Cradled warmly in my arms, Liz drifted off to sleep within minutes. With Cory's wife finally tamed, I hoped I could do the same with her husband. I was tired of trading barbs with the smart-ass, fearing our differences would turn into an argument. We were here to enjoy the Sturgis Rally and gather information for Cody and Kelly's biker bar. An argument would only put a damper on the festivities.
Sunday morning, I awoke before anyone else. Slipping from beneath the covers, I headed for the bathroom. Liz was sleeping soundly, as she had throughout the night. It wasn't until I returned to the living area that I noticed Cory wasn't sleeping on the couch. Peering out the window, I saw him wiping the dust off his Harley-Davidson Softail.
Picking up Liz's panties, I tossed them on the foot of the bed, then slipped into the t-shirt and jeans I'd worn the night before.
"Good Morning." I greeted Cory, cautiously approaching him.
"Morning." Cory grumbled, barely glancing up to look at me.
"Where we gonna ride to today?" I asked.
"I thought Liz and I would ride over to Mount Rushmore and then down to the Crazy Horse Monument." He answered. "Might be best if you and the others rode somewhere else."
"Ok! Let's have it out once and for all!" I exclaimed. "I'm getting tired of your shit, your innuendoes and most of all, your whole fuckin' attitude!"
"You eat with that mouth?" He chided, wiping his bike harder.
"Yes, I do." I responded. "And I kissed your wife with it too."
"You did what?" He exclaimed.
"You heard me." I boldly restated. "I kissed Liz yesterday and not just once either."
"Did you put your mouth anywhere else on her?" Cory asked, rising to a standing position.
"No. Not yet." I replied. "But I might if Liz wants me to."
"Cody never mentioned you were a lesbian." The young man stated. "I guess I should have asked."
"I'm not a lesbian." I contradicted, folding my arms across my chest. "Let's just say, my sexual preferences are...diversified."
"Just keep your lips and your hands off my wife!" Cory threatened. "I don't want Liz turning into a fucking dyke!"
"You're impossible." I affirmed. "I'm not wasting my time trying to deal with you."
Returning to the interior of the Winnebago, I found Cody and Kelly showering together. Liz was still sound asleep on the sleeper sofa.
"What was all the shouting about?" Cody inquired, stepping out of the shower. "Was my dear brother giving you a hard time?
"I was trying to reason with him but I was only wasting my time." I replied. "He's such a fuckin' ass!"
"I'll have a talk with him." Cody stated. "I'll set him straight once and for all."
"No. Don't bother." I countered, handing Kelly a towel. "You'd only be wasting your time."
"I'm not going to let him ruin this trip." Cody avowed. "I'll set him straight or I'll send him packing."
"Maybe it's me that should be leaving." I suggested. "I'm a little bummed out over this whole ordeal."
"No way!" Kelly bellowed. "If anybody's leaving, it's gonna be Cory!"
"Nobody's leaving!" Liz shouted, wrapping the blanket around herself. "I'll talk with Cory. He's my husband, he's my responsibility."
Liz quickly dressed, then ran out to confront her husband. It was quickly apparent to everyone that she wasn't having any better luck than I had. Getting on his bike, he stormed off through the campgrounds.
"He's going home." Liz divulged, stepping back into the motorhome. "He won't be coming back."
Hearing the news, I felt worse than if Cory and I had continued our dispute. I was dismayed, feeling I'd ruined the trip for everyone.
"Let grab some breakfast and then head out." Cody proposed. "They've got an all-you-can-eat breakfast at the Full Throttle Saloon."
I didn't feel much like riding but I didn't want to dampen the festivities anymore than what I already had. Everyone dressed in their riding leathers, then it was off for a good breakfast. Cody suggested we ride over into Wyoming and see the Devil's Tower. It was a good long ride that would take most of the day. Hopefully, it would also take our minds off the events from earlier in the morning.
While Cody, Kelly and Liz seemed to have gotten over the confrontation with Cory, I couldn't get it out of my mind. When I wasn't concentrating on the road ahead, my mind would drift back, remembering Cory's every word. We stopped along the way at the Stone House Saloon, an old abandoned stone farmhouse that had been turned into a makeshift bar and outdoor grille.
"Get over it Kaitlyn." Kelly asserted when the two of us were away from the others. "That bastard's not worth getting upset about."
"I feel bad for Liz." I muttered. "I've ruined things for her."
"Liz seems to be taking it pretty well if you ask me." Kelly asserted. "I noticed her flirting with several guys that rode up alongside you guys."
"You think Cory's actually on his way back to Indiana?" I questioned. "He didn't pack anything."
"Cory's headstrong." Kelly confirmed. "He'd ride back naked just to prove a point."
After drinking hot coffee to warm us up, the four of us continued on. We stopped in Hill City to look around and do some shopping but my enthusiasm hadn't changed much. It took a lot of effort for me to act like I was enjoying myself. Cody sensed it, pulling me off to the side.
"We've driven twelve-hundred miles to get to this rally." He stated. "I wanna see a smile on your face and I wanna see it there every time I look at you."
Riding on, we stopped at a quaint little town called Hulett in eastern Wyoming. Like most of the small towns we'd passed through, they were prepped and ready for all the motorcycling enthusiasts. Vendors lined both sides of the main street, selling everything imaginable.
Liz and Kelly wanted to look at chaps and vests. Cody was more interested in grabbing a cold soft drink to quench his thirst. The two of us bought some lemonade and sat down on one of the park benches. Streams of riders passed by, riding just about every make of bike made.
"You're not smiling." Cody jested, putting his arm around me. "You want me to kick that cute little butt of yours?"
"I'm trying." I muttered. "Just give me time to work on it."
We sat on the bench for almost an hour waiting for Kelly and Liz to return. When they finally showed up, they were laden with packages.
"Holy Shit!" Cody exclaimed. "Hope you gals figured out how we're gonna pack all that stuff on two bikes!"
"We just couldn't resist all these bargains!" Liz insisted, grinning. "Besides they're not all for us."
Utilizing the fiberglass saddlebags on Cody's Road King and the leather bags on my Screamin' Eagle, we managed to stow everything away with a little room to spare.
"I bought you a white leather outfit." Liz stated, climbing on the bike behind me. "You're gonna love it."
"Why'd you do a thing like that." I asked.
"Because I wanted to and...well, because I wanted to let you know how much I think of you." She stammered, giving my waist a squeeze with both hands. "Let's just leave it at that. Ok?"
"You're not mad about what happened this morning?" I questioned.
"Nope. Not a bit." Liz responded with a sincere smile. "I don't miss Cory at all. He can be such an ass at times."
I breathed a deep sigh of relief before starting my Fat Boy. I felt better, much, much better knowing Liz was happy.
Devil's Tower was awesome. It seemed to rise eerily out of the ground. Up close it looked surreal. From a distance it looked beyond belief. We spent a couple of hours at the monument before riding back towards Sturgis.
At a little town called Aladdin, Wyoming, we stopped for a cold beer and buffalo strips. Savoring the taste of buffalo for the first time, we ate like we were starved. We visited a few of the vendors set up along the busy two-lane highway, purchasing several Rally t-shirts.
It was early evening when we rode into the campgrounds. I half expected to see Cory's Softail parked next to the motorhome but it wasn't. Needless to say, it was a big relief. The four of us sat around the motorhome relaxing and catnapping.
Liz couldn't wait to show me the white leather outfit she'd bought me. I was dumbfounded when I saw it. White chaps with fringe, a matching fringe vest and white leather jacket made up the ensemble. It had to have costs a fortune!
"What's on the agenda for this evening?" Kelly inquired. "Or does everyone wanna just lay back and relax?"
"Thought you girls were gonna get tattoos while we're here." Cody commented. "Is that still a go?"
"Yeah. Sure. Why not?" I responded. "I'm game if anyone else is."
"I will if you guys are gonna get one." Liz chimed in.
Back on the bikes, the four of us rode into Sturgis. Following a group of bikers in front of us we found it quicker to ride down Main Street rather than Lazelle. Finding a place to park was another story though. We finally found a well-lit parking lot that offered security.
I had an idea of what I wanted for a tattoo but I was worried about how much pain I'd have to go through to get it. After walking around for awhile we entered a busy tattoo shop appropriately named "TATT2S" on Second Street. The walls were decorated with so many different designs it was difficult to pick one.
"What'll it be ladies?" A short, stocky woman in her late forties asked. "We've got a special going on. Get two tattoos and the second one is half price."
"Two!" I exclaimed, laughing. "I don't know if I could take that much pain!"
"Ahhhh. It's not all that bad." The woman declared, grinning.