Page 27 of The Legend
I lovedthat my dad stuck up for me and more importantly that he spoke the truth.Something the media knew nothing about. My family, the people I surroundedmyself with, when the bell rang, they were ready and willing to stick up for meand fight for what they believed was true.
Much ofthis debate between Paul and me resulted in a few meetings with me and my dad,mostly because he was searching for another driver for next season.
After theteam meeting Tuesday morning, following that Bristol race, Dad, much like mygrandpa Casten, kept his praising to a minimum. When they did offer it, you hadbetter take it to heart.
I can’tsay he was thrilled about it but these days, he wasn’t making a lot of sense tome when he replied with: “Don’t waste it Jameson. You’ve got more talent than Iever had. I mean that.”
I tend tothink he was still on pain meds from the hip surgery. There was no way he’d saythat lucidly.
I wasannoyed when dad left for his bingo game, I’m sure he wasn’t playing bingothese days but what else would he do if he wasn’t racing? All the boys at theshop joked that he played bingo.
AfterBristol we also did another inventory. Mulling over the latest results, Inoticed things weren’t adding up. Between Paul, my crazy dad and now thisinventory, it did nothing for my mood.
Sway camewalking in right after that, upset with Emma about something I couldn’t exactlypinpoint what had her angry only that she was mad. I was already riled up fromthe penalties handed down from NASCAR yesterday that I only heard half of whatshe had told me.
Sway stoodthere looking to me for a response when I asked, “What?” to a question I hadn’theard.
“Jameson...you, oh never mind.”
Here camemy temper. My fist slammed down on the desk I was sitting at knocking over mycup and a handful of picture frames. “No!” I shouted furiously, “Don’t fuckingdo that.”
“Do what?”she asked just as angry that I had yelled at her.
“Act like thisand not tell me. Don’t do that to me. Tell me what’s wrong. I can’t fix itunless I know.”
“It’snothing you need to fix.” Her tone grew angry. “Besides, you weren’t listeningin the first place.”
“Apparentlyit is if you felt the need to mention it and I’m sorry. I was distracted.”
Shesmiled. The smile that made it all better but I could tell she was just as wornout as I was these days. Sway was helping with Axel’s fan club and trying toget Casten through school. Arie had decided school wasn’t for her so Sway wastrying to make her decide what she wanted to do with her life. Right now thatmeant nothing but sleeping until noon every day, tattoos and speeding tickets.I wasn’t okay with her not going to school. She was sixteen and she needed tograduate high school. To prove her point and to piss me off, she got her GED.
I’m notsure why my little girl had turned into such a little rebel but I was sure hernew boyfriend, Brian Tyler, had something to do with it.
All thiswas stressing us out to the point we were now yelling at each other. Sighing, Igazed at the inventory again and then back to Sway.
“You wannaget away?” Before I even finished the sentence, Sway was nodding in agreement.
The NASCARschedule freed up and allowed for yet another week break that summer in betweenraces, I decided it was time to spend it with my wife and not at a track.
We decidedto make a quick trip to Costa Rico, Sway loved it there. After all thearrangements were made, we told Casten and Arie, who at fourteen and sixteenwere fully capable of staying alone in the house.
“Where areyou two going?” Casten asked looking at the bags in the foyer.
“CostaRico,” I told him. “Stay out of trouble or I’ll ship you off to boardingschool.”
“Sweet,”he nodded ruffling his thick rusty waves that fell in his eyes. “I was thinkingof having a party.”
“No youweren’t.”
“Actually,I was. It’s time I had a house warming party.”
“Nice job,you ruined it for yourself. I’m staying here.” I sat down on the bags crossingmy arms over my chest. “No party for you.”
Castenshrugged carelessly, “Your loss really.”
Ohgoddamn him.
In theend, we ended up going and had Spencer keep an eye on the kids. That was ourfirst mistake. Our second was allowing Emma and Aiden to come with us.
