Missing Pieces (Sebastian Vettel)

16. Coming Home

Seb cut the engine on his Alfa Romeo Stelvio and sat in silence for a moment.  After a three and a half hour drive from his home in Switzerland he had finally arrived at his parents' house in Heppenheim. 

He looked out of the window at the large red brick detached house. It wasn't the house he'd spent his childhood in.  He'd bought this house for his parents after he'd signed his Red Bull contract.   Still, for several years it had been his home away from home.  So many memories lay within those red brick walls. 

His father's car, a white Audi A6, was parked on the gravel driveway, a black BMW which he knew to be his brother's parked behind it.  He knew his mother's car would be in the garage.  She barely drove nowadays. There was no sign of either of his sisters' or brother in laws' cars.  He knew they would soon be there though. His mother had made sure they all knew he was coming. It had been so long since he'd visited. He knew they'd all want to see him and fuss over him and make sure he was ok.

He sighed, and wondered for what felt like the thousandth time how they'd react to the news that he was a father.

Smiling, he thought of Dylan. The two days he'd spent with his son the previous week had been two of the best days he'd had in a long time. Dylan really was the most remarkable young man. He was a credit to Ella, she'd done a marvellous job raising him. He hadn't wanted to leave but he knew the sooner he told his parents the better. Once that was out of the way he could begin planning Dylan and Ella's visit to Switzerland. Ella, he'd hardly been able to get her out of his head. He was consumed with guilt for the things he'd been thinking. He'd told himself that he was just a man, of course he still had sexual urges. It didn't mean he had to follow through on them though. No matter how he tried to justify his attraction to Ella he still couldn't stop feeling like he was betraying Nora.

"Get a grip Sebastian," he muttered. Ella probably wouldn't be interested in him anyway. 

He finally opened the car door and began the walk up the driveway to his parents' house, not surprised in the slightest to see the front door opening before he was even halfway there. His mother would have been watching for his arrival.

"Sebastian!" she exclaimed, rushing out of the house towards him.  He smiled and opened his arms.  Heike walked into her son's embrace, almost in tears. She'd been so worried about him since Nora had died.  He'd shut himself away, and she'd only seen him a small number of times a year, at Christmas,  on his birthday and a few random occasions.  It had broken her heart to see him so devastated over losing Nora. 

"How lovely to see you," she gushed as she pulled out of his hold and held him at arms length.  She immediately noticed the difference in him.  He'd had a haircut since she'd last seen him on his thirty seventh birthday.  He was also clean shaven.  He looked healthier , and she was certain there was a twinkle in his eye again. 

"Come on inside.  Your father and Fabian are having a game of darts. Melanie and Stefanie will be here soon."

Seb chuckled.   He knew that Fabian and their father would end up arguing.  They always did when competing against each other. Darts, pool, table football, Monopoly, Cluedo, whatever the game was they just couldn't play fair.

He followed Heike back inside the house, quietly closing the front door behind him. He could already hear his father's raised voice coming from the games room.

"Would you like a drink Sebastian?" his mother asked. "Hot chocolate?"

"Actually Mother, could I get a cold drink? My throat's a bit dry." He could really have done with a beer but it was a bit early in the day. He'd been drinking far too much lately too. He didn't have a drink problem, but it certainly wasn't doing him any good.