“I was in the nursery.”
“You weren’t running, were you?” There’s chastisement in his voice.
“What if I was?”
“I can’t put you over my knee,” he comments, regretfully. “But I can make you beg.”
I squeeze my thighs together as I take a seat on the edge of the bed.
“How’re you feeling for tomorrow?”
“Qualifying didn’t go the way I wanted.” He grunts.
“Neither did it during your first go-kart championship,” I say, remembering the conversation I just had with his mother. “You managed to pull out a victory then.”
He chuckles. “Not quite. I came in fourth.”
“Which, according to you, was somewhat a victory from starting in nearly last position.”
“You’re right.”
I hear the smile in his voice, but there’s a heaviness in his tone. I didn’t watch qualifying rounds since we were out, but I checked once we got back from the market. He had the third fastest qualifying time.
“What did you do today?” he asks.
“We went to the market. Oh, Gunther Bachman was there,” I say, suddenly remembering. “Apparently, he’s looking for an apartment in town.”
“Looks like it’s true.”
“What’s true?”
“He might be returning to the grid.”
“How long has he been gone?”
“Almost five years.”
“That’s good news.” I infuse my voice with cheer. “I bet he’s happy about it.” I recall the smile on Gunther’s face earlier. I don’t know the man, but he looked enthused about something.
“I suppose he is,” Travis answers. “Baby, I have to go. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.”
He pauses.
“Uh, okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”
TheI love you, tooremains silent. But Travis doesn’t mention it before he hangs up.
I stare at the phone for a few beats before grabbing my laptop. Though the voice at the back of my mind is screaming for me not to do this, I allow my curiosity to get the better of me.
This Gunther situation makes me feel like I’m missing something. Like the people around me know more than I do or are intentionally withholding information from me.
I felt it from Alyssia earlier when she quickly moved on from the topic once I asked a question about Gunther.
I open my laptop and type his name into the YouTube search bar.
It doesn’t take long for videos with thumbnails of the fiery wreckage of a car to pop up. I click on the first one that has over two million views.
The six-minute video starts off with highlights at the start of a race. But with each passing second, my heart rate speeds up. The grim voices from the drivers and sportscasters who were there that day discuss their thoughts and reactions.
