Status: Unpaused!
The "Z" Word
Bike
Paulo removed the tarp and Slater squealed, "Grandpa's bike!" She ran over to the black Harley Davidson and ran her fingers along it.
"It was sitting in here collecting dust. I thought you'd like to have it, and I'm sure he'd want you to have it." He paused to look at his daughter's smiling face. When Slater was younger and she'd come to the river house with her grandparents, her and her grandfather would go for a ride on his motorcycle every evening before dinner. "It doesn't run, but I'm sure you can fix it."
Slater nodded, not bothering to look at her dad. She was still mesmerized by the motorcycle.
She spent the rest of the day in the garage listening to old CDs she had left in her room upstairs while she worked on the motorcycle. Daryl was outside and could hear the music coming from the garage so he walked in. Slater was kneeling down near the front of the bike with a monkey wrench in hand working on it. "Nice bike," he said to her.
She stood and looked at him, "Thanks. It was my grandpa's."
Daryl nodded but didn't reply.
She smiled, "So is the one in the back of your truck yours or your brother's?"
"Mine."
"Well, maybe we could go for a ride sometime."
Daryl nodded again, "So you and your grandfather were pretty close?"
Slater nodded, "When I was little we'd go for a ride on his bike every evening. I thought he was so wonderful."
"Are they...dead now?"
"Yeah. My grandma died of cancer....he died of a broken heart."
Daryl raised one eyebrow, not understanding how that was possible.
Slater took notice and explained, "After she died he became very depressed, and he died the day after her funeral. They were so in love." She smiled at the memory of her grandparents. "Even the most cold-hearted person couldn't help but smile when in their presence because they radiated love and happiness." She walked over to a small table and picked up a picture, which she handed to Daryl. It was of a couple in their late fifties, standing barefoot on the river bank outside. The woman had her arms around the man's neck and they were smiling. "This was them."
"They looked very happy," he handed the picture back to Slater and she sat it back down on the table.
"I always...I always wanted to find a love like their's, but....I guess that's not going to happen now." With her back turned to Daryl, Slater took a deep, ragged breath and tried to fight the tears.
"Did you...did you have a boyfriend before everything went crazy?"
Slater shook her head, "No, but there was this one guy....Isaac, he was so sweet, but he was really quiet, kept to himself a lot. He had the most amazing blue eyes I'd ever seen." She turned around to face Daryl, "They were almost the same shade of yours." She smiled again, thinking about her crush. "What about you? Did you have a girl to call your own?"
Daryl shook his head, "No. It's always been just me and Merle."
They stood there in silence for awhile before Slater decided she was finished working on the bike for the day and wanted to go inside to get something to eat. Daryl followed her into the house and sat down in the empty living room. Everyone else had wandered outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
"It was sitting in here collecting dust. I thought you'd like to have it, and I'm sure he'd want you to have it." He paused to look at his daughter's smiling face. When Slater was younger and she'd come to the river house with her grandparents, her and her grandfather would go for a ride on his motorcycle every evening before dinner. "It doesn't run, but I'm sure you can fix it."
Slater nodded, not bothering to look at her dad. She was still mesmerized by the motorcycle.
She spent the rest of the day in the garage listening to old CDs she had left in her room upstairs while she worked on the motorcycle. Daryl was outside and could hear the music coming from the garage so he walked in. Slater was kneeling down near the front of the bike with a monkey wrench in hand working on it. "Nice bike," he said to her.
She stood and looked at him, "Thanks. It was my grandpa's."
Daryl nodded but didn't reply.
She smiled, "So is the one in the back of your truck yours or your brother's?"
"Mine."
"Well, maybe we could go for a ride sometime."
Daryl nodded again, "So you and your grandfather were pretty close?"
Slater nodded, "When I was little we'd go for a ride on his bike every evening. I thought he was so wonderful."
"Are they...dead now?"
"Yeah. My grandma died of cancer....he died of a broken heart."
Daryl raised one eyebrow, not understanding how that was possible.
Slater took notice and explained, "After she died he became very depressed, and he died the day after her funeral. They were so in love." She smiled at the memory of her grandparents. "Even the most cold-hearted person couldn't help but smile when in their presence because they radiated love and happiness." She walked over to a small table and picked up a picture, which she handed to Daryl. It was of a couple in their late fifties, standing barefoot on the river bank outside. The woman had her arms around the man's neck and they were smiling. "This was them."
"They looked very happy," he handed the picture back to Slater and she sat it back down on the table.
"I always...I always wanted to find a love like their's, but....I guess that's not going to happen now." With her back turned to Daryl, Slater took a deep, ragged breath and tried to fight the tears.
"Did you...did you have a boyfriend before everything went crazy?"
Slater shook her head, "No, but there was this one guy....Isaac, he was so sweet, but he was really quiet, kept to himself a lot. He had the most amazing blue eyes I'd ever seen." She turned around to face Daryl, "They were almost the same shade of yours." She smiled again, thinking about her crush. "What about you? Did you have a girl to call your own?"
Daryl shook his head, "No. It's always been just me and Merle."
They stood there in silence for awhile before Slater decided she was finished working on the bike for the day and wanted to go inside to get something to eat. Daryl followed her into the house and sat down in the empty living room. Everyone else had wandered outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.