Chapter 13-Preparing for Rudy & Jullian's "Surprise Elopement"
Jullian is such a sweet girl. No wonder Rudy loves her. After I made sure Sammy was covered with a blanket, we all left our room and while Jullian and Cheryl went to their rooms, Nessa and I went downstairs.
I saw Rudy talking, laughing and having a beer with the other prospects over by the pool tables as I slid onto Rooster's lap. I told everyone at the executive table, "Boomer, you had better plan on Rudy being out a lot for the next week or so. Jullian is going to be giving birth soon. She's already having the pinching pains in her hips and she's riding so low it looks like it's going to come any time."
"Well, then you had better make your trip to Dallas quick and get back here as fast as you can. We just found out that she and Rudy want to elope as soon as he has the rings. They want to be married before the baby comes but they don't want the fuss of a big wedding. We've already decided we are going to surprise her by being there but not make a big deal out of it, just be there to support them in their decision." Rooster told me and I was surprised. Rudy must have had to tell him because he would need the time off from work.
"Well, they won't be able to have much of a wedding night and I wouldn't be surprised if she goes into labor before, during or right after the ceremony. How many people are you going to allow to attend?" I asked.
"Just the executive staff and maybe current prospects that he's coming up with. I wish we had their cuts but we haven't even decided on road names for them yet and Rudy is proving to be the hard one to decide on a name for him." Rooster told me.
"What's he going to be doing for the club?" I asked.
"He wants to be a painter for the construction crew and not a warrior." Rooster said.
I pulled out my phone and pulled up Google. "It says the name Rudy means "Famous Wolf"." We all looked at each other and shook our heads so I googled his last name. "It says the name Sanders means in Greek "Defender of the people"."
"Eagle, how is he with a gun?" Rooster asked Eagle who had just joined us, saying that Annalisa was already asleep but he wanted a beer before turning in. "He's actually pretty good, especially with a rifle and he's not bad with a handgun either."
"Hunter, how's he been doing with you?" Rooster asked. Hunter taught the boys how to track, trap and use a bow, to make things out of what was around them, like sticks and rocks when they were without a man made weapon as well as how to move quietly through the woods.
"He needs more work on the bow but he's got a sharp eye for tracking and can move fairly quietly but is not very good at traps. He smacked himself a good one in the face with a branch trap he was trying to set the other day. I just about fell over laughing." Hunter replied.
"Boomer? How's he doing with you?" I asked. Boomer taught them mostly about the rules of the club and did the scheduling of their jobs.
"Well, he's always where he's supposed to be, does a good job at whatever he is assigned to and so far, hasn't stepped out of line. He's a nice kid that tries hard to be the best he can be at whatever comes his way." Boomer said.
"Hulk? How's he doing in the gym?" Rooster asked.
"He needs a lot more work on building up his body so he's seriously lacking in weight training but that's because he's not a big person to begin with but he can stand to bulk up some more. Boxer's been working with him in the ring more than me." Hulk said.
"Boxer?" Rooster asked.
"He's fast with his hands and can run but his endurance needs work. But he's smart when he fights. Picks his spot and doesn't rush in, especially if he's fighting someone bigger than he is. His strength needs work and I wish we had a martial arts trainer. I bet he could get into that and be a badass!" Boxer said.
"That reminds me. I've been wanting to ask the Ninja Warriors up here to train with us. Babe, remind me to call them before you go in the morning, please." Rooster said.
"Okay. So are you going to give him the road name "Defender"? I asked.
"If I can't think of something better. The Indians called a painted pony a "Pinto". He wants to be a painter and he's not a big person, so I think it fits." Boomer said.
"Yeah, but what happens if he hits his growth spurt and works out a lot and gets bigger?' Rooster said.
"Hey, a Pinto is still a horse. And who knows what he's packin'?" Some of those little guys have really got it going on in the package department." Boomer laughed as Kaylee slapped him for being nasty.
"Babe! We don't need to know anything about what he's packin'!" She scolded him, then whispered something in his ear and he grabbed her waist and pushed down as he lifted his hips and everyone burst out laughing as Kaylee's face got bright red.
"Well, we can't get the cuts just yet so you've got some time to think about them. Babe, when are Cheryl's machines due to come in?" I asked Rooster.
"The email said they would be here by 5pm tomorrow. Hulk, where do we stand with the stuff she needs to set up her shop?" Rooster asked.
"The tables she requested are done and ready to be set in place. She told me this afternoon where she wants shelves and we've built the cabinet she wanted. That thing came out really cool. We'll bring them around in the morning and set them in place where she told me she wants them. All she needs, that I know of, is a rolling chair now." Hulk said.
"Good. Now if we can find the leather and material and thread tomorrow, we'll be set. I just hope we can find it quickly and make it back here in time to get to the church." I said and began to push my way off Rooster's lap. "Speaking of which, I'd better get to bed because I've got to be up early in the morning."
"Okay, babe. I'll be up soon. I just want to finish my beer." Rooster said and without even blinking, I picked up his beer bottle and necked half of what was left. I set the bottle back on the table and said "Don't take too long."
Everyone at the table laughed as I sacheted out of the bar. I laughed and began to run when I heard Rooster yell "To hell with my beer. Night everybody!"
I was halfway up the stairs as Rooster came running through the house. I laughed and ran for our room, leaving the door open for him.
Rooster and I made love in the shower and then twice more in bed before I called Uncle and we fell asleep sometime around midnight.
The next morning got here much too soon for me. I was still tired after last night but got up when Sammy began to fuss. I pushed on Rooster to get him to wake up and told him "Watch your son while I go get a shower. I'll take him down and feed him when I get out."
"Oh, lord, what did we do last night? I'm tired and my back is sore." Rooster groused as he rolled over and pushed his legs off the bed and sat up.
"We got very enthusiastic that second round. It surprised me that we did it again after that and you are not the only one feeling it." I told him. I pushed off the bed and made my way to the bathroom. I took care of business, ran through the shower to get the smell of sex off of me and then brushed my teeth and hair. I decided to braid it so that it would stay out of my face today and left the bathroom to find my husband leaning over my son on the bed, talking baby talk with him. Rooster had changed his diaper and his clothes and even stripped the sheet off the playpen mattress.
"Are you going to Costco or Sam's club today?" Rooster asked.
"No, we're not going to have time. I'm already worried about making it back in time for their wedding. How's Rudy going to do this? He hasn't even formally proposed to her yet. When is he going to do it, outside of the church?" I asked.
"I think they have been planning this for so long that the proposal is kind of a mute point right now. Are you picking up their rings today?" Rooster asked me.
"Yeah. Neither one of them knows that the other one has bought each other's rings yet so at least that's a surprise for each other that they will share." I said.
"I really think this is just a formality to them. Jullian wants to be legally wed to Rudy and have the same last name when she gives birth." Rooster said.
"Well, they sure waited until the last minute. She's about to pop now. I just hope we can get there and back before she goes into labor. She was claiming she felt the pinching pains in her hips last night but she didn't say how long it's been going on." I told him.
"I think for Rudy, it was having to wait until he had enough money for her rings." Rooster said.
I picked up my son and headed downstairs while Rooster went to get a shower. When I got to the kitchen, Claire and CIrcuit were in there. Circuit was drinking coffee while Claire was starting breakfast.
"Good morning! Claire, what are you planning for dinner tonight?" I asked.
"Lasagna. I haven't made that in a while and I've got everything I need for it. Why?" Claire asked.
"Rudy and Jullian are eloping tonight, or so they think. We are going to surprise them by being at the church to show our support of their marriage and relationship. I'm just hoping that Jullian doesn't go into labor before then. It's just the executive group, men and women and the current prospects. "We'll all disappear about an half an hour before they leave so that we can be in place when they get there."
Not long after I made my son a bottle and had my first cup of coffee, Cheryl and Nessa came downstairs. I could tell Cheryl was excited to go to town. I told them what was going down and told them what I needed from them.
"Nessa, I know you wanted to come with us but today I need you here. We can go another day, maybe tomorrow. Today, can you please take Jullian to get her hair done and get her a mani pedi? I think she's planning on wearing a dress I bought for her the other day. It would be so cute for her to get married in and she really liked it." I told her.
"Sure. No problem. How am I going to convince her to go without giving it away that we know what is going on?" Nessa asked.
"Tell her this is a perk of the MC that because she's about to go to the hospital, this is her day to feel pretty and so that her toes and fingernails will look good when her feet are in the air. I'm sure she's going to be glad she has nice nails for her baby and any pictures. Oh and quiz her about music. Ask what song she wants played when she eventually walks down the aisle."
"Got it." Nessa said.
"Circuit, can you please make sure we have that song with Squeaker and set it up so that we can have it when she comes down the aisle?"
"On it." Circuit replied.
"Cheryl, we are going to have to hurry today if we are going to get back in time. I definitely want to get the leather and talk to the manager about either ordering a whole bolt or however they sell it plus we need the fabric for the patches and the thread. This evening it's only going to be the executives and their old ladies and the current prospects which means you and Manny. If we can't get everything we need today, we'll go back another day, maybe tomorrow to get the rest."
"That's fine. Why did they wait until the last minute?" Cheryl asked.
"We think it was because Rudy needed to save up for Jullian's rings. They have been planning on getting married since they were in school but with the home lives they had, money has always been really tight for them. The local jeweler in town needs to realize that he can't double down on prices or he is going to end up going out of business. It's hard enough to keep up with the big stores and both Dallas and Wichita Falls are not that far from here."
Claire was finishing up making breakfast and with all the ladies' help, it was ready to be served. Everyone started wandering in, including Rudy and Jullian. We all smiled as we watched him help her to her chair, making sure she was comfortable before he practically ran to make their plates. He delivered it and then ran to get them some juice for her and coffee for him.
I saw Cheryl whispering to Manny, telling him what was going on and he got a big smile on his face. Rooster came in and made his plate and joined me at the table. "So is everything all arranged?" He said quietly.
"Pretty much. I just hope she hangs on until we get back. We've already cut our trip down to just what we have to do and hopefully we will be back before lunch time if we can get on the road right after breakfast." I told him.
"Well, drive safe and don't speed. I'd rather you be late getting back than to get in an accident. Is there a chance that having a prospect going with you would help?" Rooster asked.
"No, I don't think so. The leather shop opens at 8 am and the jewelry store doesn't open until 10. I'm hoping to find a florist open early too. I tried looking online but they make it so hard to find what you are looking for or it's so outrageously expensive that I figure I'll have better luck if I just walk in, tell them what I want and give them two hours to make it." I told him.
"Well, I'll make sure that everyone that needs to be there to be there at 4 pm. Okay?" Rooster said.
"Yes and make sure they dress nicely and clean their boots." I told him and he grinned at me. "Yes, ma'am." earning him a slap on the arm and a kiss. "I love you!" I told him as I pushed away from the table, kissed my son, waved at Cheryl that we needed to leave and we ran upstairs to get our purses and I pulled on my cut.
Ten minutes later, we were on the road headed for Dallas. We found a floral shop that was open and looked like they had some beautiful flowers on display in the window. We went in and ordered a small bouquet and the lady promised she could have it ready for us in less than two hours. I paid for it and promised her we would be back soon and then drove over to the leather store which was located a few streets over from the mall we were going to later.
We were pulled into the leather shop and thankfully it was open. We walked inside and I immediately asked for the manager. We don't have time to waste today so I wasn't going to dilly dally around.
Soon an older gentleman came out of the back and asked "How can I help you ladies?"
"Mr. Daily? My name is Dixie Carver. I spoke to you on the phone about some leather to make our cuts and riding outfits with?" I told him and held out my hand. His hands were very calloused from years of working with leather.
"Oh yes. I remember speaking to you. Is that vest the type of leather you need?" He asked.
"Yes, sir. I need to know if I can order it in bulk. We currently have almost 70 members and at least 10 more coming in soon that I'm going to need to make vests for. I also need patch material and the thread. And I hate that I'm having to rush but we are in kind of a hurry today but I do want to get what we need and set up with you to ship us more when we need it." I told him.
"Well, I've got everything you should need. Who's been making your cuts up until now?" He asked.
"Another company on the other side of town but they often take up to two weeks to get us what we need and Cheryl here can make it for us on site and have it in a day or two, we hope." I told him.
"I would like to pick your brain on tricks that might make working with leather easier." Cheryl said.
He led us over to an area that had piles of leather of different grades and grains and found the one that looked the most like what my cut was made out of.
"Looks like I have enough here for at least 20 of your cuts. But I can get more within about a week. Now trying to cut this with scissors will hurt your hands, so you will need a special cutting tool and a mat board to protect your table surface or you will damage your tables." He told us.
He pulled out the largest pieces he had and carried them to the counter for us. He also got us the cutting tool and a large cutting mat. Then he led us over to where he had different materials for patches, which we had requested black denim.
"Mr. Daily, do you make things here too?" I asked because we had passed several racks selling bags, hats, shoes and all kinds of stuff.
"Yes, we do. I've got all kinds of jackets and vests over there." He replied.
"Would you mind if I sneak a peek at your work area?" Cheryl asked hopefully.
"Sure. Come on back." he said.
I whispered to her "Cheryl, I know how fascinating this is for you but we really can't take very long here so make this quick."
"I will. I just want to see his set up. I can always come back another day. I might come on a day when my mom can come with me. She will get a kick out of this. Maybe they can do some networking and buy some stuff from him for her new store." Cheryl whispered back.
We followed Mr. Daily to the back and I had to admit that even I was fascinated by his workshop. He had some huge machines to work with leather and he gave Cheryl all kinds of tips to working with leather and an hour later, we were all checked out and had filled up half of the back of the SUV with all of the supplies but we had everything she was going to need to get started on making the cuts.
Next we drove over to the mall and hurried down to the jewelry store. We picked up the rings, after making sure they were the right ones and as we were hurrying back to the car, I wondered if Rudy had a nice shirt to wear. "Hey, I know he has nice black jeans but I bet he doesn't have clothes to get married in. Come on, let's go in here real quick." I told Cheryl.
With the help of the sales girl, we quickly found some nice dress slacks and a nice white shirt and a tie for Rudy. I had no clue as to what size shoes he wears so he was just going to have to clean up his boots.
We stopped at the florist and picked up Jullian's bouquet and it had turned out lovely.
Twenty minutes later, we were back on the road home. "We should make it just in time for lunch. I don't know about you but I'm hungry!" I said.
"Me too. I can't say I want to do my wedding at the last minute like this but I do like the idea of something small and intimate like this." Cheryl admitted.
"I think most of the ladies are wanting more of this type of thing. For Annalisa and Nessa we had a huge double wedding and I went all out for it. Rooster wasn't at all happy about how much money I spent on it. I just love planning parties! We're talking about opening a party planning service but that's a while down the road, I think.
As Sammy gets older, he takes up more and more of my time and energy. I think opening a new business now would be a big mistake. I want to spend the time to raise my son. I already feel like I have to have baby sitters more often than I would like just trying to keep up with my duties as the Queen of the MC." I told her.
"Do you think you and Rooster will have more kids?" Cheryl asked.
"Probably not unless we adopt. We were lucky that I got pregnant with Sammy at all. My egg count is low and it took us almost 10 years before I got pregnant with him. I would love to have a little girl too but I think we'll have to adopt her." I told her. "Are you and Manny planning on having kids?"
"Some day but not for a while. I want us to have time for just us. We want to buy or build a house and save up some money. Manny knows my parents are loaded and my mom would do it all for us but he doesn't want that. He wants to be the one to provide for me and our children. Not have to depend on my parents for anything, especially after the way my father treated him." Cheryl shared with me.
"Can you blame him? He's trying his best to be a man who can really take care of you and your future family. I, for one, respect that! Too many kids today expect everything to come to them on a silver platter. They seem to think that just because they are upright and breathing that the world owes them something without them having to do anything to earn it and too many parents haven't done anything to change that perception." I told her.
"So very true." Cheryl agreed.
We pulled into the compound and I was glad to see that everything looked normal. As soon as we parked, Rudy came running outside with an eager look on his face.
"Did you get it?" He asked.
"Of course I did." I smiled at him and pulled out the little box with Jullian's rings in it and handed it to him. "Here ya go! It's absolutely beautiful." I'd had the jeweler give me separate boxes for his and her rings because they didn't know the other one had bought them yet. "Where is she?"
"Nessa took her to get her hair and nails done." He said. You could see the excitement on his face, especially when he opened the little box and looked inside. "Oh, Dixie! The picture online didn't do this ring justice. Oh, I do hope Jullian is going to like it. I called and asked the minister if he was free tonight and he said if we can be there before 4:30, he could do it. He has to be somewhere in Wichita Falls at 6 pm."
"I thought of a way for you to get her to the church without her finding out. Don't forget to compliment her on her hair and nails and then tell her you want to take her on a secret date. Tell her to put on the dress that I'm going to lay out on your bed, get her in the car and then blindfold her. Tell her she can't peek until you arrive or she will spoil your surprise for her. Then drive her to the church. When she goes up to get dressed, let me know so I can get everyone to the church on time and don't drive fast! Don't let her take off her blindfold until you both are outside of the truck and at the bottom of the stairs, then get down on one knee, hold the ring out and tell her to remove the blindfold. Propose, then bring her inside. I'll meet you both at the door. Sound good?"
"Oh, I like your idea better than mine. Oh, Dixie, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your help! I asked Rooster if he would walk Jullian down the aisle and he said he would be glad to. You would have thought I just told him he had won the lottery or something!" Rudy grinned at me.
"He loves being included in weddings and other special occasions, we both do." I told him. "How long ago did they leave?"
"About half an hour ago." Rudy said. "I'm going to go get my shower now and get dressed. I've been sweating like I've been working out all morning."
I smiled at him as he hurried back inside and then turned and got Jullian's bouquet out of the SUV and carried it inside to put it in the fridge. I found Rooster playing with Sammy on the patio and asked him to call a fast meeting right away, telling him I wanted to tell everyone what I wanted them to do. "Leave Rudy out. He's getting dressed to go."
Rooster looked at me like I had lost my mind but went to do as I requested. A lot of the regular members were at work but some of them had the day off and were in either the game room or the movie room. He told them to pause everything and come to the dining room for a fast meeting.