DalonShe pulled away in second gear, stalled the car twice before we even made it out of the parking space. A part of me thinks she might have done it on purpose, but another part of me, the part that is not traumatized by her horrible driving, is just glad I finally found something wrong with this woman. I have been trying to see something wrong with her, find something that she couldn’t do, and finally I have something that she is absolutely horrible at. Luckily, I hate being a passenger, so the fact that she is a horrible driver just gives me reason to always be the one to drive us around.Jena is sleeping in the passenger seat, her legs curled up to her chest as she softly snores. The first two hours was filled with us just talking about random things. She spoke about her family, about how nice it was to see her family, and I promised myself that I will book us a ticket to visit her family as soon as I get a bit of time off again between races. Or maybe I can surprise her by flyi
RejenaI wanted to stay, wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him how proud of him I am, but I fled, like a coward. The second he crossed the finish line, I was heading for Mila’s car. I sat there for a good hour, contemplating if I should go back inside or if I should head straight to my dogs and hold them instead.I end up driving to the hotel and spend another hour pacing up and down in my room, wondering if I should try to get some sleep, go to the party, or just get back in the car and drive. It is nearly eight in the evening when my door bursts open and I stop pacing, facing him. Dalon is breathing hard in the doorway, looking like he was ready to go hunt me down and at the same time surprised to see me standing in my hotel room, probably looking like a mess. I can’t even count how many times I had run my hands through my hair or pulled at it. The concealer has been washed off, leaving the dark rings exposed.“You’re still here.” He says, stunned. He takes a step into the
DalonI qualified seventh yesterday. Already there are critics, trying to dissect my every movement, trying to see where I messed up, judging my every move, throwing out comments about my ability to truly become a World Champion. Some are saying I can’t handle the pressure, that I am sabotaging my own races because I have a fear of actually being successful. Others are saying it is because I am messed up with two women and if I can’t even be faithful to one woman, then how can I be faithful to the sport, or my career, my team. No matter how many times I have told them that Tiane is only a friend, the rumors still spread.I am sitting in my room, trying to get my mind focused on the race, but my mind keeps going to Rejena, wondering if she is alright, if she will ever forgive me. I have finished my side of my plan to win her back, but now I am depending on others to execute that plan. Will she understand why I am going this far to win her back, or will she hate me for it?Frustrated, I
RejenaI sit at the river, my feet in the water as I watch my dogs run through the water, chasing each other. I have been coming here every morning for the last four days, taking the same route that leads to the same place. The girls left two days ago, wanting to support their men. Tiane was willing to stay behind, but I had told her to go as she is as much a fan of the sport as the rest of us. I wanted her to have fun, not stay behind with me while I contemplated my life.At first, I had wanted to go to the race, but when Thursday came around, I grabbed the leeches instead of my bag waiting in the corner of the guest room. When the girls were calling me non-stop to find out where I was, I was at the river, telling them to go on without me. I just couldn’t make myself go, couldn’t make myself face him, not when I wasn’t truly sure where his heart was. I know what everyone is telling me, know through his action before the terrible night, that he had feelings for me, but I can’t imagine
DalonCameras flash, people scream my name, asking me to look to the left, then the right, straight ahead. I smile, force myself to pretend that I am not slightly hallow inside. They want to see the leader of the championship, not the man underneath. Then again, whether I smile or don’t smile, win from pole position or fighting my way up the grid, whether I have a clean race or whether I crash, the critics are out there, trying to break down a man they don’t know. It is never just a judge of my driving, but a judge of my character.“Dalon, smile for the camera.” A reporter says, and I have to force my smile on again, not even realizing that I had stopped smiling. “Dalon, where is Rejena.” A reporter shouts, shocking me. I have no idea why I am shocked that they know her name. They have had more than enough time to find her on social media, stalk her, dissect every part of her life. They have had more than enough time to make up their own narrative about her, and the fact that she has
RejenaThe moment I had seen Mila again, it felt like this strong girl act that I had been trying to hold onto, crumbled. She had seen me at my worst only a few months ago. She had seen me break the day Dalon had left and she had dried my tears. What had been a holiday to find myself had turned into a whirlwind of emotions and it changed my life in more ways than I had ever thought possible. Not only had I traveled to more places than I had started to believe I ever would, but I also got to see the one sport I was passionate about, up close. I left a job that had led to nowhere really, even though I had loved the company and people, it was not who I was, and I had to have my heart mended and broken again to finally step out of that lovely cage I had built for myself.“Are you done crying now? Are you going to go fight for that man?” Mila asks when I finally gather myself enough. She had called me into the kitchen to help her with the food, but what she actually wanted to do was to get