Oxterionn: Of Love and Fast Cars
Chapter 8
Kat slowly awoke and looked out her window. The dark clouds below told her they were still in flight and it was now night time, but she had no idea where they were. She stretched and yawned as she stood up, catching Red’s attention from the back of the plane.
“Hey you’re awake!” He stood up and walked toward the bar. “Want a drink? It’s kind of cool your dad let us take his plane.” He started mixing two drinks without waiting for her response.
Kat snorted and replied sarcastically, “Yeah, because everyone’s dad has a plane.” She leaned on the bar near Red and he pushed her drink toward her. He smiled, yet there was sadness in his eyes as he clinked glasses with her.
He tried to smile reassuringly, but the mix of emotions in his eyes kept it from looking sincere. He was still more than angry at Callum for misleading Kat and treating her like dirt, but now, as they were less than an hour outside of Geneva, he was anxious. He was not ready for this, yet he wanted it more than anything. He needed to see Charlie, to know if he was okay, or even alive. He could not stop himself from replaying that race in his head and all the actions he might have taken to prevent the crash. It was an accident, he told himself. That was his mantra every night as he lay in bed trying to sleep, trying to block the images of the crumpled Tallon-Fyste car cartwheeling across the track and into the wall, of Charlie’s limp body being lifted out of the flaming wreckage and placed on a stretcher.
Albert wanted Red to go to Europe with Kat because he did not want her to be alone in a foreign country. Yet, he also did not want her to be alone with Red. He set them up in a nice apartment that was big enough for them to live completely separate lives and before they left on his private jet, Albert reminded Red that he was there to drive Kat, and nothing else. Red kept this in mind, but sometimes he needed a friend and Kat was the closest thing he had to that.
The captain announced they would be landing in thirty minutes. Red broke out into a cold sweat and set his glass down with shaking hands. Kat was already buckled into her seat and stared thoughtfully out the window at the city below as she sipped her drink. Red slid into the seat next to her and tried to calm down as the plane came in for landing.
‘Next week,’ he thought. ‘Or maybe even tomorrow, I will find him, but for now, I cannot worry about it. It isn’t helping anyone.’
Once they were on the ground and he was driving yet another one of Albert’s many cars, Red felt more relaxed and was able to distract himself long enough to get Kat home. She went straight to bed, since she started school the next day, and Red sat awake long into the night searching online for clues of Charlie’s whereabouts. He knew it probably was not good for his mental health, yet at the same time he felt he would go crazy if he put if off any longer.
~ ~ ~
“Thank you,” Andy said and took the glass she offered. He swirled the brandy in his glass before taking a sip and leaned back to wait for Millie to start. She seemed much less nervous, more resigned, or even a little relaxed. She sighed and put her glass down. “Okay.”
“Okay? Alright, let’s hear how you ended up in debt to the Saxons,” Andy smiled and looked eager even though he knew the story - most of it, at least.
“Not a word of this to anyone, right?” She asked and Andy nodded. “Especially my son.”
Andy hesitated, and nodded again. He did not even know Callum, why should he tell him?
“And you’re sure you can fix this?” She asked skeptically.
“Absolutely.” Andy said and they unintentionally both took a drink at the same time.
“It started in 1986 when I discovered I was pregnant.” Millie began and set her glass down. “Actually, it started in 1984 when I first met John Saxon, or Johnny, as his family liked to call him.”
* * *
Kat was busy with school most of the week, so Red had plenty of time to research Charlie’s whereabouts. However, the further he looked into it, the less truth he found on Charlie, and the more lies he found about himself. Lies, like how he was an alcoholic and had been drinking before the race, or how he had fought with Charlie just hours before the race, or how he had been cheating on his girlfriend. That last rumor was so far from the truth he had to laugh. Tired, frustrated, and a little depressed, he was more than willing to oblige to take Kat for a drive when she asked.
“After my first week back at school, I need a break,” Kat smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“And where are we going?” He asked as they got in the car.
“I don’t know, just somewhere I heard about at school,” Kat continued to talk about her week at university and her new friends. “Turn left here.” She gave random and sudden directions, mostly to keep Red on his toes, but she also did not want him to figure out where they were going.
“Are you sure?” He slowed the car and looked questioningly at the driveway Kat indicated. It looked unused, grass growing between the pavers, the trees lining the driveway untrimmed, and the road sign rusted and falling off.
“Yes, this is it. Just go all the way up to the end and we’ll be there.” Kat felt nervous and hoped her information was correct. The car slowly rolled up the driveway and Red looked around anxiously. He stopped and looked at Kat like she was crazy, before pulling in next to a parked car. She glanced at Red before opening the door. “Come on; let’s have a look around.”
He slowly got out of the car and looked around the yard before his eyes settled on the house. ‘House’ is probably too modest a word for it; it was a large and modern looking structure with many windows.
And in one of those many windows was a familiar figure, just a slight reflection, and it was gone. Red felt his breath catch; he blinked a few times but it was gone. He looked over at Kat, smiling so calmly, and wondered what she was up to. She came around the car and took his hand. At first he was shocked; she’d never approached him like that, but he let her lead him toward the house and up the few steps that led to the front door. She let go of his hand to ring the bell, and he tucked his hands nervously in his pockets.
The door swung open and a man greeted them formally in French. Kat explained, in French, that they had an appointment, and they were led to a kind of sitting room. Red stood in the middle of the room and looked around, trying to make sense of everything. They were alone in a room that looked rarely used, but was still tastefully decorated. Kat pulled Red onto the couch next to her.
“Don’t stand there like an idiot,” she giggled.
“What is going on?” He finally asked. He turned to face her, her hand comfortingly on his arm, though he was not sure what he needed comforting for.
“I’ve been doing some research…. actually I had some help. Dad’s got a team of lawyers and investigators with connections all over the world, that’s how he found out about Cal’s past,” Kat added quietly, and continued explaining. “I convinced them they should help me, but keep it a secret from dad, of course. After a few weeks, they found what I was looking for, and that’s when I decided I was going to study abroad in Switzerland.” She took a deep breath before continuing and moved her hand down his arm so it was clasped in his hand. “Red, I know who you are. You are Redington McLaughlin, former Formula 1 driver and World Champion and overall amazing person….and I know why you stopped driving.”
Red’s heart was beating faster than the F1 car he crashed months ago. “I can explain – I wasn’t trying to keep any of that a secret from you, it’s just-”
“It’s okay,” Kat smiled reassuringly. “If I were you, I would want to disappear too, and luckily for me, you didn't go into hiding and cut yourself off from the world. Why you became my chauffeur, I still don’t understand, but I’m not complaining. But I didn't drag you all the way out here to say that, actually, I have something to show you. It should be here soon.”
She looked around anxiously as the seconds passed. Red was more nervous than he had ever been before, and he did not know why; it was the not knowing that made it worse. Their silence was interrupted by the sound of someone walking with a cane and pausing outside the door, followed by muffled angry muttering. Red froze as he recognized the voice and his blood turned to ice in his veins.
“I can get it myself,” the man on the other side said to an unseen attendant, before the door opened completely. Standing in the doorway was a sight Red never he would see again: Charlie Morris. He was leaning on a cane, but other than that he looked pretty good.
The two former teammates looked each other over before Charlie finally spoke:
“Asshole.”
- - -
2011
“Woah, kid be careful with that. You’ll take your eye out,” Charlie warned his young teammate in the Tallon-Fyste garage.
“Sorry, you're right,” Red put down the pneumatic drill and held out his hand to introduce himself. “I’m Redington, you can call me Red.”
Shaking Red’s hand, and giving him a stern look over, Charlie thought Red reminded him a little of someone. “I’m Charlie, and you can call me Charlie.”
Red blushed and withdrew his hand and laughed nervously. “I know who you are. I’m lucky to be teammates with a former World Champion such as yourself. It’s an honor, really. You’ve set the bar high, I hope I can live up to expectations.”
Charlie smiled and his eyes crinkled. “Don’t worry about it, just do what you do best.”
“It’s a little weird meeting you, you’ve been an idol of mine since….as long as I can remember. Probably since I first heard of Formula 1 racing. When you won the World Championship six years ago, I knew that was what I wanted to do in life. I knew I wanted to be the best and fastest driver in the world.” Red was smiling from ear to ear, and now it was Charlie’s turn to blush.
“Thank you.” Charlie realized who Red reminded him of: himself, when he first entered F1. A little naive, a little ballsy, but with a lot of ambition. Perhaps this was why he took Red under his wing and nurtured him to the World Championship caliber driver Red was today, or maybe it was because Charlie realized his career was on the downfall, but the pair hit it off immediately and were inseparable in their time together at Tallon-Fyste.
“Hey you’re awake!” He stood up and walked toward the bar. “Want a drink? It’s kind of cool your dad let us take his plane.” He started mixing two drinks without waiting for her response.
Kat snorted and replied sarcastically, “Yeah, because everyone’s dad has a plane.” She leaned on the bar near Red and he pushed her drink toward her. He smiled, yet there was sadness in his eyes as he clinked glasses with her.
He tried to smile reassuringly, but the mix of emotions in his eyes kept it from looking sincere. He was still more than angry at Callum for misleading Kat and treating her like dirt, but now, as they were less than an hour outside of Geneva, he was anxious. He was not ready for this, yet he wanted it more than anything. He needed to see Charlie, to know if he was okay, or even alive. He could not stop himself from replaying that race in his head and all the actions he might have taken to prevent the crash. It was an accident, he told himself. That was his mantra every night as he lay in bed trying to sleep, trying to block the images of the crumpled Tallon-Fyste car cartwheeling across the track and into the wall, of Charlie’s limp body being lifted out of the flaming wreckage and placed on a stretcher.
Albert wanted Red to go to Europe with Kat because he did not want her to be alone in a foreign country. Yet, he also did not want her to be alone with Red. He set them up in a nice apartment that was big enough for them to live completely separate lives and before they left on his private jet, Albert reminded Red that he was there to drive Kat, and nothing else. Red kept this in mind, but sometimes he needed a friend and Kat was the closest thing he had to that.
The captain announced they would be landing in thirty minutes. Red broke out into a cold sweat and set his glass down with shaking hands. Kat was already buckled into her seat and stared thoughtfully out the window at the city below as she sipped her drink. Red slid into the seat next to her and tried to calm down as the plane came in for landing.
‘Next week,’ he thought. ‘Or maybe even tomorrow, I will find him, but for now, I cannot worry about it. It isn’t helping anyone.’
Once they were on the ground and he was driving yet another one of Albert’s many cars, Red felt more relaxed and was able to distract himself long enough to get Kat home. She went straight to bed, since she started school the next day, and Red sat awake long into the night searching online for clues of Charlie’s whereabouts. He knew it probably was not good for his mental health, yet at the same time he felt he would go crazy if he put if off any longer.
~ ~ ~
“Thank you,” Andy said and took the glass she offered. He swirled the brandy in his glass before taking a sip and leaned back to wait for Millie to start. She seemed much less nervous, more resigned, or even a little relaxed. She sighed and put her glass down. “Okay.”
“Okay? Alright, let’s hear how you ended up in debt to the Saxons,” Andy smiled and looked eager even though he knew the story - most of it, at least.
“Not a word of this to anyone, right?” She asked and Andy nodded. “Especially my son.”
Andy hesitated, and nodded again. He did not even know Callum, why should he tell him?
“And you’re sure you can fix this?” She asked skeptically.
“Absolutely.” Andy said and they unintentionally both took a drink at the same time.
“It started in 1986 when I discovered I was pregnant.” Millie began and set her glass down. “Actually, it started in 1984 when I first met John Saxon, or Johnny, as his family liked to call him.”
* * *
Kat was busy with school most of the week, so Red had plenty of time to research Charlie’s whereabouts. However, the further he looked into it, the less truth he found on Charlie, and the more lies he found about himself. Lies, like how he was an alcoholic and had been drinking before the race, or how he had fought with Charlie just hours before the race, or how he had been cheating on his girlfriend. That last rumor was so far from the truth he had to laugh. Tired, frustrated, and a little depressed, he was more than willing to oblige to take Kat for a drive when she asked.
“After my first week back at school, I need a break,” Kat smiled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
“And where are we going?” He asked as they got in the car.
“I don’t know, just somewhere I heard about at school,” Kat continued to talk about her week at university and her new friends. “Turn left here.” She gave random and sudden directions, mostly to keep Red on his toes, but she also did not want him to figure out where they were going.
“Are you sure?” He slowed the car and looked questioningly at the driveway Kat indicated. It looked unused, grass growing between the pavers, the trees lining the driveway untrimmed, and the road sign rusted and falling off.
“Yes, this is it. Just go all the way up to the end and we’ll be there.” Kat felt nervous and hoped her information was correct. The car slowly rolled up the driveway and Red looked around anxiously. He stopped and looked at Kat like she was crazy, before pulling in next to a parked car. She glanced at Red before opening the door. “Come on; let’s have a look around.”
He slowly got out of the car and looked around the yard before his eyes settled on the house. ‘House’ is probably too modest a word for it; it was a large and modern looking structure with many windows.
And in one of those many windows was a familiar figure, just a slight reflection, and it was gone. Red felt his breath catch; he blinked a few times but it was gone. He looked over at Kat, smiling so calmly, and wondered what she was up to. She came around the car and took his hand. At first he was shocked; she’d never approached him like that, but he let her lead him toward the house and up the few steps that led to the front door. She let go of his hand to ring the bell, and he tucked his hands nervously in his pockets.
The door swung open and a man greeted them formally in French. Kat explained, in French, that they had an appointment, and they were led to a kind of sitting room. Red stood in the middle of the room and looked around, trying to make sense of everything. They were alone in a room that looked rarely used, but was still tastefully decorated. Kat pulled Red onto the couch next to her.
“Don’t stand there like an idiot,” she giggled.
“What is going on?” He finally asked. He turned to face her, her hand comfortingly on his arm, though he was not sure what he needed comforting for.
“I’ve been doing some research…. actually I had some help. Dad’s got a team of lawyers and investigators with connections all over the world, that’s how he found out about Cal’s past,” Kat added quietly, and continued explaining. “I convinced them they should help me, but keep it a secret from dad, of course. After a few weeks, they found what I was looking for, and that’s when I decided I was going to study abroad in Switzerland.” She took a deep breath before continuing and moved her hand down his arm so it was clasped in his hand. “Red, I know who you are. You are Redington McLaughlin, former Formula 1 driver and World Champion and overall amazing person….and I know why you stopped driving.”
Red’s heart was beating faster than the F1 car he crashed months ago. “I can explain – I wasn’t trying to keep any of that a secret from you, it’s just-”
“It’s okay,” Kat smiled reassuringly. “If I were you, I would want to disappear too, and luckily for me, you didn't go into hiding and cut yourself off from the world. Why you became my chauffeur, I still don’t understand, but I’m not complaining. But I didn't drag you all the way out here to say that, actually, I have something to show you. It should be here soon.”
She looked around anxiously as the seconds passed. Red was more nervous than he had ever been before, and he did not know why; it was the not knowing that made it worse. Their silence was interrupted by the sound of someone walking with a cane and pausing outside the door, followed by muffled angry muttering. Red froze as he recognized the voice and his blood turned to ice in his veins.
“I can get it myself,” the man on the other side said to an unseen attendant, before the door opened completely. Standing in the doorway was a sight Red never he would see again: Charlie Morris. He was leaning on a cane, but other than that he looked pretty good.
The two former teammates looked each other over before Charlie finally spoke:
“Asshole.”
- - -
2011
“Woah, kid be careful with that. You’ll take your eye out,” Charlie warned his young teammate in the Tallon-Fyste garage.
“Sorry, you're right,” Red put down the pneumatic drill and held out his hand to introduce himself. “I’m Redington, you can call me Red.”
Shaking Red’s hand, and giving him a stern look over, Charlie thought Red reminded him a little of someone. “I’m Charlie, and you can call me Charlie.”
Red blushed and withdrew his hand and laughed nervously. “I know who you are. I’m lucky to be teammates with a former World Champion such as yourself. It’s an honor, really. You’ve set the bar high, I hope I can live up to expectations.”
Charlie smiled and his eyes crinkled. “Don’t worry about it, just do what you do best.”
“It’s a little weird meeting you, you’ve been an idol of mine since….as long as I can remember. Probably since I first heard of Formula 1 racing. When you won the World Championship six years ago, I knew that was what I wanted to do in life. I knew I wanted to be the best and fastest driver in the world.” Red was smiling from ear to ear, and now it was Charlie’s turn to blush.
“Thank you.” Charlie realized who Red reminded him of: himself, when he first entered F1. A little naive, a little ballsy, but with a lot of ambition. Perhaps this was why he took Red under his wing and nurtured him to the World Championship caliber driver Red was today, or maybe it was because Charlie realized his career was on the downfall, but the pair hit it off immediately and were inseparable in their time together at Tallon-Fyste.