Page 159 of Trading Paint
He hesitated for a moment, selecting his words carefully.
“I have brain cancer.” He paused as his eyes met mine. “They’re treating it aggressively but...it’scancer. Metastatic brain cancer and there’s not a lot of hope right now.”
I felt the blood drain from my face as my heart pounded desperately, pumping the blood toward my heart.
He wasn’t serious, was he?
After a moment of nerve-wracking silence and hyperventilation, I choked out, “Cancer...”
My mind raced to process everything he just said. I thought of Sway’s mom and the way it affected her and now this? How could one person be subjected to so much and how much more would she be asked to endure?
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He said and added one request that was deeply important to him. “Don’t tell Sway.”
“When are you going to tell her?”
“I’m not...” he sighed and hung his head. “She doesn’t need this...”
“She needs to know!” I demanded jumping to my feet. For the first time in my life, I wanted to punch him. For a minute, I hated him with everything I had.
Then the blinding anger subsided and I thought about what he meant to me, and the fact that he was dying. His affliction was evident in his shattered features. I could tell it wasn’t that he didn’twantto tell her and for a minute, I understood him completely because by not telling her, he was doing unerringly what I was doing.
Here was a man standing before me who had aided in my career. If he hadn’t allowed me to race sprints before I was sixteen, I would have never gotten the experience I did. How could I hate him for one, helping me so much and two, protecting her in the same ways I was? Though we were both fighting two entirely different battles, I think we understood each other more that day than ever before.
“I know you love her in your own way.” He was standing by the door as I was leaving. “Just don’t hurt her, please.”
I didn’t answer, not because I didn’t want to but it didn’t strike me as a question, it was more of a demand.
Charlie said he would wait until he found out more from the doctors before transferring the title but the outlook was not promising. I left there with only one thing on my mind, Sway.
I had to see her. I had to.
I looked down at my phone, my fingers traced over the numbers. What would I even say to her? I couldn’t tell her, not when he specifically asked me not to.
I had to see her though; there was no other option.
Unsure as to whether or not my schedule would allow me to, I called Alley. “When do I have to be in Talladega?”
“Tomorrow afternoon by four,” she told me sounding annoyed. “You don’t have time to go off and play, Jameson.”
“Goddamn it Alley, I didn’t ask for your fucking advice!” I shouted. “I asked you what time I needed to be there.” I was tired of everyone acting like they knew what was best or that they felt the need to control me. “I’ll be there by four.”
“If you’re not, I’m not making excuses for you this time.”
“I never asked you to.” I hung up after that and called Wes.
He answered after a few rings. “Hey kid, where are you?”
“Well I’m in Olympia now. Can you take me to Bellingham tonight?”
“I thought I was taking you toDega?”
“You are but I need to make a stop for the night.”
“No problem.” He replied without hesitation. “I’ll see you in two hours.”
I thought a lot waiting for Wes.
