Once again her Auntie whom she loved beyond reason was getting herself into trouble and would not answer her phone! She stood up and stomped her foot and called again. Nothing. So then she sent her text after text with no response. What was she going to do? She had to try out for this race. She couldn't just leave, could she? This was her career, after all. Something people expected her to do. She had sponsors, and crew members making sure that her car was tip top shape.
There was always a chance of course, that she wouldn't qualify she supposed.
"Well, in my book family comes first over anything, a job is a job, but my family is everything."
Soon Grandma B was back ready to go down to the Pit with her. Natalie decided that she would go ahead and do her two (2) qualifying laps to see what happened. On the walk down the hill she had decided that if she qualified this would be her last season. If she did not qualify she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She shook her head as if, "Later".
Natalie was not herself and her crew noticed it today. But Grandma B was happy as a lark and was having the time of her life. She even got to meet some big name drivers. She didn't qualify to drive, but she didn't care at this point. She was at the Daytona race track; unbelievable.
Natalie was in her fire suit, in her car, and her engine started. Then she saw something on the track. In qualifying try outs, the driver and their car was the only thing that was supposed to be on the track. She squinted her eyes, shook her head and looked again. There it sat. Number 21 race car. That was her Uncle Jacques' car. It couldn't be because he had been gone for years. But there it was. She had seen pictures of his car, but why was she seeing it on the track? She revved her engine, but the vision of that car remained in front of her.
When she looked again the scene had changed. There he stood standing beside his car. He was holding a trophy that he had won at Hudson Speedway. He was shaking his head at her. She understood immediately. There was something wrong with her car! Her Uncle was warning her not to race today. She was not one for premonitions or visions, but she was not going to race this car. Could a memory of old pictures actually warn a person of danger? The reason she asked herself that was that she had only seen that car in a photo album that her Auntie had shown her.
She didn't know, but Natalie immediately shut off the motor and signaled for her crew to come get her car. She told them she just knew something was wrong. They started to argue, but again she saw her Uncle shake his head. She said, "No I'm not racing this car today. In fact, you know what, I think I'm done for the season. I have some family matters that need attended to immediately."
Her crew tried their best to reassure her that they would fix her car or give her her back up car, but she said, "No, I am leaving now. I have to find my Auntie Nat. She needs me."
Natalie found Grandma B and told her that she needed to get home as soon as possible.
Soon they were on their way to Marleewood in Grandma B's Mustang.
I sincerely want to thank an old friend of my husband's for these wonderful pictures, without them these memories could have been lost.
ReplyDeleteI love mysterious and suspenseful stories
ReplyDelete.
Yes, sometimes we have to trust our instincts. Great story!
ReplyDeleteI so love these stories! I agree Brenda Tucker, we should always trust or instincts....
ReplyDeleteLuAnne I cant wait for moreπππ