Shea & War

Chapter 17

Tacos, Transmissions, Tires And A Tentative Truce

Shea

"How much homework do you guys have tonight?  What about the paper you're working on Rock?"  I ask as I lean against the doorway into the garage.  The boys, along with Dog and Cam are working on the transmission of Tells car, while a deep discussion on the cost of 'fucking good tires' versus the price of tires good enough to 'just get her on the road'.  Apparently the dreams of radical off roading in monster sized tires are just dreams, especially with the cost of the transmission repairs.  

"Dude, I thought you said you finished that paper?  The one on physics in the financial world?"  War asks as he slides out from under the car, huh, I didn't even know he was here.

"Yeah, I told you that Dev helped me with it, it was kind of cool, interesting at least the way Dev talked about it.  Boring as fuck when we were learning about it in class."   Rock responds with animation and a little pride in his voice.

"That teacher is such a skinny little prick, he was a total ass when I was in school, he hated your dad, but man, he totally had it in for your uncle!  He couldn't stand that Jax and Rocky weren't his version of 'dumb little biker shits', he'd fuck with them and any of the club kids he could.  He wasn't as bad on the girls, in fact he even liked a few, not in a pervy way, but he never fucked with their grades like he did the guys."  War is laughing, then proceeds to share a few stories that I've never heard, so I'm just enjoying the walk down memory lane when they all turn and look at me.

"What?  You think I'm not aware that Mr. Allen is a total jerk?  I remember dealing with him, he really, really didn't want me to succeed in his class, but I was just too smart!"  I laugh at the memories of the uptight teacher finally giving in to the fact that not only was I smart enough to pass, and ace his class, but I also truly enjoyed the subject as well.  After a few months, we reached an unspoken agreement where he stopped trying to make me stumble, and instead started teaching me.  Lessons were learned on both sides, he learned not all bikers are stupid mouth breathing drugged up sluts, and I learned that even though stereotypes are unfair, sometimes you have to put in extra effort and time to be seen as who you really are.  

"You had Mr. Allen?  He didn't tell me that!  He just asked if I was related to the 'biker Lincoln brothers', I said yeah, and not to rest cuz he's getting my brother and cousins in his class soon.  He said he'd retire before he had to deal with more Lincolns."  Rock walks over to the tool bench, and starts scrounging around for something.  He stalls a bit, then heads back to the parts laid out on a corner of the garage.  I know he's working up to something, so I act like I'm not aware, and start talking with Dog about his car, which is now sitting in the driveway, on blocks.  Apparently we're now 'that house', the one with many cars on blocks, and very few of them with the possibility of running soon.

"Were dad and Uncle Jax really smart?  They always seemed that way to me, but I was just a kid.  Tell is a fucking genius, I'm smart enough, and who knows about the girls, they're still in elementary school.  But you're super smart Aunt Shea, so I guess my dad and Uncle Jax were too?"  The vulnerable way that Rock is asking, breaks my heart.  I wish he could remember all the wonderful parts of his parents, uncle and aunt, but I guess that's one of my jobs now, to reinforce those memories and share things they never knew.

Tell and the boys are all quiet, waiting to hear what I share.  Cam and Dog quietly supporting their best friends, Rock and Tell eagerly looking forward to new aspects of their dad being brought to life, yep, the pressure is on me to deliver.

"Your Dad and Jax were almost genius level guys, they were also too smart for their own good sometimes.  But honestly, they breezed through school, took college classes when they graduated, but that wasn't where they wanted to be.  They had both been working for club businesses long before they finished school, so they knew what they wanted to do, and they worked hard for it."  I smile at them, knowing they want to hear the dirty that my brothers got into, but I also want to share how hard they worked for the lives they gave us.