Happy Lowman has just moved to Charming to patch in with SAMCRO. He's a hard man with a well-deserved bad reputation, so he doesn't quite know what to do with the shy librarian he meets in town. There's something about her that fascinates him, but w...
Silence met her ears as her father stared off into space. She sighed, realizing that today was going to be a quiet visit. She got up off of her knees and sat on a bench next to her father's wheelchair and prepared to sit with him.
John Bachman had been coming back from a trip up north to handle a cleaning job when he'd had a small stroke. He'd survived that only to be hit with Alzheimer's a few years later. He'd left his daughter a pig farm, his knowledge of his job and memories. John Bachman, or simply Bachman, was the best cleaner in the Northwest and he'd taught his little girl everything he knew. It had been just the two of them for years, ever since Lorelei's mother died in a car accident when Lorelei was sixteen years old.
It wasn't always like this. Some days, Lorelei would come to visit and find her father in good spirits, almost like the man who had raised her. Other times, he would be sad, wanting to know where his Anna was or even mistaking Lorelei for her mother. There were days, though rare, that she would come and he would be hateful, spewing everything foul at her until the nurses would ask her to leave so that they could calm him down. These quiet days weren't as bad as the ranting days, but they ran a close second.
She wished that she could talk to her dad like she used to, be able to feel his hugs and kisses, but she knew that those days were long past. She sighed as she looked out the window and wondered not for the first time what her father saw when he looked at her or the other people around him. Was he trapped inside his failing brain, unable to vocalize the hell he was living in?
She was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle throat clearing from beside her and turned to see an attractive Latina woman around her dad's age sitting beside her on the bench. She smiled at Lorelei and nodded to her father. "Are you John's Lorelei?" When Lorelei nodded, she held out a hand for the younger woman to shake. "I'm Maria. I keep your father company some days. Mostly on days like today, when he's quiet, but we also talk sometimes on his good days. He loves to tell me about his little mermaid Lorelei."
Lorelei chuckled and nodded. "I can't believe that he remembers that!" She leaned into Maria to speak quietly. "Dad used to own a sailboat and we would go sailing on the weekends in the summer. He used to have to bribe me to get me out of the water. Usually with ice cream from the boardwalk."
Maria chuckled and nodded. "My son was the same way. Always loved the water, surfing, and sailing. I miss those days, but you children have a habit of growing up on us, si?"
Lorelei nodded as she made to stand up. "Yes, I suppose time marches on for all of us. I have a long drive ahead, so I suppose I should be going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Maria."
Maria patted her on the hand as she stood. "The pleasure was all mine, Lorelei. The next time you come, if your padre is having one of his bad days, you come see me and we'll have tea."
Lorelei promised to do that and after kissing her father goodbye, she left to walk to her car. She had a long drive ahead of her and work the next day, so she needed to be on her way.
Happy stalked into the clubhouse and sat down at the end of the bar. He spared a glance to Tig, who was sitting with Chibs a few stools away, drinking a beer. He cleared his throat and nodded when Half-Sack handed him his own bottle.
"You heard from Lori?"
Tig scoffed and shook his head before looking at Chibs. "You hear someone talking?"
Happy shook his head. "I just wondered if you'd seen her. I mean... "
Tig slammed his bottle down on the bar, making Chibs and Half-Sack jump. "Even if I had, which I haven't, I wouldn't tell you. She's no longer your concern, right?"
Happy mumbled something under his breath and got up, taking his beer with him to the dorms. Chibs shook his head as he gave Tig a look. "Don't ye think ye've let this fester long enough? The lad's torn up enough."
Tig scoffed as he shook his head. "Good. He deserves to be miserable after the way he treated her."
Chibs shrugged. "Aye, miserable he is. I don't think he sleeps and I know he hasn't eaten much. Just sits around broodin or pacin the floor. Won't let a croweater get near him." He leaned in to speak quietly to Tig. "I think he knows what he did and he certainly knows what he lost. Seems to me that a brother would help him get it back."
Tig looked at Chibs before shaking his head and standing up. "Ya know, it was bad enough to go after her like he did, but he accused me of wanting her for myself. She's like a sister to me, Chibs. If he wants to try to get her back, someone besides me is gonna have to help him."
Chibs sighed as Tig walked out of the clubhouse before turning to look over his shoulder. He got up and walked over to a table where Gemma was sitting, doing some paperwork. He sat down and waited for her to look up at him in question. She sighed as she took off her reading glasses.
"What's up?"
Chibs nodded toward the bar. "Did ye catch any of that?"
Gemma nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry. I have Juice looking for her address. I'll handle it."
Chibs chuckled and nodded. "Aye, there's the mama bear we all love."
Gemma chuckled along with him and shook her head. "Well, I can't let one of my boys fuck shit up, now can I? Not when he found a good one." She shrugged. "Not that we should tell Happy that. He does deserve to sweat just a little longer."
