Page 176 of The Champion
“What are you doing here?” I asked peeking inside hisroom.
He was sitting on his bed staring down at his laptop.
“I don’t have to be to the track until Friday so Ithought I’d sleep in my own bed. Spencer just dropped me off.” He looked upfrom his computer. “Where is everyone?”
“Elma.” I mumbled stepping inside his room to sit in thebeanbag in the corner.
“Elma?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
He looked at me confused for a moment and then raised hiseyebrows. “Are you two fighting?”
“You could call it that.”
“Care to talk about it.”
“Nope,” I took another swig of my beer. “She made it prettyfucking clear what she wanted.”
“And that was?”
“Space...orwhatever,”
I eventually stopped talking. Axel didn’t need to hearabout my problems and he especially didn’t need to hear about my problems withhis mother.
“How was your race in Grand Rapids?”
Axel shrugged. “Won my heat, dash and took fourth in themain.”
“Not bad.” I nodded taking another drink of my beerbefore setting it down on his night stand. “I see you took over the points leadlast week though.”
“Yeah but Woods is only ten points behind me.”
Smiling at him, I chuckled softly. “You’ll get it.”
I spent the majority of the night sitting in his roomwith him talking racing. Even though everything was so shitty with Sway, itfelt good to be alone with my son. I hadn’t realized how long it’d been sincewe were together that way and eventually we found ourselves hovering over hiscar looking for things that could give him a little more edge over Woods.
Knowing my wife the way I did, I knew she simply neededsome time to think. Sway never stayed angry with me, even when I deserved it.That wasn’t Sway. But she did need space, or whatever.
23.Lapped Traffic - Sway
Lapped Traffic –This refers to any cars that are not on the same lap as the leader.
Leaving Jameson in Vegas was difficult but I needed to doit. The only way he was going to understand any of this was if I left himalone. Being around me, he wouldn’t understand it.
I had my reasoning.
A few days after Arie, Casten and I flew out toWashington. I was ready to go home. I made use of my time there though and tookcare of any loose ends at the track. I also visited my parent’s grave,something I hadn’t done in years.
Casten spent the morning at the track with some friendswhile Arie and I snuck off to their gravesites.
We sat in comfortable silence before Arie glanced over atme. “Does it ever get easier for you, mama?”
“No baby, but the pain fades eventually.”
Arie looked over at me, her eyes worried. “How old wereyou?”
“I was six when my mom died and twenty-three when Charliedied.”
