It's Called Leap of Faith - [Daniel Ricciardo]

23. Home Is Where Your Heart Is (It's Not Goodbye)

Friday 13.3.2020, Munich

So, when someone says 'it's weird how fast your life can change', it usually means possibly finding a new love or ending a long term relationship. Or maybe buying a new home or starting in a new job. What it doesn't mean is the whole freaking world flipping around. Elza was standing in her living room watching the news on a Friday morning. It was still very early hours in Germany.

"The Australian Grand Prix is now officially cancelled. The news follow McLaren Racing Team withdrawal from the race on Thursday after one of the their team member has tested positive for Covid-," Elza shut off the television and sat down to the couch sighing. Very soon after the winter testing in Barcelona things had gone south in Europe. Unlike planned, Elza had stayed at home to be close to her family and friends instead of flying to Melbourne with Daniel. The brunette picked up her phone from the living room table and pressed #3 on her speed dial. You better pick up the phone, she thought.

"Hey beautiful," Elza smiled when she heard the familiar accent trough the speaker.

"Hi Daniel, are you alright?" Daniel had kept Elza updated during the past three weeks but she still worried about him constantly.  

"I am, I'm at the hotel packing right now, Michael is also here if you wanna say hi."

"Yeah put me on a speaker-," she waited for few seconds before continuing. "Hi Michael, how are you?"

"Hello Elza, all is good with me and your hubby, don't worry about us," Elza and Michael had grown very close even though they hadn't seen each other after London. They still texted a lot and even called sometimes to each other just to tease Daniel a little bit.

"You know I always worry... So tell me everything you know, what's happening now?" Elza had no idea what was going to happen next.

"Yeah, so honestly we don't know much, there's some speculations that the season will start from Baku, that would be in June," Daniel explained. 

"Oh wow... June, okay. What does that me-," Elza didn't have a chance to finish before she heard Daniel's voice continue. 

"Elza, oh my I hate to say this but-," Daniel stayed quiet for a while. "You're still on a speaker, I talked with Michael about this already so he knows. I think we are going to Perth right now, to my farm. It's safe there, there's like no other people around and there's lots of space."

"Oh," Elza listened what her boyfriend's words. 

"Yeah... Look, Michael just checked this morning, there are still flights coming to Australia but we think they are closing the borders in a week or so." Elza could hear Daniel's voice getting more tensed.

"Are you asking me what I think you're asking." Elza knew there was going to be an argument starting in a minute. 

"You got the family visa, it's for twelve months." Daniel had feared this moment for the past 24 hours since he heard someone from McLaren had tested positive for the virus. He knew the race weekend would be cancelled and at the same time people were starting to talk about closing the borders in Australia. 

"Daniel, I can't." Elza heard Daniel switching the phone from the speaker back to normal and Michael in the background saying he's out for a minute. Good choice Michael. Elza and Daniel didn't argue too often but when they did, it usually got bit... heated. In a bad way.

"Why do I feel like we've had this talk before?" Daniel asked and huffed a bit.

"You can't ask me to do that. What if my mom or dad gets sick and I'm stuck on the other side of the world in the middle of no-fucking-where?" Elza was already feeling the annoyance building up in her.