Hard Rider

“Think, Maisey. There’s gotta be somewhere else Maddy would go. Someone she trusts? A favorite place?”

“Oh! Of course!” I cried, grabbing Jesse’s hand and running back to his car. “Eddie! I bet she went to see Eddie!”

JESSE

“He’s not answering,” Maisey said, her voice quivering in fear as she hung up her phone. I glanced over at her as Grady raced through the neighborhood towards Eddie’s house. I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it.

“We’ll find her,” I said.

“Maybe I should call the police?” she asked.

“How far are we from Eddie’s?”

“About two minutes,” she replied.

“If she isn’t there, we’ll call the police,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

Her eyes were frantically searching every corner and alley we passed. “She’s everything to me.”

“I know, Maisey. Stay calm. She’s upset, that’s all.”

“She’s never done this before…” her voice trailed off.

“What did you tell her?” I asked. “About me? About her father?”

“I didn’t really have to say much. She never asked a lot of questions. I just told her you weren’t in our lives, that it was just the two of us. It’s always been like that, she didn’t know any different.”

“I see,” I replied, biting my tongue. I was angry, that much was undeniable. But I would deal with my anger later because right now none of that mattered, and I knew it. The past was the past. I had to deal with what was in front of me right now and nothing more. Once we found Maddy, we’d come to terms with everything else one thing at a time. Miraculously, my anger was being overshadowed by worry and love.

“Jesse, I’m so sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing at the time,” Maisey said, her voice full of sorrow and regret.

“We were just kids, Maisey. We both were. You should have come to me, we would have figured things out together. You didn’t have to do it alone.”

“I told myself it was the right thing to do, it was the only way,” she said, shaking her head. I took a minute to watch the tears streaming down her beautiful face. “I was so wrong. I fucked everything up.”

“Maisey, stop it. We’ll figure this out,” I squeezed her hand harder. “We’re together now. That’s all that matters. The past is in the fucking past.Right now, we just need to focus on finding Maddy and getting her to the best doctors in Colorado. I know all the leading specialists.”

“I never even thought of it being genetic, Jesse,” she said. “You’re so healthy… So strong…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Maisey. You did what you thought was right at the time. That’s the best any of us can do.”

“You’re amazing,” she said, looking over at me.

“So are you, babe,” I replied. “You’ve been strong for so long. Let me be the strong one now, okay?”

She nodded, the tears flowing faster now, as she squeezed my hand back.

Two minutes later, we pulled up in front of a pink bungalow with purple trim, surrounded by elaborate and meticulous gardens on each side, and a huge rainbow flag hanging by the front porch. Grady parked in front of it, and Maisey jumped out, running up the curved walkway and ringing the bell. I followed behind her, my heart racing as we waited.

“Eddie!” Maisey pounded on the front door and after a few seconds, a very large, very made-up man in a gold sequined floor-length gown answered the door.

“She’s here! She’s here, calm down!” he said, his voice high and feminine as he flung open the door, gesturing for us to come in. “She’s upset and she’s in my back den, but she’s calming down now. Best to let her be for a bit. I was just getting ready for work,” he said, as we walked in past him. His gaze raked over me like I was a pork chop on a platter, and I cringed when he licked his lips. “Who are you, pretty boy?”

“Eddie, this is my friend, Jesse,” Maisey said.

“Jesse, huh? You look familiar - oh, yes!” Eddie exclaimed. “Jesse Colorado! I saw you in an underwear ad in GQ, last month, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, I guess. Nice to meet you, Eddie,” I said, extending my hand. Eddie gripped it strongly, pumping it up and down as he looked at me suspiciously. “Why are you here, exactly?”

“I - um, well —,” I was at a loss for words, and I looked over to Maisey for help.

“Jesse and I went to high school together,” Maisey explained.

“Uh-huh? And?” he asked.

“Eddie, Jesus! Okay, look! Jesse is Maddy’s father. She overheard us talking about it on the porch and she ran out - she ran away.”

“Oh, dear! Wow,” Eddie replied, his eyes widening in surprise. “Her father, huh? This is big…” he said, turning to Maisey and elbowing her. “Damn, Maisey, you sure can keep a secret, can’t you, girlfriend? I can’t believe you never told me.”

“I never told anyone!” Maisey protested.

“I just found out myself,” I said quietly.

“Ohhh! The story gets even juicier!” Eddie said, clapping his hands together gleefully.

“I’m so glad this is entertaining you, but that’s not why we’re here, Eddie. Did Maddy say anything to you?”

“Not really. She just said she needed to get away, and asked if she could watch TV. She’s only been here about ten minutes.”

“Okay,” Maisey said, taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders. “I’ll go talk to her.”

She turned to walk away and disappeared down a hall, leaving Eddie and I alone in his living room. He turned to me, his dark lined eyes full of questions.

“You look like you could use a drink,” he said, flipping his curly auburn wig over his shoulders.

“A drink sounds good, but it’s probably best if I wait on that,” I said, gesturing to the back room.

“Oh? Handsome, rich and responsible, huh? So far so good,” he laughed, turning to walk in the kitchen. I followed behind him, watching the exaggerated sway of his hips. “I can’t believe Maisey never told me about you.”

“Maisey likes to keep things to herself,” I replied, dryly, as I watched him pour himself a drink.

“Apparently,” he laughed. “She’s a good woman, though. I’m sure she had her reasons. She’s not the reckless type.”

“We were young,” I explained. “It was a long time ago.”

“True,” he agreed, “and now here we are. Not so young anymore.”

“Here we are,” I nodded, allowing a small smile to cross my face for the first time today. “Here we are…”

MAISEY

I walked down the hallway that led to Eddie’s back den, clutching Maddy’s inhaler and trying to figure out what I was going to say to her. I’d imagined this conversation a million times in my head, and it had never played out like this. All my practiced speeches and explanations abandoned me, leaving my brain a tangled mess of confusion and uncertainty.

I walked down the few carpeted stairs that led into Eddie’s den, and saw Maddy watching television, eating a banana with Snowflake in her arms and sitting in front of the open sliding glass door that led to the backyard. It was dark out, and the light from the television cast a dim glow across the room.

“Hey,” I whispered.

She glanced up at me quickly and then looked away.

Slowly, I walked into the room and sat down beside her.

“Maddy, we need to talk,” I said. Her eyes flashed over at me, and I could see she was angry.

“Who is that man?” she asked, her voice quiet as a whisper.

“His name is Jesse. He’s my friend.”

“He’s the one who gave you the car and sent all the flowers?” she asked. “And Snowflake, too?”

“Yes, baby,” I said.

“I heard him say he was my father,” she said, her little voice quivering. “Is that true?”

My heart was breaking as the reality of all the mistakes I’d made came crashing over me. I looked at her, my sweet trust

ing daughter, and I felt like the worst person in the world.