The Predicament
Disclaimer! Oops! I forgot to put the disclaimer on chapter 1. So, this disclaimer applies to all chapters. I own no one affiliated with NASCAR or IRL who is a real person. The made up ones are mine.
BTW – Did anyone see the commercials this weekend where DW begs Mikey to let him drive his racecar? Did anyone read my Rockingham story? Which was on FF.net months ago? Especially chapter 5? Hmm. Probably coincidence, right? LOL.
Gotta love DW. He’s one of the guys that made NASCAR what it is today. Can’t wait to see him race the truck some more.
Thanks again, to you all for reading and reviewing. It really means a lot to me. You guys are great!! And – to Junior – Keep up the good work!
Chapter 2 The Predicament
“Why does it have to be Pamela Morgan?” Dale asked Teresa, obviously disgusted.
“I’m sorry, Junior. But like I said, her dad is an old friend of my dad’s. And it’s a lucrative deal. Personally, just between us, I’m not sure if she has what it takes to be a stock car driver. But, we’ll see how she does in Atlanta this weekend.”
“Why don’t they send her to The Petty driving school?” Carly asked.
“They did. She was there last week. But I didn’t get a chance to see her drive. I’m expecting a call from Kyle later today.” Teresa answered. “So, will you help?” She asked Carly.
Carly looked at her fellow drivers. The all were just staring at her with suspenseful looks on their faces, as if they wanted to say something, but couldn’t. “Sure, I guess.” She replied.
“Thanks, Carly. You’re a lifesaver. And just so you know, Dale, she asked for you, but I told her you were committed.”
“Great.” Dale answered. “So we throw poor Carly into the lion’s den.”
Teresa continued. “She asked for Carly second.” There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.
Carly looked around. “Why do I have the feeling something bad just happened to me and I don’t know it yet?”
“Because it just did!” Dale said.
“Junior!” Teresa said. “I’ll fill you in later, Carly.” Teresa turned and left the room.
“I’ll fill you in later, babe.” Dale whispered, after his stepmother had left.
“Ok.” Ty said. “On to Atlanta this weekend.”
~~**~~
The rest of the drivers had the afternoon off, but Carly was going to stay and work on her racecar with Scotty, and the crew. She needed to learn more about the suspension and handling of the cars. She really wanted to have a better understanding of how these things worked.
“Come on, babe. Come to the lake with us. It wont be so cold if you wear a wetsuit. Besides, I need to fill you in on that little deal you got yourself into.” Dale pleaded.
Carly laughed. “I would love to. But I really need to work on my car.”
“You can learn that stuff later! I’ll teach you. Come on!!” he begged.
“Oh, you’re melting me, you know that?” she said, kissing him. “But I gotta do this. Come over tonight, when you get back. OK? And tell me the tale of Pamela Morgan then.”
He sighed. “Ok, honey. I’ll come over when we get back. We’ll get dinner, and talk. Or do other things…” he said kissing her again.
“AHEM!” they heard.
“Hey Uncle Tony. I’m just leavin’! Just sayin’ goodbye, here.” Dale smiled. “Walk me out to my truck, ‘k babe?”
She walked him out, kissed him again, and sent him on his way. She then walked slowly back to the garage where her #81 Budweiser Chevy was up on jacks. Tony Sr. and Scotty were waiting for her.
“There was no slobber!” she laughed, as they stared at her.
They laughed back. “Gross!” Scotty said. “Hey, you could have gone with them. We could have done this later.”
“No. There is so much I need to learn, if I don’t start sometime, I’ll never get it all. They’re all lucky that they’re pretty good mechanics. I, however, only know where to pour in the oil. On my cars. Not on this one. So, professor Scott, show me the track bars. And the shocks. And where the oil goes.”
~~**~~
After about 3 hours of tutoring, Carly had a basic idea of how track bars and shocks worked in relationship to the handling of the racecar. She was sitting up on one of the workbenches, just talking with Scotty and a couple of the other mechanics. Tony Sr. walked over into their garage.
“So you got roped into this Pamela Morgan deal, heh?” he said.
“Yeah. What’s the story on her?” Carly asked, puzzled.
“Well, in my opinion, she’s bad news. She really did a number on Junior a couple of years ago. She’s one of those rich little spoiled bitches that gets everything from daddy that her heart desires. And she thought she wanted Junior. It was right after the “Steve McQueen” video. He was a fun novelty item for her to show off to her friends, but she really had nothing in common with him, and she wound up just using him. He was pretty torn up about it when it ended. Lets just say that he’s not fond of her at all.”
“Oh…great.” Carly responded. “Just what I need. Let me guess. She doesn’t like other women, either.”
“Only those that can provide her with something.” Tony Sr. answered.
“Why in the world does she want to drive racecars?” Carly asked.
“I don’t know if you want to hear my guess on that one.” Tony Sr. looked at her out of the corner of his eyes.
“Come on, Tony – spill it! I can take it…” she said.
“My bet is that it’s because of you!”
“Why me??” Carly was surprised.
“You are getting all the attention now. Miss NASCAR. Miss Busch Grand National. She craves the notoriety that you are getting. Oh…and just wait till she finds out about you and Junior! I’d watch your back if I were you, Carly. I wish Teresa would have never agreed to this. I tried to tell her, but no one wants to listen to me.”
“I’m listening, Tony. Thanks for the warning!” Carly told him. “Why do you think she asked for me to help her?”
“Maybe you’re her new novelty friend. But you and she are nothing alike. I can’t see how any of this is going to work out.”
Just then, Teresa came out into the shop. “Carly, there’s a phone call for you in the office. It’s the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s department? Is there anything we need to know about??” She asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Nothing I’ve done wrong!” Carly laughed. “Just some unfinished business. I’ll fill you in.” She jumped down off of the workbench.
“Good. I want to fill you in, too, about this ARCA deal.” Teresa replied, as she and Carly went back into the office area.
“Bad news, Scotty!” Tony Sr. said to Scotty as they watched the two women walk away.
~~**~~
Mark had re-filed her restraining order against Chad first thing Monday morning. The Sheriff’s Department just needed to get a first hand account from Carly, and have her sign some forms that they faxed to her. She had Teresa sign as witness. She gave Teresa a brief run-down of the whole Chad story.
“Oh God, Carly, that’s awful. What a jerk! Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yeah. Hopefully, he will stay in California and leave me alone. And we have a while before I’ll be back home, so we’ll know more about him after he is served with the restraining order. I just hope Mark doesn’t take matters into his own hands.” She worried.
“Mark had to fly all the way to California for this?” Teresa asked.
“Mark lives in California. He and I own the house in California that we grew up in, as well as the house here in Mooresville. We inherited the California home from our parents. He flies to wherever I am racing for the weekend, and goes home Sunday night. He only stays here when we do the races in Charlotte in May. He has a job out there with flex hours, so he can travel with me. It works out pretty well, actually.”
“No wonder we don’t ever see him around except at races!” Teresa laughed.
“Yeah! My disappearing brother!” Carly laughed. “So, Teresa, fill me in on this ARCA assignment.”
“Oh, yes. The Pamela Morgan Affair. I am basically doing this as a favor to my dad.” Teresa explained. “My father and her father have done business together several times in the past. Her father, Alexander Morgan, has some sort of computer business out in the Silicon Valley. His daughter has always been fascinated with racing, and wants to try her hand at stock cars. He asked if we could give her an opportunity to drive. The ARCA cars are just sitting around, and he offered the sponsorship of his corporation, so I said “why not”. Pamela has been taking driving courses, and driven in a couple of feature races out there. She hasn’t done too badly, but she’s only driven open wheeled cars. Except at the Petty driving school. Kyle called just a bit ago, and gave me the low-down on her first stock car drive.”
“And what was his verdict?” Carly asked.
Teresa laughed. “He said she’s no Carly Grant, but she did ok! I think you have a life time fan in Kyle Petty!”
Carly laughed. “He’s a good guy. I can honestly say “Where would I be without him!” Say- is Pamela Morgan’s dad also known as “Lex Morgan”?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Teresa answered. “Why, do you know him?”
“I know of him. He’s also known jokingly as “Lex Luthor”. Is his company Morgan Memory Systems? MMS?” she asked.
“Yes, it is.” Teresa answered. “You’ve heard of them?”
“Everyone in the Silicon Valley has heard of him. He’s the only person that’s ever been successful in taking on Bill Gates. When Gates wanted to purchase AMD last year, and take over one fourth of the chip industry, Morgan was the only one that had the cunning and resources to stop him. Then he himself snatched up a sizeable amount of AMD stock, and basically pushed his way into the company. There is still a lawsuit about the name change, but he had “MMS” plastered on their signs right away, figuring he’d change it back if he lost the lawsuit. Knowing him, he won’t lose.”
“Oh…” Teresa laughed. “Are you telling me he’s a good guy, or a bad guy?”
“Uh- I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may cost me my job?” Carly laughed. “Hey- lots of business is transacted that way. One third of the people think it’s bad, one third think that that’s the only way to do business, and the last third just don’t care. So, take your pick. That’s life in the computer industry.”
Teresa laughed again. “Ok- on to “Lex Luthor’s” daughter. She’s a bit uppity, and a bit spoiled. But, she’s had a tough life. Her mother abandoned her when she was young, and she was raised by her dad. She is struggling to find something she can be successful at. She and Junior dated a couple of years back, when she still lived in Atlanta. It didn’t work out, and her dad was moving to California, so she went with him. She just needs someone to be patient with her. I will admit, that will be tough, but give it your best shot, ok Carly? I really appreciate it!”
Carly mentally compared Teresa’s story to the one Tony Sr. told her. “Sure, Teresa. I’ll do my best. When do we start?”
“Wednesday. The cars will leave for Atlanta tomorrow. You and Scotty and the crew will fly down Wednesday morning. Get the car all dialed in, running good, and then we’ll put Pamela in it and see how she does. If she does halfway ok, we’ll let her drive in the ARCA race Friday night. If she can’t handle it, would you race it?” Teresa asked, reluctantly. “We already have the car entered, and a signed contract with the sponsor.”
Carly laughed. “An ARCA race? Sure! Those are fun! I’ll do it.”
She said good-bye to Teresa, and headed home.
~~**~~
Carly got home, and opened a new bottle of wine. She just wanted to settle down and relax a bit before Dale got back from the lake. She remembered Steve wanting her to throw some pitches to him, so she dug out her softball glove, and tossed it on the stairs by the front door. It was awfully cold outside, and she just couldn’t imagine why the guys wanted to go water skiing. Of course, that was because she was not much into water sports. On a lake, that is. At home, at the ocean, Carly loved to surf and boogie board. But she was never into water skiing. She guessed she would have to learn now! Steve had taken her to the lake before, as did Jeff, and she tried wake-boarding, with limited success. She just liked sitting in the sun, watching everyone else try to drown themselves!
She took her glass of wine upstairs, and filled her Jacuzzi tub with warm bubbly water. She turned on the jets, and lit some candles. She was just getting ready to step into her watery haven, when her doorbell rang. A momentary panic ran through her as she thought of Chad. She grabbed a short purple silk robe, and ran to her bedroom window to look down at her driveway. She saw Dale’s red pickup truck. Whew! She was so relieved, she started to laugh. “What timing!” she said to herself. She ran downstairs and opened the door.
“You didn’t check the peephole! Carly, you gotta be more careful!” Dale lectured her as he stepped inside.
“Oops! You’re right. What are you doing back so early? I thought you’d be back later!” she asked him.
“It was freezing at the lake! We gave up and came back. I didn’t get a chance to take a shower, and Steve wants to toss some balls, so I thought we’d do that, then maybe I could take a quick shower here, then we’d all go grab some dinner. What are you up to, anyway? Are you just getting dressed or something?”
She smiled at him. “No.” she said softly. She walked over to her stereo, and slipped in her favorite CD. It was the Beach Boys, which reminded her of home. “I was just trying to relax a little. Wine?” she asked him.
“I guess- what kind is it?”
“Pinot Grigio – very sweet. One of my favorites.” She poured him a glass too. “Follow me.” She whispered.
He started to follow her up the stairs. “What about Steve?” he asked, as he kicked off his shoes.
“My Jacuzzi is only big enough for two.” She laughed softly.
He laughed too. “He’s waiting for us!” Dale said, as he took off his shirt.
When she got to the top of her stairs, she let her robe slip off her shoulders. His eyes popped open. “There’s the phone.” She said, as he started un-buttoning his jeans. She disappeared into her room.
He dialed Steve’s number. “Hey- Sparky- Carly’s kinda not ready yet. Give us about an hour, ok pal? …Shut Up!…No!” Dale was grinning. He was trying to hold the phone, and get his pants off at the same time. Carly tossed her robe out of her room, and it landed at Dale’s feet. The Beach Boys were singing “California Girls”. “Hey Steve- Make that an hour and a half. We’ll get dinner after. Gotta go, bud! Later!” he fumbled the phone down and got it hung up.
He turned and started trying to walk into her room, tripping over his jeans. He got one foot out by the time he got to her bathroom. She was sitting on the edge of her tub, with her feet in the water, looking at him from over her shoulder. He just stared at her. He kicked his jeans the rest of the way off. The Beach Boys were singing “I’m picking up good vibrations…She’s giving me excitations…”
She giggled. “Oh…Dale…you really are happy to see me, aren’t you?”
~~**~~
An hour had passed when Dale reached over and turned off the water jets in the tub.
“Ohh…” Carly murmured. She was cuddled up at his side with her head on his shoulder. He had his arm wrapped around her.
He laughed. “Sorry, honey. We don’t want to wind up as prunes, do we? We gotta get out now. Besides- all these extra “water sports” are makin’ me hungry!”
She laughed back. She kissed him. “I guess you’re right. I just feel so comfortable right now. So safe, with no worries. I don’t want to go back to that mean old real world. I want to stay right here with you.”
“Baby, if there were any way we could stay here forever, we would. But who would drive those two red racecars of ours?” he smiled.
“OH!” she said. “Speaking of driving racecars – What’s up with this “Pamela Morgan” deal?” Carly sat upright. “I heard your uncle Tony’s story, then I got Teresa’s story, now I want you to fill me in.”
“Oh. That. Heh, yeah.” They stepped out of the tub, and got wrapped in towels. “Well, here’s the story…” he started.
