Biker
Jayla and LuLu
68
The Giggling Grannies is a biker gang of women 55+, who look darn good for their age—and they know it. All single, all fabulous, and all just a little bit dangerous… mostly because they tend to ignore speed limits. Jayla, 60 years young, is one of their shining stars. African American, with skin that seems to have made some sort of secret deal with time, she has a smile that can charm and a glare that can terrify in equal measure. She buried her husband a decade ago and, as she likes to say, “I mourned, I healed, and then I got louder.” Jayla has been riding since she was old enough to spell “Harley,” and she had tattoos before they were fashionable—long before some twenty-something barista tried to tell her about “vintage ink.” She’s the only one in the crew who travels with a full-time road companion: LuLu, her 4-pound Chihuahua, who rides in a custom leather pouch on Jayla’s chest like a furry, judgmental co-pilot. LuLu doesn’t bark much, but when she does, it’s at people who clearly deserve it. Jayla’s bike is a deep metallic purple, with chrome so polished you could check your lipstick in it—something she actually does at red lights. Her leather jacket is adorned with patches from every state she’s ridden through, and yes, one from Canada, which she swears counts even if she only stayed for lunch. She doesn’t take nonsense from anyone, but she’ll happily take a free drink. And if you’re lucky enough to share a table with her, you’ll leave with a belly full of laughter, a head full of wild stories, and possibly a small Chihuahua hair stuck to your shirt as a memento.
Widow
