“Come on, everybody,” I called out to the crew. “Let’s get cleaned up and head out for some drinks.”
“You’re going to help clean up?” Greg asked with a mock expression of shock on his face.
I nudged him playfully, and we went about cleaning up our area and loading all the equipment up on the trucks. When we were finished, I directed them to a local bar, promising to meet them there. They deserved it. Hell, we all deserved it after that showing. It might not seem like it to the casual observer or fan, but a massive amount of work went into getting ready for these races. And it was going to take just as much work to get ready for the next one. But that was going to wait. Come the next day, it was back to the grind and seeing what we could do to make our first place lead even bigger and take hold of second place as well. But for tonight, we were going to get out, let loose, and have some fun.
We finished loading up, and I headed away from the track toward my car. Ahead of me I caught sight of Mom and Merry walking alongside each other, talking animatedly. They glanced up and noticed me. I waved and they both waved back enthusiastically, grins stretching across both their faces. Seeing that made me smile even wider and a brighter happiness spread through me. It was awesome seeing them so happy, and it made the night even better. I didn’t let myself dwell on why.
“How was your first race?” I asked as I approached the women.
“Amazing,” Merry said.
“Merry sat with me in the company box,” Mom told me. “She was very enthusiastic.”
Both women laughed, and I felt like I was missing something but didn’t really mind. It was cute to see them giggling together and having something they shared. Eventually I’d probably hear the story at one of the family bonfires, anyway.
“Glad to hear it. Did you get any good pictures?” I asked.
Merry nodded.
“I mean, I haven’t had a chance to really look through all of them, yet. But the ones I glanced at were really good, and I think I got some great video footage, too. I’ll post some tomorrow, and the rest I’ll send to you so you can see them,” she said.
“Sounds great. Well, we’re heading to the bar. You’re coming, right?”
I made it a point to look at both of them so neither would notice me giving more attention to Merry. They both nodded.
When I got to the bar, it was already crowded and loud. The energy was pulsing through the space, and I immediately got swept up in the atmosphere. The team cheered when they saw I’d gotten there, and I waved my hands above my head to acknowledge all of them.
“I’ve got the first round,” Vince announced.
I often wondered why he wasn’t more involved in the racing company than he was. He loved the races and made suggestions here and there, but that was as far as his involvement went. He gathered up the beers the bartender filled and lined up on the bar, handing them out to the team gathered around him. Darren took his pint and climbed up on the nearest table. Holding his hand out over the crowd, he commanded their attention.
“I just want to say a few words,” he called out. “Tonight was one of the best of my life. I’m pumped to have come in first, but I know I couldn’t have done it without the most amazing team in the industry.” He paused to let the crew cheer and shout for a few seconds. “I also want to congratulate Greg on his awesome first race. Coming in third is fucking awesome, and I can’t wait to see what else he’s going to be able to do. Congratulations, dude. If nothing else, having you out there is going to make me a better racer because I’m not going to be able to let up when I know you’re right on my ass trying to take my place.”
Everybody laughed and we did a few toasts. A few of them guzzled down the beer and headed for the bar for another round. The bartender already looked thrilled. He knew his pockets were going to be lined with fat tips by the end of the night. Especially since I was there.
But no matter how much I ended up dropping, I intended on having only one beer that night. There was still a half-hour drive ahead of me to get back to the complex, and then I had to unload everything and get it put away. Considering how fast most of the others on the team were pounding back the beers, it seemed I was probably going to be handling most of that on my own. The rideshares around town were going to be doing bang-up business when this was all said and done. Gauging by how things were going, it would probably be around three in the morning by the time I got home at this point.