do you think they'll make you pay for the lube
before, or after, they screw you?” He said with a thunderous laugh.
Cal couldn't help but laugh along. He took his time reading the
summons. The hearing was tomorrow! When Cal looked up from his
paperwork, Jeremy was dancing around like he had to go to the
bathroom or something.

“Would you like a tour?” Cal finally
asked.

“God, I thought you'd never ask.” He
replied.

Cal poured two cups of coffee. He walked his
friend around to see the whole house. He paused at the large window
overlooking the coast. Jeremy craned his neck to see over to the
back of the property, ignoring the coast completely.

“Hey, what's in that building over there?” He
said, pointing to a large wood shed over against the back of the
property.

Cal followed his pointing finger. There was a
large building that looked to be an old barn, but smaller. Cal felt
kind of stupid living here for over three weeks and not knowing
what the rest of the property looked like. “I don't know. Why don't
we go check it out?” He said.

Jeremy shot off down the stairs like a kid
trying to beat his siblings to Christmas morning. Cal sauntered
down the stairs behind him. He held both of their coffees as he
made his way after his friend over the gravel pathway to the shack.
Jeremy was already at the large wood door. He was struggling with
the latch, trying to pry up the catch that had been rusted shut in
the coastal air. A stone cold realization ran through Cal. What if
Karen was keeping “merchandise” in the building that Jeremy was now
trying to get into? He quickened his pace, trying to think up some
kind of explanation or excuse if his best friend all of a sudden
stumbled across a cache of illegal weapons. Before Cal could catch
up to him, he managed to force the latch open. The loud creaking of
the door seemed amplified by the quiet surrounding, and Cal's own
petrified fear. He heard Jeremy inside already looking over the
contents like a kid in a candy store.

“Wow! Whose tools are these?” Jeremy asked.
As Cal finally made his way to the building, he was rather
surprised by what he saw. The ramshackle wooden structure was home
to a rather impressive little shop. The gravel driveway terminated
at the opening, giving way to clean white cement. There were
posters on the walls of various motorcycles and car companies. A
neat row of red toolboxes ran along the left wall. On the right,
there was a rack of bicycles hanging from the wall, but the thing
that really caught his attention was the row of pallet-wrapped
crates underneath them. In his exploratory fervor, Jeremy had
already began a search for tools to open the wooden crates. As his
friend rummaged through the toolboxes for a pry bar, Cal pondered
what could be in them. Certainly not weapons or anything... This
place wasn't even locked.

Jeremy hooted with success at finally
locating a tool to get into the crates. Cal felt bad snooping, but
his own fervent curiosity was now getting the better of him. He
tore at the thick pallet wrapping with his fingers, trying to get
down to the crates underneath. Jeremy handed him a box cutter to
speed along his efforts. Once Cal has the plastic off, Jeremy went
to work hammering the pry bar under the lids. As each one
splintered and gave way, they both got an idea of what was in the
boxes; Wheels and tires, a large, polished engine that was already
built and banded securely to the crate. There were some parts that
looked like exhaust pipes, and a large, black frame. The frame
seemed to be partially put together, with handlebars and some
electrical components already attached.

“It looks like Karen's working on a
motorcycle.” Jeremy said with a quizzical look.

Cal didn't think that seemed right. “She's
not really a biker girl. And besides, these parts don't look like
they'd build a hog or anything.” He said, thinking back to her
friends in the Pacific Ironclad gang.

“Dude, you should finish putting this thing
together!” Jeremy said excitedly.

“I don't know, I think this might have been
her dad's or something. She would hate me for going through her
stuff anyway.” Cal said as he moved to cover the opened crates back
up.

Jeremy stopped him. Putting his hand on Cal's
shoulder, he said, “You don't get it man, this bike is a 1963
Triumph TS20 Scrambler. You can't find parts for these things
anymore, and your girl has the entire thing sitting in a box,
restored, and waiting to be assembled. I'm sorry friend, but this
bike needs to see somebody's ass on it.” He finished. He kept
assessing the contents of the boxes, thinking to himself as Cal set
his coffee down.

“How long would it take?” Cal finally asked.
He knew Jeremy had a motorcycle, but he didn't know how savvy his
friend would be at putting one together.

“Hell, we could finish it today. When does
your girl get back from work?” He asked, already planning out his
workspace to put the bike together.

“She's gone on business for a few days. She
should be back right before her birthday.” Cal made a mental note
to go shopping for her party. He was startled by his friend's loud
outburst in the quiet building.

“Dude, you have got to finish this thing up
and give it to her for her birthday!” Jeremy yelled.

“Um, I can't give her something she already
owns.” Cal said.

Jeremy was already fitting parts together. He
was rooting around in the toolboxes for sockets and wrenches when
he said, “So get her a helmet. Maybe something girly and pink, I
don't know.”

Cal gave it some thought. He could always get
her a small gift in case this bombed? “Alright, let's do it.”

“Way ahead of you bud,” Jeremy responded
absently as he continued his assembly.

Cal and his friend spent the next few hours
wrenching away quietly as only two old friends can. Their
communications receded into tech speak and numbers. They both
rooted around for the right tools and the hardware needed to finish
the rare motorcycle. They had ridden motorcycles in their youth,
but Jeremy was the one who stayed with it into adulthood. Fixing
and maintaining bikes was something that came natural to the both
of them though. Cal finally broke the silence when he brought back
a couple of beers from the house.

“Hey man, I just wanted to say thanks.” Cal
said.

Jeremy gave him a half smile. “What for? I
probably would have built this thing without your permission.” He
laughed.

“Not just that, for setting me up on that
dating site. If it wasn't for your poor judgment, I never would
have met Karen. She's been the best thing to happen to me. Ever. I
feel happy, and I've changed for the better in so many ways I can't
even describe it. This girl, I can't even tell you what she does
for me. It's kind of hard to explain.” Cal said, trailing off.

Jeremy looked at his friend quietly. After a
couple of moments he said, “Wow, over share much?”

Cal gave him an ugly look. Jeremy quickly
said. “Don't go getting mushy on me or anything, but you do seem
happier, and healthier. You've got a great new freelance career, a
hot girlfriend, and a bitchin' place to stay. I'm happy for you and
a little jealous too.” He said, adding, “Now, hand me that torque
wrench over there.” Cal tossed him the wrench and got back to his
part of the bike.

It was late afternoon when they finally
tightened the last bolts on the frame. The motor went in easier
that they expected, leaving them plenty of time to fill up the gas
tank and add the oils and fluids. Cal handed the first start rites
over to Jeremy. His friend straddled the bike, gripping the
handlebars and moving the mirrors around to his liking.

“Well, here goes nothing.” He kicked out the
start lever and balanced his weight on it. He stomped down once. He
repeated this a few more times, until the bike's engine coughed and
sputtered. As they stood there, the sputtering slowly turned to a
rough, irregular idle, and then mellowed out into a steady purr.
Both of the men were wearing big, stupid grins as Cal checked the
bike's oil levels, and looked over the linkages. He gave Jeremy a
thumbs up signal. Jeremy twisted the throttle a few times. The
engine responded with crisp, clean revs that reverberated through
the building. He keyed off the ignition, leaving them both standing
silently in the quiet building.

“That was easy.” Jeremy finally said.

“Yeah, just a few hours and it's built.
Thanks for your help man. I owe you one.” Cal said.

Jeremy checked his watch. “Oh shit! I best be
heading back. Sarah is gonna kill me if I miss dinner.” He said as
he began putting away tools.

“Yeah, and I have the hearing tomorrow with
the old ex.” Cal realized. He was resigned to his fate. He hadn’t
worried too much about this meeting, but having it loom so close
was starting to freak him out a little. He and Jeremy exchanged bro
hugs as the sun began to set. Jeremy was getting into his car when
he stopped and yelled to Cal.

“Hey, where’s your car?”

“Over there.” Cal said with an embarrassed
smile. He pointed the gleaming luxury SUV that took the place of
his old econo-box.

Jeremy threw his head back and laughed out
loud, his voice carrying in the silent evening. “Man, you have
changed! Enjoy your new ride bro!” He said as he got into his car
and drove off. Cal laughed to himself as he went inside. He had
some preparing to do for tomorrow.

Cal video chatted with Karen later on in the
evening. As they joked about life in Eastern Europe and generally
caught up, he casually mentioned the divorce hearing.

“What time will it be tomorrow?” She
asked.

“Nine AM sharp. I guess they want it over
with too.” Cal joked.

“Will her whole family be there?” Karen
asked. She was lying on the bed in her hotel room. As he filled her
in on the details, she would shift positions occasionally. He
watched her with voyeuristic pleasure as she scooted the laptop to
the foot of the bed so she could lay on her front. Cal found
himself distracted from their conversation as she playfully moved
her feet around in the air. He remembered their first time seeing
each other on video chat. How he was so mesmerized by her. He was
reflecting on how he still felt just as entranced by her when she
brought him back to the present. “Uh, babe? Are you still there?”
She asked.

“Yeah, I was just watching you like a
stalker, that's all.” He joked with a wry grin.

“Gawd, I wish you were here.” She said with a
groan. She moved positions once more. Her body was made the bed
creak slightly, as she adjusted her clothes underneath her. Cal
fell back into his state of trance. Everything about her was like a
stimulant to him. He watched her slowly bite her lip as she checked
her email, how she would make little noises as she deleted spam or
sent off replies. His perspective from her web cam gave a front row
seat to her long fingers as they moved over the keyboard, her
French tipped nails clicking away quietly. "She looks so beautiful
doing the most mundane things.” He thought to himself.

“So, when will you be back?” Cal asked
her.

“Late tomorrow. The flight here ended up
going really smooth, and I’ll be chasing the sun tomorrow coming
back. It should still be a go for my birthday.” She said, adding,
“Nothing too crazy okay? I just want a few friends over, and no
gifts!”