Race Track of Love

RTOL 16

Chapter 16

After finishing 11th in Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte Motor Speedway a week ago in Concord, I won the Axalta 400 in Pocono Raceway, Long Pond two days ago. At least, I redeemed myself. And people started to forget what happened a week ago.

I might already be in Long Pond, California, near to our house but I always obliged myself to go back to my apartment in New York after every race. It's my home.

"Let's go," Jodie prompted, picking up her hand-carry luggage. We went through the motions.

This is it.

While walking on the bending boarding tube, the memories launched when I stepped on this tube the last time I tried to escape from my mom and the memories where everywhere. It was the same spot that I ran through my lungs to totally gain my freedom.

For a second, I'd thought for sure I couldn't do it, and found myself hanging back. But then Jodie turned back and looked at me, extending her hands. At the moment, I was really certain that I'll go because I have my best friend and dad was certainly waiting for her princess.

Dad doesn't want what mom's doing to me, prisoning me in my room, but he can't do anything about it. And I don't know why. Maybe, women overpowers men in that kind of aspect. I really don't know why. Why?

Jodie guided me until we settled down on our seats. I asked her to interchange because I wanted near the window so that I get to see the clouds and sort of landscapes as the plane lifts.

Soon enough, I found myself cozied up against the seat, resting a book in my lap. It was the book "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" by Jenny Han. Jumping on the last chapter (it was really my habit in reading books to know if it has a happy ending), a bit of laughter from me came when I found that the main character's little sister was the one who stole her teal hatbox and mailed those precious letters to all the boys she secretly in loved with before.

To understand the whole story, I turned back to page one. Several pages later, I already can't manage my drowsiness. I put back the book on Jodie's bag. I didn't mean to hark back on the night where I slept on Marc's place, I saw "Adultery", Paulo Coelho's masterpiece which Marc read while we're having the best Ramen I've ever tasted.

"I haven't finished it yet. But it was good," Jodie finally talked. I knew that she was really tired because she was busy fixing my schedule for the next few months before the end of the season.14 races down out of 36. 22 more to go before I become a history of only woman gained a THREEpeat championship in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. She's anticipating everything before it gets mashed. "Was it really okay with you that I'll spend my first day home?" she asked.

"Who am I to restrict you? Your mom and dad miss you very much. As well as Aaron," I said then a long silence followed me. Jodie knew it already. When I talk about family, all I remember was painful memories—not the happy ones.

I rarely remember those times when all you can see to me is smile and laughter surrounding us. It was all because of mom. It started when I announced that I wanted to be a professional race car driver. There, she already restricted me on race kart, on video games, on everything that relates to racing. She pushed me on things that I may forget it—ballet, musical instruments, and mixed martial arts. But she failed, I guessed.

Again, what's do-re-mi?

When we arrived at LAX, the busy people were everywhere. I can hear different languages though Hispanic and Latin Americans shares half of L.A. I remembered my mom talking the way that woman across us waiting for her luggage did but then I realized it didn't hurt anymore. I was already longing for her. I hope I could see her on my first step out of this airport.