“You’re catching on ok, sure, but this dream you have- I hate to tell you, it’s just never going to happen. I mean get real. 10th place? Again? You’re barely still on the team.”
He sat there, munching a bagel spread with garden vegetable cream cheese, slumped into the corner of the cafe. His eyes gazed, half without seeing, out the sun-splashed window to the mid-day street beyond. People walked up and down the sidewalks, drove their shining cars; successful people, who were living the lives they wanted and reaping the rewards. And here he was, barely holding on the bottom.
It was true what his boss had said. One more crash out DNF, and he’d likely lose his spot- and that was it. He’d already been let of two other teams, there just weren’t any other players in town to run to. He’d have to do pizza delivery, or taxi. Or cashier at the grocery store. Or…whatever homeless people did. The late notices were piling up, his phone messages were mostly about bills, and his account…he just didn’t look at it. He couldn’t. He ate the last bite of bagel.
At least she was still here, and didn’t seem to mind his being around. And of course the bagels…she gave him a free bagel every tuesday, a big fresh Asiago or an Everything flavored one crusted over with sesame and seasonings, and a tub of honey nut or garden vegetable cream cheese…it was as close to love as he could hope for, being such a loser.
A beep on the phone. What bill this time? He was pretty sure he’d caught them all up just enough to not face shut offs…had he forgotten one?
No, it was his boss. The guy genuinely believed in him, but he still had a business to run. They were kind of friends, but Elleriuv was bright enough to see the relationship was getting strained. Was this it? Was he fired? That would fit.
“Meet me at the practice track tomorrow, 10am sharp. Bring your helmet. Eat a good breakfast. This might be your last chance- but its still a chance. Don’t. Blow. It.”
He dazed through the rest of the day, played some video games on his old hand-me-down console (he only played the free games with the basic service) and went to bed as early as he could. The morning came way too fast; a quick breakfast, orange juice, and he was out the door on his bicycle, streaming down the forest roads to the practice track.
He slid to hasty halt when he rounded the corner, dust and gravel streaming up in a little version of a rally car drift plume. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t need any introduction to the man that stood, as serious as a mountain, leaning just a bit against the front of a vintage rally car. It couldn’t be…but from the stern unyielding eyes there could be no doubt…this was none other than Aulis Tero.
