Free ALWAYS FAITHFUL by Isabella

that it would be fun to teach his kids to ride a motorcycle, and a fun way to spend time with us. So I have been riding since I was about twelve.” Claire was proud of the fact that she was a serious rider, with lots of riding experience, and not just a once in a while rider.

    “It must be hard to ride with Grace and with Mike overseas….” Nic realized her mistake immediately and wished she could take it back. “I’m sorry. I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth a lot today. I’m not normally this careless,” she said. “Well, I guess I’m not this careless because I rarely have in depth conversations with many people, especially family members of other Marines.”

    Hoping to change the conversation back to motorcycles, her favorite topic, Nic asked. “So when was the last time you went for a ride?”

    “Well, let me think.” Claire put her finger to her temple dramatically, and closed her eyes as if she was in deep contemplation. “That depends on what you call a “ride”, Nic. I have a girl who lives down the street who baby-sits for me when I need to run errands and I can’t take Grace. For things like Dr.’s appointments, the gym, and stuff like that, I usually take the bike. It gives me a reason to ride since she isn’t with me and I can have a little freedom, if you know what I mean. I haven’t been on a ride for longer than, say, twenty minutes in so long that lately I take whatever I can get.”

    Nic could hear the longing in Claire’s voice, and saw the wistful look in her eyes as her fingertips played over the chrome handles. Nic was sympathetic to Claire’s plight. It had been all she could do to stay sane when she was rehabbing and wasn’t able to ride her motorcycle. Sometimes she would daydream about a trip she had taken on her bike, and although it seemed to help with the stress, it also seemed to add to the anxiety when she was frustrated with her progress. The day the doctor had given her the OK to ride again she did just that, coming home and putting on her gear as fast as she could and hopping on her bike. The problem was that while the mind was willing, the body was a different story. She found that she was using muscles that hadn’t had a workout in months and she wasn’t used to the constant tension and pressure on her shoulders, let alone the pressure on her injured hip. It took her about a month to readjust to the bike and the constant vibration the machine put on her body. After a while she didn’t notice the small discomforts caused by riding because of the relaxed state she found herself in after a ride.

    “Look, well, I was thinking….” Nic faltered, trying to stop the offer from making it to open air. Claire wasn’t a friend. She was a duty.

    “Spit it out, Nic. I won’t bite, trust me,” Claire said with a wide smile that lit up her face and made Nic’s stomach flip.

    “I was just thinking that maybe we could go for a ride sometime, I mean if you want to, that is. Maybe you could have the babysitter come over and take care of Grace and we could go for a ride, but probably not until after everything has settled down.” Realizing how insensitive she sounded she quickly back peddled. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have suggested that I was out of line. I mean with everything that is going on I’m not being very respectful.” God, how could I be so selfish? Nic pressed her lips together wishing she could put a lock on them.

    Claire only hesitated for a moment. “I would really like that, Nic. I find riding very therapeutic. It helps me process my day and relaxes me and I think I’m a better mother when I get home. So yes, let’s do it.”

    Moving to stand in front of Nic, she took Nic’s hand and held it. “And, Nic, you really need to quit apologizing every time you think you’ve said something wrong. It’s all right. I’m not that fragile, honest. Besides, you don’t really know about my relationship with Mike. I mean, well, we….” Just