Then he stopped talking. The silence stretched. A small Toyota Corolla pulled up at the corner.
The door opened. Maylene Sullivan stepped out, leaning on the car for balance. Mrs. Davies had been the one to call her.
Maylene didn’t know any of these men. She didn’t know what was happening. She only knew her grandson was standing in the middle of it.
She walked through the parted crowd slowly, with her chin up. She stopped beside Brandon, took his hand, squeezed it once.
Brandon still hadn’t moved. His face hadn’t changed. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t smiling.
He just stood there, holding his grandmother’s hand, looking at the man he’d grown up reading about in library books. Maylene was the one whose eyes were wet.
Hank saw her. He took his helmet from under his arm and held it against his chest. A small gesture, an old one.
He gave her a single, deep nod. Ma’am. She nodded back. She didn’t say anything yet.
Hank turned back to Brandon. I told you, son. We don’t forget. I meant it.
We’ve got a few things to talk about, you and me. And your grandmother. But not here. Not in front of all this.
He looked at the news camera, then back at Brandon. Come to the shop tomorrow morning, 10:00. Bring her with you. We’ve got business.
Brandon found his voice. Yes, sir. Hank put one hand on Brandon’s good shoulder, squeezed once.
The compass ring caught the late afternoon sun. Then he turned, swung his leg back over the Panhead, and pulled his helmet down.
43 engines started at once. The street shook with it. Nobody on that block forgot the sound for the rest of their lives.
The next morning, Brandon and his grandmother stepped out of an Uber in front of the biggest custom motorcycle shop in the state.
Hank Callaway was standing at the front door with a folder in his hand. He didn’t wait for them to walk up. He came down the steps to meet them.
Mrs. Sullivan. Mr. Callaway? Thank you for coming, both of you.
He held the door open. The brass handle had the same compass design as his ring. Brandon noticed. Maylene noticed Brandon notice.
Inside the building was a converted warehouse. 15,000 square feet of polished concrete floor, exposed brick, and motorcycles.
Brandon had only ever seen these bikes in library books. Now they were 6 ft away. He didn’t reach out to touch them. He kept his hands at his sides. He kept walking.
Hank led them past the showroom and through a heavy wooden door into a back room. A long table, leather chairs, a wall of framed photographs of bikes the chapter had built over 25 years.
He pulled out a chair for Maylene, sat down across from her, set the folder on the table between them. He looked at Brandon, then at Maylene. Then he folded his hands.