I decide to try to do as Anne tells me and enjoy it if I get a little male attention, even if it’s not from the man I want. You only live once, and all that.
We spend some more time talking about the upcoming races and what to expect before saying our goodbyes, and I head for the airport.
???
When I land in Chicago, Sarah waits for me in the arrivals hall, and I rush over to hug her.
“I’ve missed you so much,” I tell her, and she smiles at me.
“Tell me about it. FaceTime just isn’t the same.” We’ve been trying to FaceTime whenever we can, but with time differences and our schedules, it can be days, sometimes over a week, between our chats.
We head out of the airport and to her car before driving straight to the nearest junk food place to get some food in our system.
The trip from Australia was long and tiring, but I still feel energized because I get to seemy best friend and family.
Coming back home feels good.
We’re catching up on our internships, but when we’re all done with our food, Sarah turns to me with a serious expression.
“Okay, so now that all the school and work stuff is out of the way, spill what’s happened between you and Luke.”
Even though she has her strict tone on, I can feel her emphatic expression on my face, and I sigh.
I start telling her about the amazing time we spent together, exploring new cities and getting to know his sister.
Then I tell her about the breakup, how he shut me out, and the following heartache I’ve been going through. I finish by telling her about the gala, our talk and the devastating feeling of loss when I realized he hadn’t changed his mind.
I can tell Sarah is eager to ask questions, but she waits for me to finish and get it all off my chest.
“Either he’s hiding something and won’t tell you, or he’s just a fucking idiot for letting you go. I’m sorry, Jessica,” she tells me.
When she leans over to give me a hug, the tears start running. I’vebeen strong, keeping the tears mostly at bay, only letting them fall while in the shower after a long day or in bed before I go to sleep.
With my best friend’s support, I let everything out, and she gently strokes my back, reassuring me that she’s here.
When I’m all cried out, we start driving toward my hometown, Tinley Park.
When we pull up to the hotel where my family works and lives, they’re all waiting outside on the curb and come rushing over as soon as I step out of the car.
We exchange hugs, and they help me with my luggage before Sarah gives me one last hug, making sure I can give her a call no matter the time, and that we will meet up again tomorrow for a girls’ day.
“Baby sister, I’ve missed you.” Jake pulls me in for another hug, and I playfully hit his shoulder.
“Are you terminally ill or something? Two hugs in ten minutes, I’m starting to get worried, Jake.” We chuckle and settle into the living room.
My parents live right next door to the hotel, in the house where I grew up. Jake has his own house about fifteen minutes away.
“So, Jessica, how has everything been?” My father asks,
“It’s been the most amazing adventure. I get to learn so much about journalism andthe media amidst all the action on and off track. There’s always something happening, never a dull moment, while traveling the world,” I tell them about all the sights I’ve seen, most of which I experienced in the presence of their favourite driver, though I leave out that specific detail.
I show them pictures from my time in the paddock so far.
During the flight, I was creating a folder with pictures to show my family.
Usually, I would just show them my camera roll, but there are too many memories with Luke there, and I can’t handle the questions from my family, at least not yet.
So, I had to make the painful walk down memory lane and create a “Luke-free” folder to show my family.
