Hot Laps (6 page)

Gearhead – A device that reduces motor speed and increases motor torque.

When I got off work on Tuesday, I rushed home to get changed and grabbed the spare
set of keys to my dad’s Ford truck he didn’t know I had.

Rosa was there, not cleaning, and watching a movie in the movie room. Peeking my head
in, I laughed at her lounged in her sweatpants and one of my dad’s t-shirts I was
sure he didn’t know she had stolen. “Stealing clothes now?”

Rosa sat straight up and looked over her shoulder, mid-drink of what I was sure wasn’t
just Pepsi. “I didn’t take this shirt. He gave it to me.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes. “Sure he did. What happens when he comes home?”

“I’ll take it off. It’s just …” Rosa sighed and flopped back against the leather recliner,
her legs kicked out, “his shirts are comfortable.”

“So buy some like his.” It seemed like an obvious solution to me.

Not to Rosa though. “How else would I annoy him?”

“Good point, Rosa. Very good point.”

We always agreed with each other and I know she wasn’t a good maid and honestly had
no idea why my parents kept her around. I think she was like a stray dog. You don’t
need a dog, but they grow on you and then you can’t get rid of them. They become part
of your family despite the fact that they piss all over the place and infested your
house with fleas.

Rosa lived in the guesthouse above the garage but spent a lot of time in our house
and no one but my dad thought it was weird.

“What are you watching?”

She didn’t look back at me hanging inside the door with just my head. “Nothing in
particular. Wanna watch a movie tonight?”

“Sure. I’ll be back in like three hours.”

We agreed on our date night. I had a lot of movie dates with Rosa. We always seemed
to have the same tastes in what we liked to watch and she didn’t judge me that I enjoyed
romantic comedies.

I left after that and met up with my grandma at Tenders Fresh Foods. She loved their
milk shakes. And, I have to say, they’re pretty tasty.

When I got to the restaurant, my grandma’s Mercedes my dad and Uncle Spencer bought
her for her birthday last month, was parked outside.

I parked my Ford truck next to hers. All the guys in our family had Fords. Naturally.
They still sponsored Dad’s Cup cars so we got good deals on them. This one I bought
with my own money and his discount. It felt good to have something of my own.

Inside I found her at a table in the back, same spot we always sat. Her rusty loops
were fading to gray these days but she didn’t let them go completely. Being gray scared
her. She’d just turned sixty-seven and you’d never guess it looking at her.

“Hey, Grammy,” I sat down next to her at the table, my arms wrapped around her fragile
frame. “How was your day?”

She smiled and sighed, as if she’d been waiting all day for me. When we started having
our dinners, I didn’t realize how much she looked forward to it. But soon, I understood
how much it meant for someone who no longer had her partner, to have something to
look forward to.

“Oh, honey,” she leaned into me. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You didn’t think I forgot, did you?” Kissing her cheek, I moved to sit across from
her where we could talk.

“No.” Her eyes followed a little girl bouncing in with her dad, squealing in delight
when she saw they had ice cream. “Just good to see your smiling face.”

We got the same thing every time we came here. I got the chicken strips, fries and
extra creamy garlic sauce with my usual strawberry milkshake. Grandma got her hamburger
and chocolate milkshake, always chocolate.

Most of the time when we were together, I just let Grandma talk about anything she
wanted. It didn’t matter. She was heavily involved in the driver development program
Grandpa started years ago to help kids who didn’t have the money still race. It was
very important to him, and my dad, that kids get to follow their dreams regardless
of the fact they didn’t have any money.

“Do you think if Grandpa would have lived, he would have went back to racing?”

“Without a doubt. He loved it. Just because he retired didn’t mean he wasn’t going
to race. He just wanted a break. Nothing would have stopped a man like him.” Her eyes
got that misty far-away look she had whenever she remembered him. “Jameson is so much
like him in many ways my dear. Neither one of them could ever walk away completely.”

I knew the feeling. Most thought I gave up completely but they didn’t know me that
well, I guess. At the time when Ryder died, I was racing his USAC midget. His parents
said the car was mine if I wanted it. I thought about continuing back then, racing
for him even, in his memory.

Being eleven when he died, my heart wasn’t in it anymore. Much like my dad when he
retired, he needed a break. Just like Grandpa, I did, too.

I never raced with the intensity Axel did. Never won any major races either. I wouldn’t
go so far as to say I didn’t have the talent. I suppose I did. I just didn’t have
that Rowdy Riley thing going on.

“Are you thinking about racing again, sweetie?”

“Yeah.” I gave a small nod finishing my milkshake and then set the plastic cup down
on the table. “I guess I am. Ryder loved the Chili Bowl. Thought about running it
for him this next year.”

“Oh, yeah?”

I nodded, once again. “Dad and Tommy got a car for me from Leddy. Same number four
and colors that Ryder ran. Wouldn’t be that big of a deal to run. Barely any work.”

“That would be great for his family, honey. Ryder’s mom would love that.”

Grandma had a group of women she hung out with and always had. Ryder’s mom, Linda,
was one of them. Every year in April they went on a cruise to the Bahamas together.
I was glad she had some good friends to hang out with.

I was mid-bite of the tastiest chicken fingers around when I saw Hayden walk in. I
recognized her right away because she was still wearing that sexy black dress from
earlier only now she had a gray hoodie over it and flip flops.

She looked fucking cute.

I was never attracted to anything but blondes, but Hayden, even with her long straight
brown hair, had me take notice and I was definitely attracted.

Wide brown eyes found mine but didn’t say anything.

“Hayden?”

“Oh, hey, uh … yeah,” she was fumbling over words and sighs. “Hey …”

She was nervous.

But you know what?

I couldn’t for the life of me speak either. Maybe it was the fact that I was here
with my grandma and it threw me a little to see Hayden.

Not sure what my deal was but I said nothing and Hayden seemed even more uncomfortable
that I wasn’t saying anything.

My eyes finally locked with hers and I smiled. “Hey there.”

Sensing her curiosity for who was with me, I introduced Hayden to my grandma. “This
pretty girl here is my Grandma, Nancy.” Ruffling her hair playfully, Grandma leaned
her head against my chest as I wrapped my arm around her. “Grammy, this is Hayden.
She’s Tate’s niece.”

“Nice to meet you, Hayden.” Grandma offered her hand.

Hayden’s eyes found me and I could tell immediately she was nervous so I smiled.

After shaking my grandma’s hand, Hayden stood there for a minute until she gave a
small wave of her hand, her eyes locked on her feet. “Okay, see you.” And walked out
before I could say anything else.

Only problem was when she turned I think she caught her flip flop on the edge of our
table and fell.

I jumped up, scared she hurt herself only to see her laughing.

“Are you okay?” she let me help her up but then turned and headed for the door.

“I’m okay.”

Watching her walk away, I was both amused that she just got up like it was no big
thing, and slightly annoyed at myself.

I felt like I should have invited her to eat with us but then again, no one ever ate
with us so I didn’t say anything. Then I kind of felt like an ass.

“I hope she’s okay.” I took my seat next to Grandma again.

“Casten,” she gave me a little slap to the back of my head. “Why didn’t you invite
her to sit with us?”

“She was getting take out?”

“So. Be a gentleman.”

Just as I was getting up to go ask her if she wanted to eat with us, she was getting
in her car.

I shrugged flipping my palms up and raising my hands slightly. “Sorry.”

Grandma shook her head. “Next time be a gentleman.”

“Yes, Grammy.”

I always did everything she said and never once got in trouble with her. I was always
the good child. At least around her.

“So …” Grandma smiled as we ducked down in the shrubs eyeing my dad’s truck parked
in the driveway. “Did you bring the goods?”

“I did. Went milk this time,” I held the bottle up and she let out a giggle, “since
he hates it.”

“Do you think he knows it was us last time?” Grandma had this innocent look of a child,
no doubt a little worried, but still entertained.

“Nah. We’re pretty sneaky.” Popping the hood, I placed the rotten milk that I let
sit in my truck all day in the windshield washer fluid and then replaced the cap.
“Besides, if anything he’d think it was Spencer paying him back for filling his truck
with those peanuts.”

Her eyes went wide. “Can you believe how mad he was about that?”

“Yes. I can. He had some kind of phobia with that shit.”

Grandma giggled wrapping her arms around my waist as I walked her back to her car.
She just lived down the street from us and our property was gated, but I never let
her walk alone.

“Have they always been at each other like this?”

“Yes,” she laughed, warm and flowing as the memories were to her. “Spencer loved having
a little brother. Jameson didn’t. He never wanted to be touched and Spencer used that
to his advantage.”

“What was the first joke you can remember them playing?”

“The one that comes to mind was Spencer with his glitter bombs. He knows Jameson hates
anything on his skin and would fill his helmet with it. He’s been doing it since Jameson
started racing quarter midgets.”

“Did Dad ever get him back?”

“Yeah. Jameson always did everything in less obvious ways like knowing what he was
allergic to and then dumping it on his sheets. That ended when we had to take Spencer
to the ER one night because he had developed a serve allergic reaction to flour.”

I started laughing. We did that to Charlie two weeks ago.

“Spencer also went through a football stage too when he was thirteen. Always had one.
So naturally Jameson put super glue the football.” She clutched at my side, her laughter
taking over and I couldn’t help but laugh, too. “Spencer had that damn thing on his
hand for a week but refused to admit it was glued on him. Wouldn’t give Jameson the
satisfaction of knowing it.”

“I bet that pissed Dad off, huh?” We were at her car now in my parent’s driveway standing
near the door. I reached down and opened it for her.

“Very much so. He was so mad that he’d sit there and glare at Spencer and try to get
him to just say it or throw the football to him. He never would.”

Grandma hugged me as we laughed and I held her close kissing the top of her warm head.
She tucked in nicely under my arms and hung on for a moment. “I love you, sweet boy.”

“Love you too, Grammy.”

We parted ways that night until Sunday when we had movie room. All the lights were
off in the house, my parents probably in bed already on the third floor they occupied
all to themselves.

Rosa was still in the movie room, snoring now curled up on the reclining leather couches
in the front of the room. She woke up when I got inside and put on
Ride Along
since I hadn’t seen it yet.

Ten minutes into the movie and I was sound asleep on her shoulder just like every
other night.

Formation Lap – A lap where the cars get their starting order figured out before the
green flag is thrown.