I became almost untouchable, throwing myself in my studies, determined to become the best, the most desired yet the most elusive. Maybe I achieved tha... … maybe I didn’t. But I was well on my way. Funny how just when you think that you have settled into the path of a new journey that the past has a way of flying right back up in yourface. I had moved on … or at least as far as I was willing to move on. I was owned and had a collar and had a Home and had found a place … a place in a trophy case,. There were five guys and four split-tails and he had enough hardware to arm five times that number. His only problem was that the territory he was heading into had precious few brothers and was overrun with red-neck whites and Spanish-speaking immigrants. Then, he recalled an almost all black bike gang that ran a nice meth operation in the less-traveled part of the fertile farmland. He remembered they were called "The Raiders" or something like that because he associated it with the Oakland NFL. I know Timmy will." I could only nod my head. "Good." she said. "You're such a pretty boy now." Now go wash it off with this cream and come back and you try your hand at it.I returned, sat down on the floor before the coffee table and looked into the mirror Mother had placed on the table along with the cosmetics. As best I could, I redid my face with Mom adding comments: "a little more," "that's too much", and "smooth it in," and of course, her encouraging words: "You're doing wonderfully well. Leon and dancer, Vlad and Anya, all stood at the bar waiting. I joined them in time to greet Sylvia, as she walked in before I even got the coke into the cooler."You must have pulled in right behind me. I'm surprised that I didn't see you," I admitted to Sylvia."You looked as though you had other things on your mind. You aren't worried about the housing development are you?" she asked."Not in the least, are you?" I asked. If she hadn't been a little worried, then I would have to be, I thought..