Tony's wasn't crowded since it was a weeknight. If it had been a weekend we would have needed reservations a week in advance. The dinning room was dark and cozy. It was decorated with Italian art works and marvel statures. Bryan was sitting alone in a booth having a drink and smoking a cigarette. The ashtray in front of him was almost filled with his spent butts.
"Gee, Bryan, I said how long have you been here. It looks like you've smoked over half a pack."
"Na, it's only been about twenty minutes but you know I smoke more when I'm drinking."
Just about everytime I'd ever seen Bryan he was drinking, so his statement of smoking more when drinking was almost impossible to refute. It was true, however that he usually did both simultaneously and constantly.
"Did you see my bike," Bryan asked.
"Yeah, it's a beauty. How long did it take to get it back together," I asked.
"Well, I had it for six months but I only actually worked on it for a total of seven hours."
Seven hours, I thought! A forty-one hundred-dollar profit for seven hours of work, not bad. One of these days I got to learn to fix bikes.
"Sorry, to hear about Dan," Bryan said to me. I heard you were there when it happened?"
"Yeah, it was definitely scary shit," I said.
"I'll bet are you going to the funeral," Bryan asked.
"He's not even dead yet. Is he?"
"I'm sorry, I thought you knew," Bryan said.
"No, I hadn't heard but I knew he was being taken off life support, so it's not a big surprise."
"Still, you shouldn't have to heard it this way," Bryan said.
"Hey, Bryan don't sweat it, I'm glad I found out from a fellow friend of his."
Bryan had partied with Dan many times over the years. Dan main priority in life had been to have a good time and Bryan shared in these hedonistic pursuits.
"When's the funeral," I asked Bryan.
"Sunday at 11 a.m.," he said.
"That's the day we're leaving."
I turned toward Bill.
"I've got to attend the funeral," I told Bill.
"Sure, I understand, besides Bryan and I are going too. We'll leave after the service, Bill said."
"Ah, no offense Bill but are you suppose to crash a funeral."
"Mr.Frostberg said that he wanted everyone who knew Dan to attend."
"He did? I asked.
"Yeah, the time I went to the hospital with you."
"Oh, right now I remember," I said. I actually didn't remember any thing of the kind, but the subject was starting to depress me and I didn't wish to pursue it.
The waitress came to our table with a bubbly spark of light that was startling to us. She had dark hair and blue eyes. To me this was always a very appealing combination. Her breast were young, firm and succulent. Her nipples were erect and protruded through her tight, colorful, Italian dress in the most delightful way. Concentration became impossible and whatever subject we were discussing was quickly forgotten. Bill and I ordered a bottle of red wine with our meal. Bryan ordered a gin & tonic, and lit another cigarette. When the waitress left with our orders we regained the ability to think and speak. I wondered if women actually understood how much power they had over men. I was pretty sure they understood only to well.
Bill told us he had more information on our destination point in Alaska. The name of the town was Homer. It was located on the southeast tip of the Kenai Peninsula on Kachemak Bay. Homer, I was told, was located a few hundred miles west of Anchorage. Anchorage was the only area that Bill mentioned that I'd ever heard of before.
"Homer only has about four thousand residents and is suppose to be on of the most beautiful places on the planet," Bill said.
"What's the temperature like?" Bryan asked.
"This time of year it should be in the mid-fifties with sunshine till near midnight every evening."
"It sounds nice," Bryan said.
I was surprise, for some reason I thought it was some bone chilling experience awaiting us. I guess the Alaska's winters made me assume that it was some arctic wasteland.
"What about the job at the fishery did get anymore information on it?" I asked.
"Yeah, the shift starts at 4 a.m. and will usually end around 2 p.m. The town is known as the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World," which should give you an idea of how important the fishing industry is to the economy.
"Where do we stay when we get there? I asked.
"I thought you and I could camp out till we earned enough money for a cabin. If everyone else wants a cabin first thing we could use credit cards to chip in, instead. There is camping and cabins on Homer Spit, which is within a few miles of the fishery.
"How about toilets and showers," Bryan asked.
I was a bit surprised he was even concerned.
"City maintained facilities are located right at the camp site," Bill replied.
"Do you think we're going to be able to fit all of the supplies into Amy's Jeep? I asked.
"It's going to be tight, Bill said. I created a list of everything I think we'll need. Take a look and let me know if you have anything to be add."
He handed be the list:
Camping Equipment:
Tents, sleeping bags, ground mat, tarp, rope, can food, cooking kit, plates, water, knife, plastic flatware, cleaning supplies, blankets, sterno, maps, compass, water proof matches, air mattress, canteen, first aid kit, flashlight.
It seemed to me that the list covered about everything. I couldn't think of anything else off hand that we would need. Bryan took a short glance at the list and began laughing.
"You boys ain't going far if this is all your taking, he said. What about tools, bike covers, oil, emergency gas, extra tires, tire gage, riding gloves, chain lubricant, gear oil, brake fluid, axle grease, spark plugs, paper towels, extra batteries, oil filters, carburetor cleaner, sunglasses, goggles, extra helmet shields, cleaning supplies? Now this is just off the top of my head, mind you, I'm sure I've missed more than I included," Bryan said.
Bill and I smiled, we realized that including Bryan was already turning out to be a sound investment. It was funny how minds worked in different ways. Bill and I thought only in terms of what we personally would need for the trip. Bryan thought of what the motorcycles needed. Of course, if the trip were to be successful both concerns would need to be met.
Amy was to arrive the next day with the Jeep. I figured we could start loading it and find out what kind of room we were looking at. We were to hook-up with Marty in Oregon and than hit Canada by way of Washington state. I asked Bill if he had mapped out the entire route.
"No, I haven't worked out all the details yet," Bill said.
"I took the liberty of mapping out a route from Seattle to Anchorage, Bryan said. I wanted to make sure all the roads were accessible. I thought we should locate the best scenery route that's right for motorcycles and not just the quickest. Now, that I know our destination I can plan the rest of the route, if you would like?
Yeah, bringing Bryan was definitely a damn good idea. Bryan asked us what bikes we were going to be riding. Bill said, he was planning to ride his Triumph Trophy 1200. I told Bryan about the "Fat Boy" I rented.
"The Triumph sounds good, Bryan said, but Tim please, reconsider taking the Harley. Those things are for show and putting around town, he said. I would spend most of the trip fixing the beast. There is a Honda ST 1100 I can get from the same guy who is going to rent me the BMW R1100RT. What's Marty planning on taking? Bryan asked."
"A '69 Indian Hammerhead," I said.
"Good God, Bryan said, are you trying to kill me. The Hammerhead is a relic. Its ancient suspension could never handle this trip and where do you think we could get parts?
Tim, let me have Marty's number, I've got to talk some sense into him."
I knew Bryan was probably right but this was hard to listen too. It's a humbling experience to learn how little you know about bikes, after over five years of riding. Plus I loved the Harley and didn't even know if it was possible to get my money back. I didn't want to mention it to Bryan but I didn't even know there was such a thing as a Honda ST 1100.
"How come you're not taking the "Max", I asked Bryan.
"It's not a touring bike. The design is strictly for short-range pleasure. Look, don't take offense but have any of you ever cruised this kind of distance before."
I knew my brother and I certainly had not but I wasn't sure about Bill.
"I took the bike as far as Florida once, Bill said, but never anything close to this kind of haul."
"Hey, I never come close to this distance either, Bryan admitted. I've gone coast to coast before, but that's nothing compared to Alaska. Just be aware we could be in for more than any of us have planned on."
Jennifer, the waitress, delivered our meals and again we were all rendered speechless. My selection of Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic was best the meal I have ever had. We were all pleased with Tony's. Bill and I had coffee drinks after dinner. While, Bryan just stayed with gin and cigarettes for desert. By the time we left the restaurant, Bryan had consumed ten drinks and twice as many cigarettes. If you ever ran across Bryan after he'd drunken, you'd never guess how much he actually consumes. He was a hard core drinker and ten glasses of gin & tonic wasn't even enough to give him a buzz. As far as I knew, Bryan had never had an accident from driving drunk. This was amazing considering that was the condition he usually rode. Bryan always refused to drive on New Years Eve. He said there were too many amateurs out there and drunk driving should be left to professionals. I knew he was just joking but in a way it seemed to be true.
We all agreed too meet at my apartment the next day for Amy's arrival. Bryan rode a long wheely from the parking lot. When the wheely finally touched down, he took off at a blistering speed. It was amazing this guy had never been arrested.
I called Liz later that same evening. I figured she had the time to have cooled off by now. There was only two days till we left for Alaska. I wanted desperately to be on good terms with Liz. She was calm and in good spirits when I called.
"Liz, I would like to apologize for some of things I said before."
"Tim I love you, and apart of me always will, but we've grown apart. I can't do this anymore. It's not healthy for either of us."
"Liz you can't seriously want to break-up over a little argument."
"Tim you know it's much more than that. When I told you I wanted to be friends only, that's what I meant."
"Yeah, you always fuck your friends," I said. I realized it was a mistake as soon as I said it.
"Sometimes they don't even have to be friends. I found strangers can actually add to the excitement."
"So, your saying you've discovered the slut lifestyle is the one for one."
"No, I'm just looking for a little bit of excitement, for a change."
I hung up the phone.
I began to realize for the first time that me and Liz might be through. We probably had broken up a dozen times since I first met her, but this was different. For one thing, I was starting to think it might be a good idea. It wasn't that I didn't want to spend my life with Liz, because did. However, sometimes it is best to let someone go and hope they discover for themselves the importance of the relationship. I thought this was one of these times. With me gone for the summer Liz would probably begin to realize we belong together. I wasn't sure if I was just trying to convince myself, or if I really believed it.
Bryan, Bill and I greeted Amy when she arrived early Saturday morning. Amy had brought a guest who she introduced to us as Tina. We were very polite with our greetings but I could tell we all wondered the same thing. Who is Tina and why is she here? The first opportunity I got alone with Amy I asked her these very questions.
"Tina is a good friend, Amy said, and I don't feel like traveling to Alaska with only a bunch of guys to talk too. Besides, you'll all be on the bikes and I ain't riding alone for six thousand miles."
I didn't care that Amy had brought another person but I was concerned that her friend would take up needed space. Tina actually seemed like a nice person. She was part Hispanic and very beautiful. She resembled the waitress who served us at Tony's. Tina was so attractive, I was afraid there could be problems. It was a long trip to Alaska and I was sure one, if not all of the guys would be trying to make the moves on her. She was a few years older than we were but still young enough to be very sexy. This made me realize that there wasn't one guy going on the trip who was in a present relationship. Marty was divorce. Bill had more women than anyone I knew, but was not in a serious relationship with anyone. Bryan would pick up the occasional one nightstand on his drunken binges but had never been in a meaningful relationship. I wasn't sure where I stood with Liz but it could no longer be referred to as permanent.
When Tina and Amy went to unpack some things, I asked Bryan and Bill if they minded Tina going.
"No problem, Bill said, she looks like better company than you two. Single, is she?"
"I never asked but don't get any ideas we will be spending lots of time together and we don't need complications."
"I don't mind if she comes, Bryan said, but we're looking at less room for supplies."
It was good to hear Bryan's mind was on supplies and not getting his dick wet. Although, he was still the one I most worried about around Tina. When Bryan was drinking he could come on pretty strong.
We all had a few beers and discussed the plans for the next day. I called Mr. Frostberg to ask if there was a problem with Amy and Tina attending their son's funeral. I felt bad requesting such a thing but the graveyard was near the highway
and it would be much easier to leave from there. Mr. Frostberg seem to be genuinely pleased that additional guest would be attending.
"Any friends of yours are friends of my family, he said. You always stood by Dan and I know he would welcome any of your family or friends."
This was not true. Dan had met Amy on a few occasions and had said "that bitch could suck the life out of any good time."
Nevertheless, I don't think he would have given a shit who went to his funeral. Dan had told me before that if he ever died they could chuck his dead carcass out with garbage for all he cared. "Life, he said, is made for the living and the dead shouldn't take up prime real estate".
After I cleared everything with Mr. Frostberg we all starting packing everything into the Jeep. We brought everything out beside the Jeep to consider the options of what to pack where. When we had lain all of our supplies out it was obvious to everyone that it wasn't going to fit. Everyone, that is except Bryan. He said there was plenty of room. If there was I sure as hell didn't see it. Bryan commenced to stuffing supplies into places I was sure they wouldn't go, but they did. He was amazing; it was like watching a magician perform. When he was done there was even extra room at the back of the Jeep. I asked what he thought we should use the extra room for then Bryan reminded me that Marty would probably have a few things of his own to bring.
After we finished packing, Bryan and I went to return the "Fat Boy" to its owner. I asked Bryan to come because I was sure he could persuade the man to see things my way.
We arrived at Fat Boy's home in the mid-afternoon. The owner was not expecting us. I was hoping the element of surprise would work in my advantage. The guy fit the stereotypical image of a Harley owner. His hair was dark long and stringy. He had a full beard, mustache and a huge beer gut. His Harley T-shirt was about two sizes to small and helped to display his enormous gut in all its glory. The fact that he was standing in the driveway of his $250,00 home beside his 1996 Toyota Camry, may had seem out of place to some, but not me, I knew the price of Harleys. The only people who could afford twenty thousand dollar bikes were either well to do business executives or drug running bikers.
Henry, the Fat Boy owner was no outlaw biker. He just enjoyed looking the part on weekends. In reality he was a successful Computer Program Consultant. He was a pampered yuppie with some sort of self-image problem. The fact that essentially he was a phony did not concern me. We all played roles in one form or another.
Henry was surprised to see me again. Nevertheless he greeted us with what seemed to be a sincere, open friendly manner. He was a likable enough sort of fellow to me. Sure, he played the bad ass biker role but at least he had the sense to find something missing with his life as a Computer Programmer. To many of us allowed our work roles to define our personalities. I thought of Norman.. He was only brought back from his walking death slumber, be ever so briefly, by accidentally killing Dan.
I could tell by Bryan's expression that he was not as acceptable to Henry's strange duel role of business executive and bad ass biker. Bryan just felt the guy wasn't authentic and shouldn't pretend to be.
