Kane

In memory of Mike

Bikers do not have attitudes, stupid people piss them off. Don’t start with your snide remarks until I have finished my story first. Christmas time the bikers ride down the interstate carrying gifts tied to their bikes, or when a member has fallen they make sure the family left behind is well-taken care of and this begins my story.

Mike was such a loving man and reminded me of Dan Haggerty, the actor who played Grizzly Adams with his love for children and animals. I was twenty four when he walked into mine and my children’s lives. I was at home alone when there was a knock on the door and it was my step brother Jim with his friend. I could not help but notice how attractive he was with his black hair, full beard and the bluest eyes I had ever seen in my entire life. They came in waking up my three daughters and filling them with soda and cookies. I could not take my eyes off of him and yes I was married to a real bastard at the time. He saw more female strippers then he saw his family and actually I was glad when he did not come home because that meant I would not have any black eyes.

I can still recall the last beating I received from him as if it were yesterday, I was in the condo’s laundry room washing our clothes and folding them when Jack walked in and grabbed me by the back of my hair and slammed my face into the dryer door. I could feel the blood seeping from my forehead and nose caused from the impact of flesh meeting metal, I was dizzy and could hear my girls screaming for daddy to stop hurting mommy. I tried to make my cries sound like laughter so not to scare my daughters anymore then what their father had just done. Everything happened so fast, the laundry door flying open and seeing Jim standing there in shock seeing my face gushing blood and I heard Mikes voice yelling out.

“You mother fucker!” he yelled as he grabbed my husband Jack.

I tried to stop him, but Jack had Mike by the throat and Jim was grabbing my girls out of harms way. Jack put his elbow into my face breaking my nose that it was pulverized. Then I saw Jack being lifted in the air by Mike and smashed into the dryer door and a very loud thud, then a grunt as his body collapsed onto the ground. Mike had me in his arms kissing my bloody face mixed in with my tears. The superintendent had the police out there where they removed Jack in hand cuffs and I was taken to the hospital to be released two days later after they reconstructed my nose. My girls were all happy with Jim, his girl friend Macy and Mike, Thanksgiving was just a couple days away and my home smelt of pumpkin cookies, pies, decorated for the big feast with fall colors and Mike looked so handsome in his black Harley T-shirt, jeans and bikers boots. His smile was that of a devilish little boy that melted my heart.

“Welcome home Ginger.” Mike said hugging me as my sister helped me into the house due to my vision being blurry from the swelling and bruising of my eyes.

My heart felt like it would beat right out of my chest, as I felt like a sixteen-year-old girl with her first crush. They stayed with us to make sure we were safe and during this time Mike and I became very close in those six months, in fact we were planning our wedding just as soon as my divorce was finale in three weeks.

Then it happened as I was sitting in the apartment waiting for Jim, Mike and his brother Sammy to come in from work, Macy was playing with the girls and then my phone rang and I heard my brothers voice crying.

“You need to get to the hospital. They were run down.” He cried into the phone.

I held the phone to my ear for the longest time before I hung up, tears streaked my face as I looked at Macy and my girls.

“Macy call momma and ask her to watch the girls, Mike and Sammy have been hurt tonight.” I told her walking numbly to my room to put on my shoes.

It seemed like everything moved in slow motion, I moved in slow motion as my brain was trying to deny that facts. We sat in the surgical waiting room, Mike died seven times that night, seven times that night my heart shattered for my beloved. I rocked back and forth, back and forth until the doctor allowed me to go into the ICU room that my beloved man laid fighting for his life. The weeks turned into months’ for Mike and Sammy on their road to recovery. The night before Mike was to be released after six months in the hospital Jack showed up at the apartment stopping me in the parking lot where he stabbed me in my head, over and over trying to kill me in front of my little girls. I blacked out and woke up in the recovery room with machines’ attached to me. Mike was released the next day, but Sammy had to stay another six weeks.

I was released a week later, Jack was never caught for his crime and has not been seen or heard of since the attack. My father moved me and the girls up to Sebring, Florida where I lived waiting for my beloved to join me in the small country house. We would visit each other on the week ends and A year to the date of the accident that changed Mike’s life I received a visit from my brother Jim who had joined us up in Sebring so he and Macy could raise a family.

“Ginger, Sammy just called and he . . . “ He broke down into tears before he could finish his sentence.

I knew something horrible had happened to Mike. Tears wailed up in my eyes and my head began shaking no, no, because I did not want to hear what he was going to tell me! My hands went over my ears as I began to twirl in a circle and he grabbed me.

“Don’t you dare tell me something is wrong with Mike?” I cried out feeling fear eat my soul quickly.

“Damn it don’t make this any harder, he went to bed last night and never woke up, damn it Ginger! He died in his sleep.” He told me as he took me into his arms holding me as my body shook from my heart crumbling into a thousand pieces.

“No! No!” I wailed into the silence of the room as Macy had my children outside and their heads turned toward the house when they heard my cries.

I gave birth to an eight-pound baby girl six months later That I named Michelle after her father. He gave me part of him to still be able to hold and love. I love you Mike and always will “Forever and A Day.”

*This is not a true story and the characters are fictional, any resemblance is pure coincidence.