Chasing redemption

MTC

Alex

On Wednesday morning I found myself standing in front of the huge facility, surrounded by a lake. 

I had already texted Tom that I had reached and he had asked me to meet in his room.

I girl wearing the brightest pink top in the universe stood at the reception. "How may I help you?"

"Umm, I am looking for Tom... Tom Stallard."

"Is he expecting you?"

I nodded.

"Okay. Go straight and take the first right and then the second left. You'll enter a corridor with a bunch of rooms, his is the third one."

"Thanks"

I started walking, taking in the surroundings. It looked like a space station or like Men in Black's office. There were so many people bustling around. It was so bright!

 I walked past a bunch of F1 cars which I assumed won them something and were of note. Who knew? F1 was not something I was interested in or followed. Even when Tom got the gig, I was delighted for him because it was a huge deal but a group of guys racing around a ring week after week was not something that caught my fancy.

I reached Tom's room and knocked on it only to be welcomed by an unknown man.

"Hi, I am Blake. You must be Alexandra. Nice to meet you," he said in an unmistakable  Australian accent, shoving his hand forward.

"Hello, yes, I'm Alex. Nice to meet you too."

"Excuse me, I have an important call to make, make yourself comfortable, Tom will be here soon." With that, the Australian left.

Ok, who the hell was that and why did he know my name?  Something weird is going on here.

"Hey, Kiddo!" Tom walked in, immediately enveloping me in a hug.

"Hi brother, how's it going? You seem to be busy?" Alex questioned.

"Yes, I'm terribly sorry there's some problem with the uhhm car. But there's something really important I need to discuss with you. One of our drivers-- Daniel-- is struggling this season. He's new to the setup and doesn't seem to be getting the hang of the car as fluidly as we expected.

"Okay," Alex said unsure of what she could do.

Where is this going?

"The thing is....." Tom paused, looking out at the  breathtaking view of the lake before turning around to look straight at Alex  "we have done everything physically possible," he went on, "but we feel some counselling sessions might help him more at this moment. You know to ease him down a bit"

"Yeah, it definitely could. Sports psychology is a huge field. There's a lot of pressure on athletes and now finally it's not a taboo anymore to seek help."

"Great. Since we are on the same page, I was wondering if you could help out with that. Try and talk to him."

"Excuse me? You are kidding right?" 

She looked at him with an incredulous expression.

"I'm very serious, Alex."

"Tom, I am still a student in case you have forgotten.  And don't you have a team of psychologists who can assist with these things? We are not living in the 1800s when talking about mental stuff was taboo!"

"We do, but Daniel has refused to speak to him."

Alex couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

"So, the person in question doesn't want the help and..." Alex was just finishing her sentence when there was a knock on the door and Blake walked back in.

"Alex this is Blake, Daniel's manager."

Great. That's why he knew about me. But is he also stupid like my brother, thinking I can help in any way?

"And to answer your question, yes, Daniel doesn't think he needs the help," Tom finished.

Meanwhile the Australian dude... Blake sat on the couch.

Alex looked at him and then at her brother.

"Okay, we have two problems here. One seeking help is subjective, you can't force it on the person, and two, as flattered as I am, I'm definitely not the person for this job," she explained.

"Well, you kind of are," Blake joined the conversation.

Alex was at a loss for words so she just stared at Blake.

"See, we can just tell him that you are not a full-fledged psychologist and hopefully he'll consider taking the help."

Ya right like that will work. At this point, I think these two need help.

"I'm sorry. But I can't do this."

"Come on Kiddo, we really need you," Tom tried to reason.

"Please, Alexandra. I have known Dan for a long time and I can see every day that he's struggling and  needs help. He used to talk to me and Micheal but he's blocked himself now. He can really use the help," Blake chimed in.

"Except, he doesn't want it!" Alex retorted.

Tom's phone started ringing.

"Damn it, I have to go. Alex, can you please think about it at least before making up your mind?"

                                                                                **************** 

On the way home, Alex searched for Daniel Riccardo. And by the looks of all the recent news articles she found, he was definitely struggling. 

But surely there must be a more accomplished and experienced therapist who could do a much better job than her. Tom and  Blake need to find someone else.  I have no experience talking to anyone outside my friend circle let alone a high-performance athlete and if I fail, it could be bad for Daniel and for me. No, I ain't doing this. 

The next morning Alex texted Tom.

Hey Tom. I thought about it a lot and I won't be able to help out. But I'm more than happy to get you a number of good therapists who can help your driver.

Tom immediately called back.

"Come on Alex. We really need this. I really need this, I am his performance engineer and I'm at my wit's end to make this work. My job could be on the line. Do it as a favour to me. Just a few sessions.

Alex thought long and hard.

"Fine. I'll do it. But you owe me big time." 

"Thanks, kiddo. Also, stop doubting yourself. You are capable. I wouldn't have asked you otherwise. Can you come to the MTC tomorrow? Blake can sort out the logistics of this."

"I will be there."