ALICE Ch 52

The pit crew had been unable to properly affix the left rear wheel. It is an innocuous, inoffensive sentence, yet it carries a tremendous impact on Alice. In trying to get the wheel on the crew had damaged it. The car had been retired.

Sitting there as the seconds ticked by and the crew struggled vainly had been possibly the most difficult moment of Alice’s life. Perhaps it was second to waiting for the lights in Bahrain, her first proper F1 race. Utter misery. And then to be informed that she was finished with the race.

She still feels empty as she sits in her little room in the FUTA HQ in the paddock. The tears have stopped. For now. Everything hurts. Her hands are sore from clenching into fists. Disappointment and seething anger are locked together like a kaiju battle in her chest.

The door opens and she collects herself. Glynda sits beside Alice on the narrow cot. She’s still wearing all her FUTA gear, and Alice hasn’t taken off her racing suit. She smells like oil while Glynda smells like sweat and sharp perfume. It’s been a long day for everyone.

Seconds go by. Glynda seems to be having feelings similar to Alice’s. Colder and angrier, but not so different.

Alice takes a deep breath. She can’t smile, but she can make sure that she’s not looking scary.

“Is it over?”

“P6.” Glynda means Faye.

Alice nods. “That’s good,” she says, even if her heart isn’t completely in it.

Glynda moves her hand, as though she’s thinking about putting it on Alice’s knee or shoulder, but she thinks better of it and doesn’t touch her.

“I will make this right,” Glynda promises.

Alice doesn’t know what to say to that.

“I can’t do press today.”

“I know,” Glynda replies. “I’ll do it. I have to tell them that I sacked them all.”

Alice stiffens.

“What?”

“I sacked them.”

“My pit crew?”

Glynda sighs and nods.

That’s a lot. Alice’s head spins. “Colby too?”

“Not her. Wasn’t her fault.”

“God.”

“I know it sounds harsh. Everyone needs to know we’re serious. This can’t happen again.”

Alice agrees with that, but still. That’s like six people who are looking for jobs now. She didn’t know them particularly well, but they’d seemed OK. Until now. Apparently, they had overlooked something this morning that had led to this. Honestly, Alice hadn’t been in the right state of mind to absorb and understand exactly what had happened with the wheel. But it had come down to an oversight on the part of the pit crew. One driver finishing P6 is not a terrible outcome, but points were left on the table. Alice isn’t an idiot. She wasn’t going to be on the podium today no matter what. Not in that car. Two points? Four points? It matters. She has to get those points if she’s going to have a Formula One career. Future teams aren’t going to remember why she didn’t finish today, only that she didn’t.

“I should go back to the hotel,” she says.

“Of course.”

“You should tell Faye that you’re proud of her.”

“She knows.”

“You should tell her,” Alice repeats.