Page 56 of The Legend

Jamesonlaughed rubbing his shoulder as he remembered his own stabbing. “Ask Emma, shecould help you out with technique if needed.”

“Shut upasshole.” Emma bumped her knee into Jameson’s ass as she came up behind him,Aiden followed her.

“You readyfor this bud?” Kyle said coming to stand beside us. Jameson hands crept aroundmy waist to keep me near him. I didn’t argue and instinctively, like my ownfavorite track, a place I felt at home, I felt contained here in a crowd fullof people as long as he was touching me.

Jamesonnodded and the pre-race activities got under way soon after that.

We stoodin front of the stage ready to cheer on the drivers and their teams.

I hadnever laughed so much in my life when the doors opened, smoke, fire, you nameit and Casten, Cole and Jacob emerged wearing tall pimp hats with handfuls ofone dollar bills strutting to the likes of TheO’JaysFor the Love of Moneywith twenty four NASCAR drivers, their dad’sincluded, walking behind them laughing.

The volumeexploded when they appeared from the smoke, music pulsed as the team receivedrecognition they deserved for being selected.

Casten wasall grins, with a flashy walk. I couldn’t have been a prouder Mama Wizard as Iwas in that moment of my little diligent spaz. Thankfully it appeared Colehadn’t fucked anything up yet and wouldn’t be stabbed later. Casten apparentlyhad a lot riding on this.

“Oh jeez,he really has that walk down.” Jimi noted watching Casten bend down and shakethe money in the faces of the fans and then threw it in the air, laughing, likea crazy kid.

I watchedJameson, his eyes examining the crowd but seemed amused by his son. His eyessoon found mine in the crowd. He winked and darted his eyes to Casten quicklyand returned to mine with an eye roll. Shrugging was the only answer I couldprovide for him.

After myson pimped his way off stage, they introduced each driver to the fans and theircrew members. Spencer was missing though and it felt strange for us all to behere without him.

“Why isn’tSpencer here?” I asked Alley. “I mean, I know he just had knee surgery but Ithought he’d at least be here with a bottle of pills to annoy Jameson.”

Alleylaughed. “He just sent me a message. He’s on his way. He originally thoughthe’d be in too much pain but you know him.” She motioned to Jameson making hisway off stage and shaking hands with each member of his crew and patting theirbacks. “Spencer would never miss a race of Jameson’s.”

It wastrue. He never missed a Cup race,ever. In the six hundred and seventytwo races he started in the number nine Ford, Spencer was there to raise thewindow net for him.

A part ofme wasn’t sure how Jameson would handle it. He said he didn’t like his familyoften but when they weren’t around, Jameson wasn’t the same.

Alleynudged me again about the time they were finished introducing the twenty-fourteams. “He’s here. Keep an eye on Cole andLexfor me...if you can.”

“Don’t putthat type of responsibility on me Alley.” I groaned trying to run away. “Youknow I’ll fail at that.”

Nothing stoppedher. She still left my ass to babysit. I found Nancy and Emma in the crowd sowe all decided to head to the grid where the teams and drivers were nowheading. Thankfully the hoodlum kids followed too. Casten and Colewereall smiles at their ability to get the crowd going.Turns out the cheer nationals enjoyed it too and Cole’s dream came true. Theyfollowed our boys around like they were their mascots.

Jamesonwas fiddling with his visor when I approached him on the grid, the rest of thefamily made their way behind the wall. We all decided tonight would be like anyother Saturday night racing. We would stay in the pit.

“You readyfor this?”

He laughedleaning against the car in a familiar lean. His arms crossed over his chest andhe smiled at me. “It’s weird. I feel strange tonight.”

“Spencer?”

“Yeah,” hesaid softly. Commotion beside him caught his attention and I knew I needed toget on the pit box as they were getting ready to start the heat races. Jamesonwas in the first heat and needed to get ready.

Perched onmy tippy toes, I kissed him. “Good luck tonightchamp.”

“Thankshoney.”

On thegrid, the fans gave the invocation for the drivers. Now was the time my eyesshot up and saw what I knew Jameson needed.

Jimi, whosat beside me and Nancy, laughed, a sincere emotional laugh, when he sawSpencer hobbling onto the grid.

Spencerstood at the car and waited for Jameson to notice him. When he did, he smiledand gave Spencer the sign he had every other race. A familiar shake of hiswrist extending his pinky and thumb out and keeping his middle fingers curledin, thehang loosesign. It was a ritual they had and could never bebreak.

Spencersmiled, wide and goofy, on his way to the pits where he took a seat below thepit box with a headset to watch for the night.

The heatrace was entertaining. Any time you have hungry drivers all battling for achance to win a million dollars, their damn hungry and aggressive. In Jameson’sheat, he took second to Brody Williams only because Jameson got loose and peggedthe wall in two. Brody took full advantage and took the lead. The heatsdictated how they would run in the main event, though so this meant, after theother six were ran, Jameson would start the first main event in ninth. Itwasn’t great but it wasn’t horrible either.

---