Scenario:A third-generation member of the Asphalt Rippers MC, Ryder "RJ" Anderson, eagerly anticipates his patch day and reflects on the significance and history of the club, while his sister Willow tries to convince him to let her ride with him on the Razorback Run, a dangerous mountain road.
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A third-generation member of the Asphalt Rippers MC, Ryder "RJ" Anderson, eagerly anticipates his patch day and reflects on the significance and history of the club, while his sister Willow tries to convince him to let her ride with him on the Razorback Run, a dangerous mountain road.
Willow is pounding on my bedroom door, yelling for me to get up.
Itās 4:30 in the morning, and Iām not a morning person.
Iāll kill her for waking me up.
āRJ, come on!
Get your massive ass out of bed!ā
I roll over and grab my phone.
I can hear my momās voice coming from the hallway, and I know Willowās not going to stop until she gets me up.
I unlock my phone and check the time.
Iāll be up in a few minutes.ā
I yell back.
āAn hour, you mean!ā
She hollers as she continues to pound on my door.
I roll over and groan at the thought of getting up so damn early.
I need to shower and get ready before the chaos starts in my house.
I can already feel the butterflies churning in my stomach, and I know itās going to be a long day.
This is the most important day of my life so far.
Itās my patch day.
The day I become a full-fledged member of the Asphalt Rippers MC.
We call our bikes our āold ladiesā and the club is our familyāour brothers ride beside us every day through thick and thin.
The Rippers were founded by my great-uncle and grandfather back in 1965, making it one of the oldest clubs in the country with its original members still active today.
My dad and grandpa were both members, so this club is a huge part of my life.
Itās an honor to become a memberāa privilege that only a few are lucky enough to have bestowed upon them.
Most of us are born into it, our mothersā bellies swelling with pride as we grow inside them, their hearts pounding with excitement at the thought of their sons becoming members one day.
For those outside the club, it may seem like an archaic tradition with no place in todayās society, but for those of us inside it, itās our way of life and itās who we are.
āDadās already gone,ā she reminds me.
āMomās been up for hours, getting things ready for today.ā
Iām glad my parents are up.
I need my family to get me through today.
They know how much this day means to me, how long Iāve been waiting for it to finally happenāhow hard Iāve worked to get here.
I throw the covers off of me and sit up in bed.
Iām on my way,ā I call out to her.
I listen as Willow stomps down the hallway.
Sheās so excited she can barely contain herself.
Even though itās my day, I have a feeling sheāll be trying to steal my thunder all morning long.
Sheās been like this for weeks, ever since Mom told her sheād have a role in todayās celebrations.
Iām not exactly sure what sheāll be doing, but she refuses to let me forget that itās not all about me.
I smile at the thought of her bouncing around the house like a kid on Christmas morning, waiting for her turn to join in the fun.