A Bubble off center

Some of the funniest moments this weekend came from Marks association with a motorcycle club in Chicago, the Overlords.

I doubt that any of his immediate family fully understood the extent of his involvement or his role in ‘the club’.

Marks biker name was “Baron”; a name given to him “because of his wise counsel, his warrior nobility and his deliberateness and thoroughness in answering the concerns of other members."

Baron–noun 1. a member of the lowest grade of nobility. 2. (in Britain) a. a feudal vassal holding his lands under a direct grant from the king. b. a direct descendant of such a vassal or his equal in the nobility. c. a member of the house of Lords. 3. an important financier or industrialist, especially one with great power in a particular area: an oil baron.

For those of us who primarily saw Mark through the long lens of his childhood and impulsivity of adolescence, this persona of ‘Baron’ was a game changer.

I lost track of the number of guys who shared stories of how Mark mentored them and changed the direction of their lives by his example and ‘hard fought wisdom’; men who considered Mark to be their brother or their best friend; men who tattooed his name, an iron cross (his favorite) and his birth and death dates on their bodies within 12 hours of his death.

Frankly, that’s a level of commitment I can’t fathom.

I don’t think I have one friend who would want to have my name permanently on their bodies, let alone 20, and, conversely, while I have many dear friends, I’m not getting inked up to prove to anyone that I’ll never forget them!

They’ll just have to take my word for it!

Most of the guys also wore the tattoo

FWO FWA

visibly on their bodies – some on their necks, some on forearms or wrists.

As an innocent who had grown up alongside Future Teachers of America and Future Farmers of America, I spent moments distracting myself in the funeral home, trying to figure out what the initials stood for – to no avail.

Finally I screwed up the courage to ask one of them.

It was a club motto he replied, “Fuck With One, Fuck With All”.

There’s a wonderful cache to that, isn’t there?

It's really just an updated version of this sentiment...

Our family crest is now being designed by Art Boy – and it will include Our Lady of Bunco, (a Memorial Day 'family thing'),dice (because life is a crap shoot), the words “Let it Go” AND those initials.

We’re thinking of getting engraved stationary, tee shirts, ball caps and perhaps Trapper Keepers… I’ll let you know when I open my Etsy store selling the items!

Lol…only kidding…

or maybe not!