They Call it The City of Angels
A New Serial Novel by Joshua A. TRILIEGI
Exclusively for Readers of BUREAU of ARTS and CULTURE and
our Three sites in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City
All National & International Copy Rights Reserved to the Author
Chapter Two: Mickey
"Look left, then right, then left again." What the hell is so difficult
about that ? Mickey muttered out loud to some mindless quack as
he skidded around the car and cranked his wrist an eighth of an inch,
which meant he was now riding from a basic twenty-five miles per
hour to the preferred forty-five along the coast of Malibu and on
into Venice beach where he kept a shop that tended strictly to Harley-
Davidson's. Mickey was a third generation biker, his Dad had known
some pretty serious guys back in the day. His grandfather had driven
a Harley from Washington State clear down to Southern California
back in the nineteen forties before going off to war, with the rest of
his generation. Back when Mickey was a kid, bikers were hated and
or feared by the general populist. Now, everybody and their grandma
wants to claim some piece of this heritage. His old man fixed bikes for
some of the well known biker gangs throughout California, but he never
actually signed up, if you know what I mean. What they call a civilian.
When his old man left town for a month, which turned into a decade,
Mickey finally took a crow bar to the lock on the old man's wood shed,
found his tools and started a business of his own. It wasn't one of
those
places with a big neon sign or anything like that, he just fixed bikes
for
guys in the neighborhood and eventually had a couple dozen regulars
and that was it. He had been offered partnerships before by local shops,
investors, squares with enough money to set him up well, but simply
didn't want the hassle. " As soon as you take their money, they own
you." That was his usual reply, but lately he'd gotten tired of the
bullshit.
Guys not paying what they owed, insurance companies not releasing
the funds on time, just cause they knew he was an unofficial Harley
repairman, as opposed to the guys with the big signs out front. Part
of him rejected the whole idea of middle America embracing the Harley
phenomenon. The other part of him knew it was good for business and
just might bring the company back into a thriving system, where bikers
could get some respect again. So, when a local rich kid offered him
10,000 dollars to expand the shop, he took it. Reluctantly, accepted a
chance to buy some new tools, get bonded, insured, even had the business
officially certified with a doing business as 'Mickey's Motorcycles'
license.
Some people said Mickey's old man had gone to Mexico, others figured
he got caught up in some kind of deal gone awry. There was talk that he
was overseas, Amsterdam maybe. No one knew for sure. He had stopped
thinking about it a few years back. Mickey made the house payments, took
care of his grandmother and tolerated his Mothers new boyfriends as best
he could. So much had changed since they were kids, growing up in Venice
beach. Back then it was mostly poor folks, now the place was turning
into
something else: well known actors, architects, airline pilots. It was a
good
thing his old man bought the place otherwise Mickey and his girlfriend,
Moon, would have been out of that neighborhood years ago. They lived a
block and a half away from Dennis Hopper's house & when Hopper bought
a Harley, Mickey was the guy he brought it to. Who didn't want to hang
out with Dennis Hopper? Mickey had creds on the street and in the hills,
which was kind of rare. He had clients up and down the coast and didn't
mind much making house calls, even if it took a couple days. He'd crash
out on the couch or garage or guest house until the job was done. Most
guys liked his company and liked to hear him wax poetic about the early
days of Rock and Roll, his mom had been the manager of several bands
up in the bay area and he knew just about everyone from Jerry Garcia's
to The Moby Grape's. People would say that Mickey was made from a
kind of American counter culture royalty. But, he shunned all that talk.
One of those quiet throw backs, except when it came to Moon, his only
truly admittedly obsessive relationship. Whatever she wanted, she got.
Moon was his first and only love. Once they had broken up for a day and
a half during high school graduation. A Friday night and all of
Saturday,
by Sunday morning, they were back together and never looked back.
As he pulled into the driveway, he glanced over to find his mother's new
boyfriend's red convertible, the passenger side windshield was riddled
with
what looked like bullet holes, upon closer inspection, he realized the
holes
were made with stiletto heels kicked from the inside out. "Here we go."
he thought, as he turned off the bike and figured, o.k. this generator
is
fixed. He knew there was something brewing, so he quietly strolled past
the front house and headed straight for Pop's shed. Always a safe
refuge.
But there in the back yard was the boyfriend wearing nothing more than
a pair of Ray-Bans and in a see through nighty, his Mom attending the
barbeque. " For christ sake Mag, what if Calley walks back here ?"
who momentarily turns in his direction, " Oh Mick, grow up will ya ? "
She had been telling him that since the time he was ten years old :
"Your not a kid anymore mick, your ten years old now, grow up."
He did. Got back on the bike, which he hadn't planned on returning
to his client till tomorrow, ripped up Pacific Coast Highway and on
into Zuma Beach, collected his fee and instead of getting a ride from
Jay, simply hopped on the Bus and called it a day. That's when he
noticed a beach comber who sure looked a lot like his dad. "That's
impossible. Must be going nuts. I gotta get out of here." He did.
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