Page 112 of The Legend
His gazethat was fixated on the window, shifted to me. The blood in his eyes seemed soprominent now. The green, it was there but it was different. It could have beenthe medication but I tended to think the latter and guessed it was a front. Hewas trying not to feel anything, whether it be emotionally, or physically.
“I...k...now.” hewhispered softly before placing a tender kiss on my temple. “I...n-n-eedyou guys...”
And he did.He needed his family and our love more than ever now.
20.Wheel Hop – Axel
Wheel Hop – A hopping action of the rear wheels during heavyacceleration.Traction islost and gained in rapid cycles after power is applied to the rear wheels.
“I’mtempted to board that window up.”
“Don’t youdare,” mom warned biting her nails. “It’s all he has right now.”
“Pleasetell me that photo is out of your bra?” Emma asked mom leaning over to peakdown her shirt.
Momsmacked at her trying to get away when Emma’s arms wrapped around her waist.“Don’t look down my shirt!”
Alleygiggled beside them on the floor in the hallway outside my dad’s room as theyperformed a CT scan. My grandma, bless her heart was watching them interact, asoft smile drifted over her and then, for the first time in a week, shelaughed.
All of usstopped and watched her and then broke out into laughter together. It felt goodto laugh. It felt good to be a family though we were missing pieces of it now.My mom told me once, when our dog Rev died and I cried for two weeks, thatchange was something that scares everyone. It comes and goes, like a trackchanging from a tacky track to dry and slick, it’s drastic, tons of grip to nogrip. What once was a track that provided different grooves is now a tire-shreddingmonster and you are forced into one line, one direction. You can try to ignorethe change, run the line you want, but you can’t discount the way your carhandles. Soon you have wheel hop and you’re forced up the track to the linewith the most grip.
You maynot want to run that line, so close to the wall that can reach out and bite youany second but you deal with it. You hang on and hope the new line gets you towhere you wanted.
Smiling atthe memory of mom holding me tightly at eleven-years old, crying with me, shedid what she always did best for me. Explained the change in our lives theyonly way I knew our family to explain anything, Racing terms.
I satthere and watched all of us interacting together, finally breathing for thefirst time in three weeks. Because so far, the praying was answered, thewaiting had stopped, he was breathing, he was speaking, kind of, but one wassaved.
It left amark, sure. We had something to be thankful for, my dad was awake.
Standing,my mom, and grandma watched me closely as I looked at my dad lying still in hisbed, looking out the window as doctors spoke to him.
“I have toleave,” I said regretfully. Mom stood and wrapped her arms around me. I noticedthen that she was losing weight, weight she didn’t have to lose. “Mom, you needto eat something.”
“I knowbaby. I will.” She said twisting from me. “When does Lily and Ami’s flight comein?”
“Theylanded about thirty minutes ago. Roger is waiting for me at the airport to takeme back to Mooresville.”
“Okay,”she said checking her phone for the time. “How’s everything going there? DidSherry get all the flights scheduled for Justin and Tyler for SoCal Showdown?”
I noddedtrying not to give any details for what was going on back home. They didn’tneed to know that Grady had altered dad’s roll cage or that he was actuallyDarrin’s son. No. They had enough to worry about.
Arie, whosat next to grandma holding her hand, looked up at me hoping I didn’t sayanything. Our eyes met and she pleaded with me and I silently offered myagreement to her.
I leftafter that, had lunch with Lily and then I was heading back home to prepare forthree weeks on the road. I wanted to block the pain I was feeling, the everydayaches of the change that occurred and racing was the only way. Dealing with itthe only way we knew.
When Iwalked into the shop, I knew that dealing with it needed to have a little moreeffort.
Theproblem was that it didn’t matter, any way we looked at the situation, it feltlike things were falling apart without dad here to yell at us.
My othersurprise that night was the boys breaking out a case of beer after we got thewalk through done on the cars and loaded in the haulers. When Greg and Rustytook off for Barberville, Tommy and Willie started drinking. Soon it was onlynatural that I join them.
“It’squiet without him here yelling at us.” Willie said almost conversationallylooking around. All three of us laid on the concrete shop floor. “I keepthinking he’s going to yell at us for sitting around.”
Tommygiggled. “He saves that for Rosa.”
“By theway, Tommy,” Willie propped himself up on his elbows. “How’s Rosa these days?”
“Tommygiggled again taking a long pull from his beer. “She’s good.”
