„You look like you do this since forever."
_-_-_-_-_
Daniel Ricciardo is 35 years old and his life change in few seconds. It was his best drive since he left Red Bull but it end up with accident and now he had to left Formula one world.
His parents...
"If you don't enjoy it here, then please leave, because you're just making it harder for everyone who sees you."
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The weekend was a success. The pair ended up spending Sunday at Daniel's watching the movie 21 Jump Street and simply getting to know each other. It was more about Alira getting to know Daniel. She asked him questions about his life as a professional Formula One driver. He answered with a smile, making her feel comfortable despite not answering many questions herself. Daniel seemed to understand this after a while, and when he asked something, it was directed at Tar, who spent the entire evening lounging next to Daniel, not even glancing at Alira.
Grace was surprised when Alira came to tell her about it at the vet clinic on Monday morning. Alira had, of course, texted her on Saturday that Daniel was doing fine and even sent a selfie of them together, but Grace hadn't known that Alira went back on Sunday.
She didn't mention that she had cooked some food for Daniel to make sure he wasn't starving because she didn't want to make Grace feel bad as a mother. Alira couldn't imagine how a mother would feel knowing that her adult son lived nearby, but she knew nothing about his life - because that's how it seemed to Alira.
Grace thought her son was deeply depressed because he could no longer race. Yes, it bothered him. He blamed himself and probably still cried at night. He was jealous of all the drivers who could still race - he envied Liam Lawson, who debuted in F1 because Daniel was taken out by Hamilton. He definitely wanted to come back, and if not for the doctors, he would have done it immediately, pain or no pain. He probably had mild depression because he couldn't do something he had grown up with and wanted to do for as long as he could. Now, due to his own mistake, he had to work somewhere he didn't want to be.
On the other hand, Daniel started to realize many things. Liam had taken the spot that belonged to him, but when Daniel watched him during the Japanese race, he realized that the kid deserved that spot. Liam was incredible and had finished in the points in every race so far - he was a talent who, due to someone else's misfortune, got to show the world that he deserved a place in F1 a long time ago. It warmed Daniel's heart that Liam could shine, even if it meant that he himself might never shine again. At least not like others in this motorsport.
He also realized that he was getting older and no longer in the same shape as before. In the end, the haters might have been right, and he was just holding a spot that someone from F2 could have taken. Someone very talented, who could be the next Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.
The more Daniel thought about it and talked about it with Alira, the more he realized that the accident might have had a purpose. The more he thought and talked about it, the more he understood that it wasn't as terrible as he initially thought. It was still awful because he couldn't do something that fulfilled him and made him happy. It was awful because his mind couldn't even accept working for some YouTube channel as a host to attend races - he needed to avoid it for a while. But all of that could be overcome in a few weeks, and everything would be okay again. He wouldn't have Formula One, but he would probably find something else that made him happy - he just didn't know what that would be or how long it would take to find it.
