J.D.'s Blues, part one
Jerry grew up the son of an MG and Austin dealer in Stapleford-Hill-on-Woodford-Heath, East Berkfordshire. As much as he loved his bubble and squeak and pork pie, he desperately wanted to see more of the world. After secondary school, inspired by the Doors "L.A. Woman", he convinced his dad to send him to UCLA to study computer sciences. Doing well in school, Jerry embraced the California lifestyle, the mild weather, beaches, mexican food, and the canyons and hills with his 1968 fastback commando. He also found Evelyn, a charming hispanic beauty who became the love of his life.
Jerry and Evelyn were married in the summer of 1998. She was a bright eyed, enthusiastic elementary school educator, and Jerry was making his own way in the booming IT business. Jerry fell in love with Evelyn's dark haired exotic beauty, and Evelyn found Jerry to have a certain British jen ne se quois that would be the closest to Mick Jagger's she would ever find.
After several years, the couple had two beautiful children, Lisa and Katie, and it was time to leave their small condo in urban santa monica, and find a safe place with room for the kids to grow. Together Jerry and Evie, as he called her, found a spacious home for a fair price in the suburban development known as Tranquil Hills.
In a few short months the family was settled in, the girls were making new friends in a good school, and Evie found an administrative position in a nearby school district. Jerry was content with an hour long commute into the city, knowing his family was safe and happy where they had settled.
But something about Tranquil Hills just didn't work for him. He joked to himself how appropriate that name was, what with most of the neighbors dependent on valium, xanax, and silicone implants to bring them happiness. Most of them seemed to be really different than him, and he felt a bit like an outsider.
One of the things besides his beautiful young family that made him truly happy was his rapidly growing motorbike collection, and the crew in the local INOA chapter he met with once a month. Unfortunately, it was this association and camaraderie that would indirectly be the start of a major headache and angst for a smashing chap who loves his bikes.
After a club meeting on a Sunday afternoon, Jerry invites a few friends out to the house for a pint or two, and some of Evie's sublime Pollo con Mole Poblano, a dish that tastes as great as it sounds. As the three Commandos and an Atlas idle into the subdivision, the neighbor across the road feels as if his tranquility has been approached upon, and goes to his front door to see the four bikes and riders stopping in the driveway opposite his.
