Page 45 of The Legend
“Really,”I balked looked at Sway and then Rosa. “She’s not your little girl, Rosa.”
Ignoringme, Rosa poured her own glass of rum and started drinking with Sway.Apparently, I was no longer part of the conversation as they made small talkwith each other. There were times, and now was a good reminder of it, I feltlike my lifestyle was harder than in needed to be. Life on the road was nevergood for family life. My biggest fear was that they suddenly wouldn’t need meanymore. That they had become so accustomed to me not being around, that theywouldn’t notice when I was. My biggest fear was that they would make a lifewithout me.
I had ahard time with Arie dating Brian. I didn’t trust him and this tattooed angrylittle girl was not the Arie that we knew. She used to be such a sweet girl.She was a little girl that would be bouncing with excitement when I got homeand rush to the door to wrap her-self around my legs. Now all I got was an eyeroll if I was lucky.
With Axelsuspended for punching Brian, I had a feeling it was something more than youraverage pit fight. Knowing Axel, I knew there was more to it than racing. Axeldidn’t go around punching just anyone. Usually it was provoked for him to takea swing at someone.
Just as Iwas about to call Axel, who was now heading to Terra Haute, Van called.
“Jameson, wehave a problem,” were his first words followed by, “meet me in twenty minutesat the sprint car shop.”
I wasthere in ten along with Sway and Rosa who insisted on coming with us.
Van waswaiting by his car, his burly arms crossed over his chest with his head bentdown staring at the ground.
“What’sup?” I asked reaching for Sway’s hand as she caught up to my jog over to Van.
His eyes,cold and tense, met with mine and reminded me of the time he found Darrin inthe bar. Van was different these days, a former Navy Seal, he was hired by ourattorney back in 2003 to be my bodyguard at a time when a rival driver and mewere heavily involved in an on and off the track battle.
EmotionallyI still wasn’t over the fact that Darrin had gotten me to a point back thenwhere he knew it would destroy me, Sway. Van also lost his family because ofDarrin. He and I had a connection that was hard to break we understood eachother.
After thething with Darrin, Van had become close with our family and eventuallyre-married and had a little girl, Macy, and adopted Andrea’s twin boys, Loganand Lucas, after they were married.
He alwaystreated my kids like his own. Their safety meant everything to him. Over time,I realized just how much of an impact they had on him. The only way I coulddescribe this would be the potato theory. You can put a potato in a freezereventually it will grow roots. You can wrap it in plastic and freeze it, and itwill still grow roots. My point, even frozen spuds grow roots eventually. Mykids were Van’s frozen roots.
Thefaraway look in Van’s eyes confirmed he felt the connection between now andback when Darrin had gotten to Sway.
I wasabout to ask him again what was up when he let out a deep sigh and opened theback door to his SUV revealing Arie.
Arie satcurled up in the seat, her legs drawn to her chest as she shook with sobs. Atfirst glance, you wouldn’t think anything was wrong with her, aside from thecrying, until you saw her face.
I couldn’tseeherface. No, the face I saw was one of a girl who’d giveneverything to a boy, once again, only to have him use her.
At thesight, I thought for sure I was having a heart attack. Sway gasped when Arielooked at her moving quickly to sit next to her. My stomach dropped, the painsurged through my arms and legs, throbbing. The blinding anger rose, I couldfeel my chest tighten trying to subdue the onset.
Swaycradled Aries’ head in her lap, sitting beside her on the bench seat. The blackleather of the seat only made the red bloodstains on her white shirt more of ashock, a horrifying shock.
Sway’seyes searched mine waiting for my reaction. Arie refused to look at either oneof us.
The thingis,I didn’t see Arie in that moment. I saw Sway lyingin a hospital bed because I couldn’t protect her against Darrin. Now, nearly twenty years later,history had repeateditself. Only now, this was my own flesh and blood. A little girl that I watchcarefully as she slept in my arms as an infant, praying nothing bad would everhappened to her. The same little girl would wait up for me on Sundays. A littlegirl that I taught to ride a bike, kissed her scrapes when she fell, played teacups on Monday mornings and watchThe Princess and the Pearepeatedlyfor an entire year. The same little girl that had me spray paint her BarbiePower Wheel to match my race car when she was four.
This was adifficult image to stomach that’s for sure.
Grady, whohad been inside the sprint car shop, came out with a nervous energy to him. “Iseverything all right out here?”
Van and Ilooked back at Grady he looked concerned. “Everything’s fine Grady. Pleaseleave.”
He didn’tneed telling twice but something struck me as off. He was at the sprint carshop when I didn’t tell him he needed to be. He should have been off today as Igave him every Monday and Tuesday off. I didn’t have time to focus on that now.Instead, my attention was on my daughter.
“How didyou find out about this before me?” I asked turning back around to face Van.
“Shecalled me to come get her,” Van said beside me, his voice was low. “It seemsBrian wasn’t happy with Axel’s reaction today and took it out on Arie.”
When Vanspoke, Arie sobbed louder clutching herself closer to Sway whispering, “I’msorry.”
“It’s allright baby.” Sway soothed, gently running her hand across her back. Arieflinched squirming from her touch.
Swayswallowed and then lifted Aries’ shirt. I lost it completely.
