Retrospective ~TW~

Chapter 4

The next two months flew by. I did my best to help Toto whenever he needed, making sure he knew I was only a phone call away if he required any sort of assistance. Between looking after Jack while Toto went away for preseason testing and the after school care, I had been so incredibly busy that I almost forgot to get excited to be travelling with the team. Toto and I had barely been able to discuss anything at all, but he did let me know he would be paying for my flights.

I had packed my bags with the help of Faye, eating pizza and drinking wine. The plane was taking off to Bahrain bright and early tomorrow morning. Faye took my houseplants to care for, and I prayed that she magically develops a green thumb in the time I am away. Faye had a real gift of being able to push plants to death, even the most durable of succulents, but she was my best shot.

Toto was going to pick me up on the way to the airport tomorrow morning so I didn't have to leave my car anywhere. Due to this, I also gave my car to Faye so she could use it if she needed it while I was away. She left after a couple of hours of chatter and I was left alone. I was sat in my arm chair in the corner of the room. A glass of red wine in my left hand as I scrolled through my phone. A notification popped up.

Toto W - Good evening Amelia. Just wanted to let you know I will be picking you up at 6.30am tomorrow. Hope you are all packed.

Me - Hello Toto, all packed and ready to go. Just sat down to enjoy a glass of wine. Have a good night.

Toto - Sounds like the perfect night. See you tomorrow.

I locked my phone and rested my head back. Talking with Toto, even briefly in the corridor once he returned home, always brightened my day. Susie had brought us together, and her death drove us even closer. There was no denying that he was incredibly handsome and intimidating, but I knew that I had to keep that to myself. There was no harm in admiring, but I am not sure that is a line we should ever cross.

I finished off the last few sips of my glass, the bottle in the kitchen now empty, and it was apparent in my stature. I washed my glass and stumbled into my bed. I plugged my phone in and set my alarms, not wanting to be late. I succumbed to sleep quickly, a deep dreamless sleep.

~

My alarm sounded, ringing me out of my sleep. Darting up in my bed, I wiped my eyes. I got out of bed and jumped into my shower, hoping it would help wake me up out of the slumber I was in. Once finished, I changed into a pair of loose trousers and a white button up top. I then made my way down to the foyer of my apartment buildings just in time to see Toto pull up.

I walked out and jumped in his car, saying a brief good morning to him. The half hour car ride was silent, and only small talk was made while boarding the plane. We had a long flight ahead and I was hoping to get some more sleep if I could. I woke up a couple of hours later to see Jack on his iPad, presumably watching a movie, the oversized headphones sitting atop his head made the scene all the more adorable.

Toto was next to him, also on his laptop. He was reading something as he slowly scrolled down the page.

"What are you reading Toto?" He snaps his head over clearly not anticipating me to talk to him. His eyes soften as they look at me and then he scrolls to the top of the article, showing me the title.

"Just an article regarding one of my investments. It is quite boring really. But while you were sleeping over there and Jack was watching Disney I didn't have anyone to talk to." His joking tone made me giggle as he closed the laptop in front of him.

We talked for the rest of the plane ride, getting to know each other a little more. Something we hadn't really had the opportunity to do recently. Toto fell asleep at one point and I followed with Jack, and before we knew it, we were landing in Sunny Bahrain. We got our luggage and headed to the hotel, all pretty exhausted from the less than ideal sleeping we had on the plane. We checked in, all sleeping in the same room. There were 2 double beds in the room and a small crib for Jack. We all settled down and quickly fell asleep.

~

Once at the track, everything went by in a blur. The Mercedes were quick in practice, but Max Verstappen dominated all 3, showing just how quick the Red Bulls were this year. It made for a very anxious qualifying and race for the whole team, knowing how much they would be pushing the car for the positions. I managed to catch snippets of the practice while keeping Jack entertained in the offices.

An hour before qualifying, Jack was getting a little grumpy, indicating that he was going to need to go down for a nap shortly. I picked him up and put some headphones on him before walking into the garage, hoping to find Toto to let him know that I was going to put him down for a nap. Carrying Jack and his bag of things was starting to become quite a heavy task.

"What are you up to Amelia?" I hear Lewis from behind me as I was making my way through the garage. It was clear that the bag was adding a little too much extra weight and Angela grabbed the bag from me. I bounced Jack softly to try and keep him settled as the garage bustled around him.

"Jack is getting a little tired so I was going to go back and put him down to sleep." I looked around, trying to find a tall man somewhere within the room full of engineers. I was hoping he would pop up somewhere as Jack was definitely not helping me carry him, his arms by his side and not holding on at all.

"Just put him down in my room.  It's close enough that you can get to him if he wakes. You can't miss the first qualifying of the season." Lewis was zipping up his racing suit as he spoke, the fabric rustling as it moved to cover his upper half. He seemed calm and relaxed, any nerves or doubts not showing on the surface.

"That's a good idea, his monitor should be in the bag." Toto said from behind me as he took Jack out of my arms and kissed the top of his head. I watched the interaction as Toto walked off towards Lewis' room. I smiled softly at him, grateful for his kindness. He had been nothing short of a saint when it came to helping with Jack. He really was great with kids.

"Thanks guys. Good luck out there Lew." I patted his shoulder as I took the bag back from Angela and walked past, following him to the room. I looked back over my shoulder as I heard his voice call out to me.

"Don't worry about it, teamwork makes the dream work." His smile was genuine and filled with excitement, clearly showing just how much he loved to race. I then bumped into something, and as I went to step back, I nearly tripped over my feet. Hands grabbed my shoulders and steadied me. I looked up to see a pair of dark eyes.

"Careful little one." He said before pulling me along to where Jack had settled. He set up the monitor before handing me the receiver. I looked down as he made light work of the technology, clearly something he had done frequently. I couldn't help but admire them both. Jack looked so peaceful in his sleep, and Toto was such a great dad.

"Isn't he perfect?" I spoke aloud, looking at Jack who was snuggled up with his soft blanket. Toto had lined the edge of the bed with pillows to prevent him from rolling off. The makeshift crib was cosy and the lights were dimmed to help him sleep.

"He really is." Toto sighed, looking contently at his boy, whose resemblance was very similar to himself. I put my hand on his shoulder causing his attention to shift to me.

"You go out there and do what you need to do. I have him." We shared smiles before we both headed out and I took up a seat next to Angela, watching the qualifying laps.

Lewis and Valterri put in really good times, but once again, Max showed the pace of the Red Bull and went P1. Lewis was going to be starting second on the grid tomorrow with Valterri third, definitely not the worst positions to be in, but I know they will still be working hard to improve the car. After a quick couple of meetings, it was time to go back to the hotel and get ready for the race tomorrow