Chapter 205 Charlie Disintegrating
Case rang the bell on Charlie’s door again and waited. He’d been there for a few minutes now, but Charlie wasn’t answering. He knew his friend was home. He could see his truck and his bike in the garage through the window.
When Charlie still didn’t answer, Case banged on the door. “Charlie! Come on! I know you’re home! Open the door!”
He pounded on the door for several minutes. Eventually, he heard footsteps, and then the door swung open, but the man who was walking away from the open door looked nothing like his friend.
Charlie had let himself go completely in just a few days. His curly hair was a mess, sticking up all over his head. It looked like he hadn’t washed it since before Talladega. He was wearing a robe over a stained T-shirt and old jogging pants with a hole in the knee. His living room had mostly empty takeout boxes and dirty dishes everywhere, as well as tons of empty beer cans and bottles sitting everywhere.
Plunking down on the couch, Charlie said nothing. He hadn’t shaved, and he smelled like BO. Case could smell him from across the room. He closed the door behind him and turned on the lights, which made Charlie groan.
“So… I guess you’re doing pretty well,” Case said, moving a pizza box off of a chair so he could sit down.
“I’m doing just fine,” he said, clearly not believing it himself. “This is my new life, man. It’s not bad. I can’t complain.”
“Really? So instead of being a racecar driver, now you’re going to be a professional couch surfer?”
“Why not? I was never good at my first occupation. I might as well try this. It’s a lot easier, and no one gets killed.”
“That’s BS, Charlie. You are a great driver. You just have a sucky team, thanks to me. What happened isn’t your fault.”
“The hell it’s not. You’re not the one who almost killed two people, Case. You don’t get to tell me how to feel.”
“That’s true. This time, it wasn’t my fault. But I’ve wrecked people before. I wrecked Dan Carlisle, and he broke his arm, remember?”
“Bill is still in the hospital and won’t be able to race again this season, Case. That’s on me.”
“I’m the one who landed on his car. How is that not my fault?” Case did feel partially responsible for what had happened to Bill, but he also knew that was part of the risk in what they did, and Bill knew it, too.
“You landed on his car because I sent you flying,” Charlie said dismissively. “I am a menace and shouldn’t be allowed on the racetrack ever again.”
“Charlie, no one feels that way—no one. Not even Bill.”
“I do,” he said with an air of finality. “Sorry, man. I guess you’ll have to find someone else to draft with you next time, someone who can keep you on the track.”
“Why don’t you go take a shower and come over and fish with Andrea and I? She’d love to see you, and it would do you some good to get some fresh air in your lungs. Don’t you have a cleaning lady?”
“I let my staff go. Can’t afford to pay them. Gotta budget my money now that my income is zero.”
“Charlie….” Shaking his head, Case got up and grabbed hold of Charlie’s arm. “Come on. Go take a shower. Put pants that don’t have elastic in the waist on, and come over.”
“Leave me alone, Case. You’re not my dad.” Charlie jerked his arm away.
Trying not to laugh at his ridiculousness, Case said, “No, I’m not, but I will kick your a*s if you don’t get up there and clean up because Andrea is worried about you, and you need to make her think you’re all right. And if you’re not all right, we need to get you all right. I’m not gonna leave you here to wallow in your own self-pity until you die, man. You’re too important to both of us for that sh*t.”
Charlie stared at him for a few moments. Case folded his arms and stared him in the eye, and Charlie knew he wouldn’t back down. Muttering a string of curse words, he pulled himself up off of the couch and headed upstairs. “You’re an a*shole, Case Meyer!” he shouted.
“I love you, too, man.”
Charlie was still grumbling, but at least he was headed in the right direction. Case headed into the kitchen to find a garbage bag so he could start cleaning up. He’d pay Jill to come over later and work her magic, but the least he could do is pick up the trash.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
