Free Return To Forever by James Frishkey

battle line was drawn. “If you can afford a motorcycle then you can afford to live on your own. The day you get a bike is the day you move out.” His dad’s words left no wiggle room so Joe would make the necessary arrangements when that day arrived.

 
    CHAPTER 15
    W hen Joe lay in his bed at night he would often think about Mary and how she hurt him more than any VC bullet could have. Did she go through with the marriage? Who was the guy? Did she graduate? Where was she living? As much as he tried to put her out of his thoughts, some little thing would trigger a memory and put him in a dark place.
    One day upon returning home from work his mother handed him a box wrapped in brown paper, probably taken from used grocery bags. The box was addressed to Joe. There was no return address written anywhere on the box. He put it on the kitchen table, opened a beer, and sat down staring at this mystery package. “Open it, Joe”, his mother urged. Something told Joe he should be alone when he opened it and he picked it up and took it to his room.
    After tearing off the brown paper, he saw that it was a woman’s shoe box. As he slowly lifted the lid, he saw a large graduation picture…of himself…staring back at him. Reading what was written on the back confirmed it was the picture he had given Mary. Under the picture was every gift he had ever given to her…the blue star sapphire ring, the diamond heart pendant and other important mementos of his love for her. That was it. No note…nothing. A final knife in his heart.
    When his mother entered his room she found him sobbing quietly, the box and its contents strewn across his bed. She was beside herself with hatred after figuring out who sent the box. How could someone be so cruel and thoughtless? Her son had been through so much. He didn’t need this heartache to continue.
    Joe didn’t have much to say to anyone for the next few days. He gave the box and its contents to his mother and told her to do whatever she wanted with it. Joe tried to bury the pain in his music. Each night he would go to the basement, plug in his Gibson 335 and play. He had a small transistor radio and would tune in to an underground FM station and play to whatever song came out.
    For weeks Clark had been pestering Joe about forming a band together. Maybe now was the right time. Clark’s family home was on ten acres situated on the top of a small hill. Along the back of the property were two small apartments, originally built for the live-in help they used to employ. One of the apartments would be a great practice studio and making deafening noise wouldn’t disturb a soul. Joe knew a great young drummer who could be recruited quickly. He told Clark that if he could convince his sister to play keyboards he would front the band. When Clark approached the ice princess she said she would sit in on their first practice but would not commit. That was good enough for Joe.
    —
    In April Joe had enough money saved to purchase his motorcycle. After much research and shopping he decided on a Triumph Bonneville 650. It was a British bike, a sister to Norton and BSA but with better lines. A couple of weeks before, he talked to Clark after practice about the possibility of moving in to one of the apartments. He explained the ultimatum his dad had given him and was willing to pay a reasonable rent and share of the utilities.
    Clark warmed to the idea immediately and even suggested they become roommates and share the unit which had two bedrooms. They were using the large living room as the practice area. There was no garage but there was a huge barn to store the tractor that was needed to control the grass in the summer and plow the long drive way in winter. Joe could keep his bike in there where it would be protected from the elements.
    And so the stage was set for Joe’s final confrontation with his father who secretly always wanted a motorcycle but was too proud to share in his son’s experience…hard ass