I Know It Took A While... (Rose)

[fear_the_rider]

Tommy Templeton pulled up to his motel at the edge of town and killed the engine on his bike. Between helping the others on the semi-team he was on and his own personal business for The Boss, he hadn't a lot of time to himself in the last few months. The situation down in New Orleans was a nice break and Kassi helped out, but Tommy still wasn't in a good place.

He loped up the steps to the room and closed the door behind him, dropping his bag on the floor. He set the 24-pack of beer on the small table to his right, determined to get started as soon as he laid down for a moment. A wave of fatigue hit him just then, the result of pushing too hard for too long. He needed to call Joe. He needed to call Roxanne about Joe. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and a slip of paper fell to the floor. Probably another receipt. Need to keep those for when I file...

He bent down and picked up the slip of paper and turned it over.

Rose: XXX-XXX-XXXX

"Oh man. How did you forget to call her?" he said to no one in particular.

We have no time to indulge in petty fantasy.

"Yeah, I know." Tommy said, pulling his phone from his pocket. He dialed the number.

He hoped she'd pick up.

Comments

[wild_child]

"Logan-ing up and talking to Pops about it," Rose said. "I been, ah, I been kinda avoiding him... avoiding everybody, really, since we got back."

[fear_the_rider]

"If he hid it from you, sounds like he had a good reason. I bet the last thing he wanted was for you to shut down and shut everyone out." Tommy said.

"Your friends that were with you...are you talkin' to them about it?" he asked.

[wild_child]

"Little bit," Rose said. "Couple of m' other friends too..."

She shook her head again. "I come by broodin' natural-like. Or close enough to it. Pops is the same way sometimes."

[fear_the_rider]

"Well, closed mouths don't get fed, Rose. Bite the bullet and talk to your old man. No matter what he tells you, at least you'll know. Isn't that better than imaginin' the worst all the time?" he asked.

Tommy felt like a hypocrite telling Rose to find out about her father when he didn't have the courage to do the same about his. Maybe if it turned out well for her, he'd think about it.

[wild_child]

She nodded. "Yeah. I know. Used ta think I was pretty fearless... but this scares th' heck outta me."

[fear_the_rider]

"You seem pretty fearless to me, Manhattan Rose. I think you're gonna land on your feet on this one." he said.

[wild_child]

"Hey, that's SOP fer me," Rose said. "I get knocked down, but I get up again."

[fear_the_rider]

"Besides that bad news, how is everything else going for you?"

[wild_child]

"Not too shabby," Rose said. "Nearly caused a friend of mine ta have a panic attack just by lookin' at him. Course, I was sorry about it, but it's kinda funny now."

[fear_the_rider]

Tommy's eyebrows raised when she mentioned giving someone a panic attack with a simple look.

His mind went back to a time, not long ago, when he'd done something similar. His adopted mother was still sitting in a mental hospital, screaming her head off daily, from what he heard.

"Panic attack, huh? Let's agree that we won't give each other a panic attack if we just look at each other. What do you say?" he asked with a grin.

[wild_child]

There was nothing supernatural about Rose. She could just be that darn scary. Plus, Dolemeck was the nervous type anyway.

She grinned. "Ya got yerself a deal, Tommy-Boy."

[fear_the_rider]

"You up for a few games of pool tonight?" he asked.

[wild_child]

"Is th' Pope Catholic?" she asked with a grin.

[fear_the_rider]

"Now that's the what I like to hear, Manhattan Rose. Let's eat and then I'll take you somewhere for the real fun." Tommy said.

They'd order dinner and eat. Tommy would take care of the tab before offering Rose his arm.

"There's a bar down the street. Pretty much a dive, which is my favorite kind of bar."

[wild_child]

In a move that would have had anyone who knew her's eyes bugging out, Rose took her arm. Most people would be pretty surprised to know there was a real feeling girl under that gruff exterior.

"Is there any other kind?" she asked.

[fear_the_rider]

"I hear there are different ones but I wouldn't know. I'd never go to anything but a dive bar." Tommy laughed.

They left the bar and headed down the street to Aces and Eights Tavern.

Tommy secured them a table and a pitcher of beer, ostensibly for himself.

"I'll rack and you break. Meanwhile, I'll start with Twenty Questions." Tommy said.

"What kind of guy are you into?" he asked, getting the balls set for Rose to play.

[wild_child]

Rose grabbed a cue stick and carefully chalked it off, starting to line up her shot.

She wasn't expecting the question, but she was good about not letting it show. "Honestly?" she asked. "I like a guy who doesn't mind livin' on the wild side. Guy who likes ta have a good time."

[fear_the_rider]

"Fair enough. It's hard meetin' people like that in this day and age. Everyone's afraid of pissin' someone off so people don't talk about what they want. So they don't go for it." Tommy said.

"How wild is wild, though? There's run-down-a-street-naked wild and then there's I-got-arrested-for-this-wild." Tommy said.

[wild_child]

Rose took her shot, sinking a solid ball in the process.

"More like the second," she said. "Kinda guy who thinks a bar brawl ain't a bad way ta spend an evenin'."

[fear_the_rider]

Tommy laughed loudly at that. This was too perfect.

"Gunfights and bar brawls are Monday through Friday night things for me. I've been in more of each than I've had birthdays." he said.

[wild_child]

Rose snickered a bit herself, though she missed her next shot.

"Ya do live an interestin' life, Tommy-Boy."

[fear_the_rider]

"Indeed I do, though not fully by choice. My...partner usually has me doin' somethin' crazy most of the time." he told her, chalking his cue.

He moves to take his shot and knocks down a red striped ball, followed by a blue-striped ball.

"I come from a small town in the Midwest. Bar fights were really the only thing you could do that wasn't staying at home."

[wild_child]

Rose laughed. "Only good part of the mid-west is th' U.P. of Michigan. And only then 'cause yer nearly in Canada."

[fear_the_rider]

"I've been all over America but I haven't been to Canada yet. What's your favorite part?"

[wild_child]

"Just about all of it," Rose said, "But I really love the wide open spaces. Plenty of room ta just run wild, get away from people, all the distractions."