Ignite

“Fuck that.”

I started running over to Malcolm’s bus. Pulling the door open, I stumbled inside the bus only to find Adaline talking on the phone. Her eyes widened as she looked at me with her mouth gaped open. Looking to my right, Malcolm sat on the sofa with his arm around some girl.

“What are you doing here?” Adaline asked as I looked between her and Malcolm.

“I um . . . I saw you walk in here with Malcolm and I thought—”

Adaline lifted a finger for me to stop talking. “Yes. I have the locator turned on. Nothing. Okay, I’ll have to just buy another one I guess. Thank you so much.”

Hitting End, Adaline walked over and handed Malcolm the cell phone. “Thank you for letting me use your phone.”

Adaline looked at me with a disgusted face. Making her way over to me, she pushed me as hard as she could, causing me to stumble. “You asshole! You really thought I would just stop at the first guy I saw and fuck him?”

“Well no, but I saw you come into his bus and my mind started racing.”

Tears fell freely from Adaline’s eyes and it felt like someone had stabbed my heart with a knife. “I lost my cell phone. I was going to ask you to use yours but we got to talking and well, I saw Malcolm and asked if I could use his phone. Fucking around is not my thing, Emmit. That’s your m.o.”

Adaline pushed me out of the way and took off again. Only this time, I didn’t go after her. I closed my eyes and dropped my head as I muttered, “Fuck.”

“Lewis, this is going to be the one and only time I’m straight up and honest with you,” Malcolm said as I lifted my eyes to look at him.

“You are a damn good race car driver. Probably the best I’ve ever seen and I will deny I said that until the day I die. But dude, you are handling this all wrong. Fucking other women to try and forget the love of your life will never work. Trust me. It. Doesn’t. Work. Stop approaching your feelings for Adaline like you do a race. Listen to your heart, not your head.”

I opened my mouth to talk, I was rendered speechless. Squeezing my eyes shut, I opened them again and said, “Who the fuck are you, and what did you do with asshole Malcolm?”

With a shrug of his shoulders, Malcolm said, “I have my moments. Now go back to your bus, focus on the race and worry about the rest tonight.”

Not knowing how to even respond to Malcolm, I slowly made my way out of his bus, but not before turning one more time and looking at him. When he blew me a kiss, I huffed and said, “Asshole, I’m not going to let you lead one fucking lap today.”

Malcolm laughed and called out as the door shut, “That’s the Emmit I know and love!”

WRINGING MY HANDS TOGETHER, I sat next to my father as I watched Emmit race. The rain had caused a three-hour delay, but once they got to racing, Emmit had been leading a good portion of the day. Looking over to my father, I gave him the look. The look that silently asked if he thought Emmit might win.

I knew better than to ask the question out loud. First off, Emmit started in the pole position, and for him to actually win the race as well wasn’t really a common thing. Second, Daddy had called for four tires when mostly everyone else took on two. Emmit fought to get back into the lead and was currently in second place, behind Malcolm Wallace, who was hell bent on keeping his position.

Emmit’s spotter started talking over the radio. “Number twenty-three is one length ahead on the outside.”

Emmit came over the radio and said, “I don’t give a fuck where he is. Just tell me who the fuck is around me. I don’t give two flying fucks who is in front of me and what the fuck they’re doing.”

I shook my head and smiled. “I see his temper hasn’t changed any.”

My father huffed as he said, “Calm down. Keep your cool.”

His spotter came back over the radio. “Coming up on slow traffic. Keep your line. You’re gaining on twenty-three.”

“Fuck,” Emmit said as came up on Malcolm. Sitting up, I held my breath as they approached the turn.

I grabbed onto my father’s arm as I watched Emmit go for the lead. “Twenty-three is going high, go low.”

Malcolm came down and bumped Emmit, causing him to go loose.

“Shit!” I said as I closed my eyes and looked away.

“Motherfucker. I want to talk to, Wallace.”

“Emmit,” my father said in a warning voice.

“Just wanting to say hi is all.”