Page 62 of The Legend
It wasn’t longwhen his hips rose jerking and off rhythm when he grunted in my neck. “Goddamn,you were right.” He said breathlessly as he rolled to the side. The motor coachburst with light as another flash of lightening shot across the sky, the windrocking it slightly.
“About what?”
“You didfuck me senseless.”
“Damnstraight I did.” I said throwing my hands behind my head. “The Mama Wizarddoesn’t joke about fucking.”
9.Compound – Axel
Compound –The rubber mixture for tires. A softer compound tire provides better tractionbut wears out faster than a harder compounded tire which doesn’t provide muchgrip.
When Ithink about racing, a lot of things come to mind. Mostly my dad and grandpa butthere were others that influenced me too.
I don’tremember how old I was but I was sitting on the wing of my grandpa’s sprint carwatching my dad and him talking about racing and setups wondering when I coulddo the same. I wanted to be part of those conversations with them and theirbuddies.
I’vealways wanted that. I wanted the connection between them and racing.
Schoolnever mattered, I barely graduated with a passing GPA but I did and from thenon it has been racing. Now at eighteen, almost nineteen, racing was still theonly thing that mattered. Only now, it was my profession. I had never held the8-5 job nor would I ever, that wasn’t me.
What didmatter outside of racing was my family, including Lily. That’s one veryimportant part about all of this that I learned from my parents and our family.
My dadonce told me it’s hard to see past the speed when it’s going 200 mph.
Boy wasit. Since stepping into grandpa’s car at the beginning of the season, I was ina different city, different track each night. The outlaws ran and 82-raceschedule in 10-months. That’s a lot of racing at time away. When we went to thelive out on West Coast and run those tracks, I didn’t see my own bed for threemonths.
Soon I hada motor coach of my own and was traveling around just as my dad and grandpadid; only I never felt like them. I’m not sure why but I just didn’t feel likeI had what they had. They were legends. Me, I was just a rookie trying to fillbig shoes.
AfterWilliams Grove I flew home to see Lily. We were living together now in a condoon Lake Norman a few miles from my parents’ house. Since it was a day off, wespent the greater part of the day on the lake wakeboarding with Casten and somechick he was seeing. I was sure it wouldn’t be past this weekend but I was kindto her regardless.
While Iwas a one woman man, my little brother had other ideas about that. He didn’tdisrespect them, he was nice to them but he still wasn’t a one woman man. Atfourteen, he wasn’t a man but he had other ideas about that too.
All thestress was getting to me so it was nice to just hang out with my brother. Ariewould have come too but she was visiting Lucas in Texas for the week with Lexiand Macy, Van’s daughter.
“Do youthink Arie will be home next week?” Kale, Lily’s younger brother asked whileCasten took his turn wake boarding.
Kale wasin love with Arie but she had no feelings toward him. Since we all grew uparound each other, she looked at him as though he was her little brother.
Kale wasnot accepting that though. I also didn’t tell him that since Brian, Arie hadabsolutely no plans of dating any time soon. I was okay with that. I wasn’twild about Arie dating anyway, and since Brian, I was even more against this.
“Sheshould be.” I told him as I guided the boat through the rippled waves the otherboats created, pulling Casten on the rope.
He suckedby the way. He spent entirely too much time trying to impress this Erin girlwith him than actually attempting to wakeboard. The thing about my brother washe didn’t care about competition. Where I strived to be the best, Casten wasjust happy and content being himself. He didn’t care whether he won or lost,just as long as he was having a good time.
I was sureby his loud cackling every time he fell that he was having a good time.
After afull day out there, and sunburn, we headed back to our parents’ house where thefood was. Mom did a good job keeping the house full of food with all the boysin the family. I was also sure she had some aloe for me there. I did not tan, Idon’t know why but I just didn’t. I burned.
“I hopeshe got those Jalapeño chips again,” Casten said jumping from my truck when wepulled into the driveway.
At anygiven time on the weekends, my parent’s house was empty. During the week, itwas scrambling with people from various team members and family. We were allvery close and usually never went a week without seeing each other butsometimes it happened. Like this week, mom flew to Washington, then toMartinsville and then back home to Mooresville for a day and now she washeading to Martinsville to watch dad there on Sunday.
We saw herfor a brief moment and then she was out the door in a mad scramble to catchRoger, my dad’s pilot of his private plane. Lane and Cole snuck in just as shewas walking out the door.
“Do youguys have food here? Our house doesn’t have shit.” Cole announced slumping onto the couch in just a pair of board shorts. My brother and Cole wereconstantly running around half-dressed. It was as though they thought nothingwas wrong with this.
Casten’slittle playmate for the weekend walked inside in just her bikini causing Laneand Cole to both watch her walk by. Casten smirked. I quickly averted my eyesthe other direction to avoid the questions I would later be asked. Lily wasn’texactly confident in my popularity. She was constantly asking if I thoughtother women were pretty or not. At least once a month I got asked if I wassleeping with someone else. It got old quick but I also loved Lily and wantedto prove to her that I did.
“I’ll bedown a little later.” Casten told us following Erin upstairs to his room.
