I’d never been to Dallas before, but Eagle explained that the charity event was being held in the huge parking lot at the Texas state fairgrounds.
When we arrived, I quickly realized just how big the area was, and how many people had come along to support the fundraiser. Rows and rows of stalls lined the parking lot which looked as if it could hold upward of four thousand cars. I just stared on in awe at the amount of people and tents and fair-like games that were set up, including a semi-truck that had its covers removed to be used as a stage and housed a band.
The guard at one of the gates waved us in, and Eagle moved slowly through the wave of people as he headed for the far corner where I could see the club colors flying. Some of the public stopped and stared, kids with bright eyes holding colored balloons waved as we glided by, others turned up their noses and took their time moving out of the way.
The Brothers had set up camp in the corner of the parking lot, there were a couple of tents selling motorcycle themed clothing and souvenirs, as well as Brothers by Blood T-shirts reading “Support your Local Brothers” and club merchandise which already looked like it was selling well. A couple of the boys were manning the miniature track they had drawn out with the mini choppers that kids were lined up to ride. Optimus currently had a blushing teen girl climbing on the back of his Harley as he took her for a ride down the end of the stalls to the other side of the carpark and back.
The line of sparkling chrome motorcycles was almost blinding as Eagle pulled up and backed his ride into the formation and kicked out the stand. People who were standing around taking pictures instantly stopped and watched as we both climbed off. I saw the moment their eyes spotted the stunning detailed tank that Eagle had painted, and a young kid who must have been around nine or ten quickly rushed over, his mother trailing along behind.
“Excuse me!” the little boy called.
Eagle turned and pulled off his helmet. He crouched down on one knee. “Hey man, what’s up?”
“Micah, don’t run off like that!” his mother said as she jogged up to where the kid had come to a jerking stop. She looked at Eagle and me before she spoke, “Sorry, he’s really into motorcycles at the moment.”
“No problem,” Eagle replied before moving his eyes back to Micah. “You wanna sit on it and take a picture?”
Micah’s eyes lit up, and he turned to his mom, bouncing on his toes. “Can I Mom, please?”
His mom smiled softly, undoubtedly enjoying the way her child’s face lit up with excitement and happiness. “Of course,” she replied, pulling her cell phone from her pocket.
“Come on, little brother,” Eagle urged holding out his hand. Micah took it gleefully and allowed Eagle to lead him over to the bike. I stepped out of the way, rounding back to stand beside the mom as Eagle lifted Micah onto his bike.
He went to step away, but Micah grabbed his arm. “Will you be in the picture with me?”
Eagle seemed wary for a second but soon nodded. “Sure, man.”
Micah leaned forward and grabbed the handlebars while Eagle put a steadying hand on him and the bike.
Mom took several pictures, one after the other until she was satisfied she got one she liked. Micah turned to Eagle, rattling on about what he knew about motorcycles and asking what kind of bike it was.
“He’s very sweet for letting my boy sit on his bike, I’m sure it’s worth a lot of money,” the mother said turning to me.
I smiled. “You’ll find most of the brothers here look a little rough on the outside, but they really do care about the strength of family,” I told her, smiling as I watched Eagle hoist Micah off the bike and set him on the ground before giving him a high five.
“Don’t judge a book,” the woman said softly, and I grinned, nodding my head.
“Don’t judge a book,” I agreed.
Micah and his mother took off quickly in a wave of excitement, the young boy unable to stop talking as his mother pulled him away to look at the other stalls.
“Hey, Sky!” I turned to see Jess strutting over like she owned the place, holding a bunch of flyers in her hand. She was dressed much like I was, her hair hanging loosely and fluttering in the soft breeze. Her perfectly tanned legs on show for all to see including the vine tattoo she had which wound from her ankle all the way up her thigh, disappearing beneath her shorts. It was covered in different vibrantly colored flowers, the soft and beautiful design a contrast to the tough exterior she tried to paint on each day.
“You want to come with me to sell some raffle tickets?” she asked when she finally made it to where I was standing. She jiggled a fanny pack that was sitting low on her hips, the sounds of money rattling inside.
“Sure!” I said enthusiastically, eager to take a look around and help out since we had been so late. I turned to see Eagle still standing by his bike, chatting with Leo and Blizzard. “I’ll catch you later?” I called, not wanting to interrupt.
His head turned to me, and he lifted his chin. “Stay out of trouble. I don’t feel like diving into any burning cars to save you today.”
Leo and Blizzard both grinned, but I snapped a salute, catching the way his mouth turned up before Jess grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
I fluttered the raffle tickets in the air as we strolled down the first line of booths and tents. The entire place was filled with laughter and joy, and while after yesterday I was tempted to just head back home, I was now glad that I’d pulled up my big girl panties and come to help out the club.
Every dollar they raised today was going to the child cancer charity, even after all the money they had spent to get here, the club refused to take any of it to help pay for their own costs. I admired that deeply within our boys. I knew they had other motives to be here, but when it counted, they were all in to do what they could to maybe make someone else’s life a little fuller.
Jess and I managed to sell quite a few tickets as we soldiered down each row of booths. Mostly they came from men who were using the excuse to flirt with us, or kids who heard about the prize we were giving away—a custom designed dirt bike that a member of another chapter had built himself.
There were other clubs here with booths and activities too, none quite as big as ours, but still, a solid effort to do what they could. Most of them noted the name on our shirts and nodded as we passed, others chose to ignore us altogether which was perfectly fine with me. I didn’t want to start anything or feel like I was stepping on another clubs toes. Neither Jess nor I were entirely sure at that stage which clubs were friendly and which weren’t, so we kept to ourselves when we passed by.