Page 8 of The Legend
“I’malways ready for racing, winters feel...strange.”
It was true.Come December, we were all itching to get to the tracks and back to the life,we knew.
We madeuse of our time alone again before Sway slipped from the bed and into ourbathroom for a quick shower. I stayed in bed for a few more minutes when thetelevision caught my attention.
SPEED wasdoing a special on Tate and this being his last full time season. It was crazyto me that guys I had started racing with in the series eighteen years ago werenow retiring.
Thisquestion was asked of me a lot now. Was I ready to retire?
No. Noteven close. I was only forty-one. For me, I felt like I still had a lot ofyears left in this sport.
Swaycaught me still in bed when she came out of the bathroom. She opened the door,steam rolling behind her, “Seriously dude! Get out of bed.”
“Sorry,” Igot up without another word. I always felt lazy when I was at home, like Ishould be doing more. If Sway was up running around, I felt even lazier. Itseemed like the longer we lived this lifestyle, the more I felt like I didn’tdo enough around the house for her.
“If youget up,” her voice raised slightly, “I’ll make you pancakes.”
“I’m up!”I said jumping from bed and heading into the bathroom. No way was I passing upSway’s pancakes.
Before Iclosed the door, I could hear Sway and Casten in the hallway. “Can I go to aparty tonight?” he asked her.
“No.You’re grounded.”
“That’shardly fair,” he argued, “Cole isn’t grounded. Why should I be? I mean, it washardly my fault. I feel like I was involuntarily persuaded by my uncle and hispoor decisions.”
He had agood point. I could almost hear my wife thinking the same thing.
“Fine, beback by midnight.”
We reallyneeded to set better rules. Sway was the biggest pushover when it came toCasten and I had yet to tell Arie no to almost anything. At least it was a goodthing that Axel was at least level headed. The other two were enough to handle.
Ourbathroom was entirely too large but it was nice. Heated slate tile floors metwarm gray walls and were surrounded by polished nickel accents and dark woodframed windows overlooked the woods behind the house.
Notknowing where anything was, it took me awhile to find what I needed to take ashower. Having just moved in last week, I was still getting used to the showerand the way the jets came at me from every angle. A few felt a little invasiveso I had to adjust those.
When Istepped out of the bathroom with a towel around my waist and water stilldripping from me, I was not met with my wife in our room.
Instead, Ifound my sister with her head buried in my closet.
“Em,” I barked holding the towel with both hands so itwouldn’t fall, “What the fuck are you doing in here?”
She actedas though this was no big deal and dismissed me with a roll of her eyes.
“I’morganizing your closet for you,” she turned back around and began to rummagethrough my jeans and collection of hooded sweatshirts. “You’re getting too oldto wear these,” she said to me as I stood there staring at her in disbelief.
“Am not,”I argued starting to feel uncomfortable with her being in my room. Not that Iwasn’t already but the fact that she was now staring at me, had meuncomfortable. “I’m forty-one. I can still wear hooded sweatshirts if I want.Now get out!”
I made aslight mistake here but it turned out to be the best decision. I let go of thetowel.
“OH MY GOD!”Emmascreamed scrambling out of the room. I could hear her scream all the way downthe stairs.
“Missionaccomplished,” I said to myself and continued to get dressed. I purposely puton a hooded sweatshirt after that.
Making myway downstairs, it was evident my sister was still there to aggravate me alittle more this morning. After all, this was her mission in life as far as Iwas concerned.
“Youalphabetized my recipes again?” I heard Sway ask Emma.
“Yeah, so?I wasworking on your closet too, but your husband decided to flash me.”
