Page 111 of Nuts

“Brothers and sisters, listen up.”

The crowd fell silent.

“There once was a man who stood for freedom, and when he stood, he stood above the rest. He opposed only those who threatened harm on his brethren, and he died giving his life for his system of beliefs. Today, we honor that man, and his system of beliefs. Today, ladies and gentlemen, we have honor of having the daughter of Billy The Snake Schreiber in attendance.”

I fought against the tears that welled in my eyes.

He looked right at me. “Joey, can you come up here for a moment?”

I looked at Percy. My entire body shook. “I can’t…”

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll go with you.”

Together, we walked on stage. I stepped to Bama’s side, and he gave me a side-hug.

“I’d like to present the Snake’s daughter with two things today.” He handed Percy the microphone, and took the objects from under his arm. “First, I’ve got this.”

He handed me a hardbound book. “A signed copy of To Hell and Back. A book about the MC her father so faithfully represented. And, this.”

He handed me a leather vest.

“Her first kutte. It’s clean, and ready for her to patch it up with whatever she chooses.” He grinned. “Or earns.”

He extended his hand.

I clenched my fist and held it between us.

He smiled, made a fist, and tapped his knuckles against mine.

“Brothers and sisters, if you see her in the crowds today, thank her for her father’s sacrifice. If it wasn’t for him, and men like him, none of us would be here.”

He lowered the mic. “Have you got anything to say?”

I bit against my lower lip and nodded.

He handed me the microphone. “Take your time,” he whispered.

I spoke without really thinking. It seemed to come naturally, simply flowing from my mind to my mouth. “My father died when I was two. I never really knew him. My mother told me stories of his code of ethics, and how he lived his life reciting the importance of four simple words. His generation was different. Men of his era stood up for what they believed in, and they believed in very little. Words that he lived by are rarely used today. Oddly, those four simple words were his code of ethics. They assembled his system of moral beliefs. They were respect, loyalty, trust, and honor.”

I gazed out at the thousands of people and held my head high. “Today, I give respect to those who earn it. It doesn’t come easy. I respect the two men on this stage. You want my respect? Give it to me. I’ll give it in return. I am loyal to very few people. Two, to be exact. Myself and to the man at my left. For me, trust is like respect, it’s earned. The man on my left has earned it, so he gets it. Lastly, honor. Today, I honor the memory of my father. I hope some of you are able to do the same. When you leave here, show some respect to the man on your left. He just might give it back to you tenfold. Honor those who have earned your admiration, and give trust and respect only those who have earned your love.”

I handed Bama the mic.

“That about wraps it up, Brothers and Sisters,” Bama said. “We’ll be taking donations up until 5:00. If you’d like to...”

Someone shouted from the rear of the crowd.

Another joined in.

And then, another.

Over the sound of Bama talking, I couldn’t tell what they were saying. He lowered the mic and paused. Then, the crowd’s chants became clear.

“Snake! Snake! Snake! Snake!”

Some raised their fists. Others soon followed.

Within a matter of minutes, the entire crowd held their fists high.