Page 156 of The Champion
Logan shrugged indifferently. “It happens to the best ofus.”
Just as Jameson got back out of the golf cart knowing hehad some father duties to tend to, Emma sent me a text message just thenstating Casten broke down and was now crying.
Turning toward Jameson, I yanked him by his racing suitwith me. “Come talk to him, he’s crying.”
Jameson groaned but followed. “Why is he crying?”
“Probably because he tried to stick Play-Doh into hisbrain.”
In every infield on the circuit was an infield care center.Drivers and their families were treated there for sprained ankles, cuts;scrapes, sore throats, and the flu...prettymuch everything.
This wasn’t the first time one of my kids visited the infieldcare emergency room. Axel had frequent visits at Bristol, Charlotte andDaytona. Arie had stumbled over a tire in the garage area at Fontana andreceived her first set of stitches when she was two. And now Casten who he hadan issue with sticking things in his nose. Let’s just hope that issue didn’texpand to chemicals when he got older.
Later that night after getting Casten ice cream to makehim feel better, he spent the rest of the night curled up in Jameson’s lapplaying X-box with Logan. Usually he was a mama’s boy but at the first sign ofillness or injury, he wanted his daddy, much like all my children.
After the episode of “Play-Doh up the nose” Castenreceived a rather nasty infection.
He needed a hefty dose of antibiotics so I took him withme to fill the prescription when we went back to Elma for the Outlaw tour. Itfelt good to be back home for a few weeks and hanging out with Andrea and Macywas my favorite part. A not so favorite part was running into Chelsea for thefirst time since before the accident.
Having Casten with me was not something I wanted at thismoment. I never wanted her to see the kids. We tried to keep them out of thepublic eye as much as possible but times like this I never thought I needed to.Everywhere in Elma I went, people never bothered us. The same went forMooresville; two places where we truly felt at home. I should have known thatI’d run into her in Elma though.
“Sway...is thatyou?” I knew her voice, how could I not? It haunted me for years in high school.Casten gripped my hand tighter when he felt me tense, looking up at me.
Turning back to look at her, I had to bite back a laughthat she had gained about fifty pounds.
“Chelsea?” My arms instinctively picked up my youngestspaz holding him close to me.
“Wow, it’s good to see you.” She said, her blue eyesappearing honest for once.
Casten looked from me to her. “Who is that?”
“This is Chelsea Adams.” I told him.
She held her hand out to him. “You look just like yourdaddy sweetheart.”
“Well I should, he’s my dad,” was Casten’s response.
“Oh I can tell with that remark.” She laughed. “You mustbe the youngest one...Casten, right?”
We both nodded as I gave her a confused look. “Theinternet...it’s not hard to find out.”
“Back to stalking these days?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “No, I’m not. Listen Sway,I’m sorry for what happened.”
“Sorry doesn’t really take it back Chelsea.” I whispered.Our kids didn’t know the troubles we’d had prior to them. I didn’t want themto, knowing eventually there would be no way around them not knowing.
Chelsea sighed knowing this wasn’t the time for this sortof thing when my eyes glanced toward Casten who was curiously watching ourinteraction. “I wanted his heart back then Sway, but it wasn’t his to give. Itnever was.”
I could have told her she was wrong but she wasn’t. Wedidn’t know it then but our hearts were taken that night beside that blacksprint car when we were eleven. Neither one of us ever had a chance alone.
Back-out – Jameson
“How does it feel on the straight stretches?”
I shrugged flipping open my visor as Kyle leaned insidethe car. “Good but not great. It still feels like it’s bottoming out on me.”
“We could try an air pressure and a spring wedge to seeif that helps.”
