Chapter 6: The Biker

Dexter and Amber left the apartment to head off to a sporting goods store. It appeared that the people living in the neighborhood within which the apartment was located, did not think it was appropriate for a man to walk around the block. It was ‘suspicious behavior,’ at least that is what the policeman who questioned them said. In short, Dexter wasn’t dressed in an ‘appropriate attire’ for walking around the block. He should have been wearing walking shoes, and some sort of exercise outfit.

Dexter did not own a pair of walking shoes, nor an exercise outfit. He was surprised to learn that one had to wear the appropriate fashions in order to engage in exercise. As a kid, he had played baseball, walked, and run in his bluejeans. It appeared that those days were long gone. Following the doctor’s orders to take a short walk every day, now required him to go to the mall and buy an outfit.

As Amber and Dexter approached his apartment’s parking lot, a guy on a motorcycle pulled up to a spot in front of them. Amber came to a complete stop on seeing the leather clad motorcyclist. Dexter walked over to examine the bike.

The guy got off the bike, taking note in Dexter’s interest in his ride.

“Nice bike,” Dexter said.

“It gets me to work and back on nice days. It sucks when it rains,” the guy said while removing his helmet.

“I imagine that it isn’t fun in the rain,” Dexter said.

“You’re Dexter,” the guy said.

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m Calvin Masters. I live above you.”

Dexter extended a hand and said, “Nice to meet you Calvin.”

“I heard that Mary hit you with her pepper spray,” Calvin said.

“Yes. That was not pleasant,” Dexter said.

Grinning, Calvin said, “She tried that on me, once. Fortunately, I was still wearing my helmet. She’s actually pretty nice once she gets to trust you.”

“Like that is ever going to happen,” Dexter said with a snort.

Calvin said, “You’ve got to understand. She got gang raped a couple years back, in her previous apartment complex. It really did a number on her head.”

“Well, getting hit with pepper spray did a number on my eyes that I’m not going to forget,” Dexter said.

Calvin said, “I’ll introduce you to her and vouch for you.”

“You’ll vouch for me?” Dexter said incredulous.

The guy was wearing leathers, and looked like he belonged to a motorcycle gang.

“She trusts me,” Calvin said.

“You don’t know me,” Dexter said.

Calvin said, “You’re ‘Dexter.’ You’re the guy with the website that’s made my life a whole lot better.”

“It did?” Dexter asked.

“Man, your article on making the company pay for data plans saved me a bundle of money. Your suggestion of submitting expense vouchers to pay for a home office was like a gift from God. The company I work for adopted a monthly stipend for home offices. All I had to do was fill out a form. I get a hundred dollars a month extra for my office at home! I don’t even have to pay taxes on that, since it’s reimbursement for expenses. ‘You the man!’” Calvin said.

“What do you do?” Dexter asked.

“I’m a systems administrator. When the computer crashes, they call me. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night,” Calvin said.

Dexter said, “I guess that means you’re on call twenty-four hours a day.”

“That’s my job. Now, at least, I do get comp time. Last night I worked until midnight. Now I’ve got the rest of the day off,” Calvin said. “It didn’t used to be like that.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Dexter said.

“I gotta tell you, my life is a thousand times better since you put up that website,” Calvin said.

Dexter said, “I get a lot of emails telling me that, but I very seldom meet anyone who tells me about it.”

Calvin looked over at Amber. “Who’s the young lady with you?”

“That’s Amber. She’s my caretaker. I needed a little help around the house after the heart attack,” Dexter said.

“I thought she was your daughter or something,” Calvin said.

He brushed his hair back and gave her the eye. Amber rolled her eyes. She was unimpressed and wasn’t afraid to let him know it.

“No,” Dexter said.

Calvin said, “Nice to meet you, Amber.”

“I carry pepper spray, too,” Amber said with a smile reminiscent of a shark.

“Spunky. I like you,” Calvin said with a laugh.

Frosty, Amber said, “I don’t like bikers.”

“Hey, don’t knock my bike or the fact that I ride it. I bought it for two grand six years ago. It gets me to work and back. Although the insurance is high it’s still less than a car, and the gas is nothing. I can do all my own maintenance on it. In two more years, I’ll be out from under my college debt. Then you’ll see me in a pony power car,” Calvin said.

“You don’t look like you went to college,” Amber said. “I bet there are tats under your leathers.”

Calvin replied, “Looks can be deceiving. I’m tattoo-free.”

“I’m so impressed. Not,” Amber said. “Now you’re going to give me some cheesy line about how you were just saving a spot on your arm for my name.”

“Are you kidding?” Calvin said. “That’s reserved for Mom.”

Amber said, “Let’s get out of here, Dexter.”

“We’re off to the sporting goods store,” Dexter said.

“See ya later, Dexter.”

“It’s been nice meeting you. Maybe one of these days we’ll sit around and have a beer,” Dexter said.

“Lookin’ forward to it,” Calvin said.

In the car, Dexter said, “You didn’t like him.”

“It was that obvious, huh?” Amber said.

“Yes,” Dexter said.

Amber said, “It was falling for an asshole like him that got me into the escort business.”

“Oh,” Dexter said.

“I got pregnant ... then dropped out of school. He went to college and makes fucking big bucks. Me, I’m stuck fucking for bucks,” Amber said bitterly.

“You’ve got a kid?” Dexter asked.

“SIDS got my baby,” Amber said. “I went to wake up the baby one morning and it was dead. I cried for six months.”

“Sorry,” Dexter said.

“It’s not your fault. It was God fucking with me,” Amber said.

Dexter said, “I’m really sorry for you. That’s a horrible thing to have happen to you.”