The Rider (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Four

"I'm sure you just need rest. By the way, sorry I didn't text you back and just showed up out of the blue. I can't exactly check and reply to messages while I'm work. Besides, I thought it would be better to surprise you."

"I'm surprised," Kade said, showing the first signs of happiness all day.

"Yeah, me too. I nearly blew your head off. You shouldn't show up to someone's place unannounced."

Tanjoban joined Cali and Kade on the couch and together they caught up with each other's lives over the past three months. Like he had done with Cali and Mr. Chu, Kade launched into his story once again.

"What was it like staying at the monastery?" Tanjoban asked.

"Honestly," Kade paused. "I was in a really dark place, some would say I still am. I thought Cali had left me for dead, I was alone, and completely helpless. My body and mind were breaking down and I didn't know how much longer I had left, or how much more I could endure. Then I was saved. These monks brought me back to this amazing compound that they had reclaimed. They told me it was a former military base or something."

"That's so cool," Tanjoban said.

"They taught me a lot about centering myself and finding inner peace. I still have a long way to go before I achieve inner peace, but like NA, I take it one day at a time."

"So Cali, why did you leave him?" Tanjoban asked.

"I didn't leave him for dead if that's what you are implying. I like to think of it more as me bringing him to a place where I knew he would get the help he needed, which turned out to be exactly what happened. But truthfully... I was just looking after myself. I was desperate to escape the tyranny of the scav overlord who had enslaved me. Kade had a bike and I saw that as an opportunity, so I took it. We've talked about it since and made our peace with it."

"I learned more about Cali from the monks than from her," Kade added, coming to Cali's defense. "They told me that she had been there before and defended them against a bunch of scavs who were looking to kill them and take over their compound. She wouldn't let that happen. Underneath this rugged exterior, Cali has a heart of gold."

"Shut up," Cali said.

"Yeah, I was going to say, you two look good together," Tanjoban said.

Kade looked over at Cali with reverence in his eyes. In a world where hope was hard to come by, he was beginning to find a reason to live.

"So enough about me," Kade said, "What's been happening here?"

"A lot has changed," Tanjoban said. "I'm no longer a rider."

"Really? What happened?"

"I mean, I still take odd jobs, but that's not my main source of income."

"What do you do now?

"Actually, I got a job... with Saigon."

"Are you being serious? Doing what?"

"Security of all things."

"Security?"

"Yeah."

"What does that entail? Are you like his personal bodyguard or something?"

"No no, I'm just one of the guards in his building. I hardly ever see him."

"Wow," Kade said, unsure how to react.

"It's a job."

"Yeah, I hear you. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I've worked for him too so I can't really judge."