Outlaw Nation Ch 2

In the garage out in the back of the Bar-B-Que joint, Buddy and Roger sat and ate their pulled pork sandwiches and sipped cold beer. Buddy told Roger a little bit about himself.

He served with the Marines and returned home from Viet Nam himself less than a year ago. Buddy wasn't drafted into service. Like his Father and Uncles before him, who served with the corps in Europe during World War 2, he signed up freely out of a sense of duty to the nation. He was carrying on a long standing tradition within his family by enlisting in the Marine Corps. He kind of half chuckled, half snorted as he told Roger this. “I thought I was doing the right thing. The honorable thing”. Then he paused in silence for a moment and took another pull on his beer. “What did I know? What did any of us know? We figured it out pretty quickly though. We weren't fighting to keep our nation safe from some foreign threat. We weren't fighting to stamp out the red hoard of communist oppression, as our Fathers had done in their war”. More silence. Buddy was starting to get slightly agitated. Then he shifted gears slightly to change his mood. “Well, I don't have to tell you all that. I'm sure you got your own take on things over there”. Again he paused. Roger was enjoying his sandwich and wasn't saying much. Buddy asked him, “Have you ever ridden a motorcycle Roger”? Roger, wiped his mouth with his napkin and took a sip of his beer before answering. “A little bit. In country we rented them a couple times in Saigon on leave”. Buddy smiled. “Hey, let's you and me go for a ride. I want to show you something”.

Buddy pointed to a 1963 duo Glide parked in front of the garage door. “You think you can handle that scooter there”? Roger answered. “I reckon so. It's bigger than anything I've been on, but why not”. Buddy smiled. “That's the spirit Bro. I think you're going to enjoy it”. Then he yelled over toward the back door to the bar. “Tiny”. The big man appeared in seconds. “What's up Boss”, he responded. “Roger and me are fixin to take a little ride. Any objections to him borrowing your sled for an hour or so”? Tiny looked at Buddy and then at Roger. He slapped Roger on the back of his shoulder almost sending him to the ground. “No objections at all Boss. I think he can handle it OK”. Then he looked at Roger and said, “Don't you be puttin no scratches on it now. And if you need gas , make sure you put in high test. I always only run high test”. Buddy interrupted, “Don't you worry about a thing now. We'll take real good care of your baby”. He briefed roger and the gearing and shifting sequence and the two rolled out and up the road. As they were riding along Roger felt relaxed. An unfamiliar peace washed over him as he sped along on the cool ,sunny, early Autumn day. The coolness invigorated his senses, while the sunshine warmed his face. He felt alive. Relaxed, and invigorated. And alive. He couldn't help but think to himself how much he enjoyed just rolling along in the wind.

Buddy pulled off the road up in the hills. He killed the motor to his 67 Electra Glide and coasted to a stop on a gravel pull off near the road. Roger followed him in. The two men dismounted and walked over to the guard rail and looked out and down into the valley where the Hudson river flowed through below. “You know”, said Buddy/ “When I got back from serving my country, I got spit on at the airport. I got called baby killer. I never killed no babies. I'll tell you another thing. I'm no fascist either. Or communist for that matter. I'm American all the way. I love my country. All I did in country during my service was my duty. I did what the higher ups ordered us to do. I didn't commit any crimes against humanity as the hippies claim some did. I just don't understand why the nation hates us so much for fighting in this war. I don't know about the politics driving it all. Hell, I was just a Marine doing what I was told to do. Doing what I was trained to do”. Roger nodded in agreement as he listened. Recalling his own experiences , he understood where Buddy was coming from. “You know, Roger. When I came back I couldn't even find a decent job. I applied everywhere I could think of. I worked a couple minimum wage jobs briefly. I did some odd jobs for people too for a while. It was hard”. Roger considered what Buddy was telling him. “Yeah, A few of my buddies came back to all the same stuff. I'm not looking forward to it either. Nor sure what I'm going to do myself. I just want to take some time to try to figure it all out”. Buddy nodded in agreement. “Yeah, take your time. You just got back. Relax. Have some fun. There's plenty of time for all this serious stuff”. Roger just continued to look out over the valley and the river below. 'You know Roger”? Buddy asked. You got some specialized skills. That's obvious by the way you handled yourself with my boys this afternoon”. He chuckled. “I never seen Tiny go down so quick and so hard. I'm going to share something with you Roger. I have a plan for this area. A vision of sorts. I'm going to make my own destiny. My own future. I'm done being a pawn in someone else's game Brother. You think about that, and about your own future in this nation that has nothing but disdain and hatred for us. Then think about the possibility of being a part of that vision. There could be a place for you in it if that's something you would be interested in. You don't have to say anything. Just think about it”. Roger nodded and told his new friend, “I will think about it. I've been thinking a lot about what the future holds for me recently”. He paused. “yes, I will think about it all”. Buddy slapped him on the back. “let's head back. I'm sure tiny is pacing back and forth worried sick about you dumping his bike”. Both men laughed. Then Buddy told Roger. “We are hosting a little party tonight at the bar. I'd love it if you would be my guest. I think you'll have fun. We even have a place for you to stay the night. There's a loft above the garage out back. It ain't much but it will keep the rain off your head. There's a cot up there. If you open up the big hay door, it faces east, you will get a beautiful sunrise to wake up too in the morning. Or if it's a long night and you want to sleep in, just make sure the door is shut when you crash. You are welcome to stay for a few days while you're thinking about my offer. If you decide not to take me up on it, one of the boys will bring you to the bus station in town when you are ready”. Roger nodded, “A party sounds good. I'd love to spend the night”.

The two men mounted their rides and fired up the engines. Buddy revved his motor and dumped the clutch as he whole shot-ted out onto the road sending gravel flying behind him. Roger smiled and followed him into the soothing peaceful wind and sunshine of the ride back to the bar.

Outlaw Nation Ch1
https://steemit.com/fiction/@timmo3663/outlaw-nation-a-prequel-to-emp-series-grid-down