Revving It Up Box Set

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Earl Youngblood glared at his phone. Caleb had dodged his call again. He wiped his bald pate, then his face as he grunted in frustration. Resting his elbows on his desk, he clenched his hands together as he pondered what he would do next. He should be focused on payroll, and the latest marketing reports his daughter, Joan, brought him, but this thing with Caleb had distracted him for several days.

He glanced at the phone and deliberated on calling Sebastian Rush. Joan had said that Caleb seemed to be taken with him. Earl weighed whether calling a stranger, a man his son hadn’t introduced him to, would help Earl in making it right with Caleb. He picked up the handset but put it down once he heard a knock on the door.

“Dad?” Joan’s head peered around the door as she stepped inside the office. “Got a moment?”

Earl smiled. “Sure. Come in.”

Joan walked in and plopped in the chair in front of Earl, taking a pen from his desk and handing him a clipboard. As he glanced at the paperwork, Joan crossed her legs, flattening out the khaki pleated shorts she wore with her Youngblood Racing blue polo shirt. Joan cracked her neck then moved a long strand of dark brown hair behind her left ear before she spoke. “We’re going to have to consider trimming some staff here if we don’t start getting more sponsors. Our overhead is killing us.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

She leaned to point at something on the clipboard. “Look at those penciled numbers. Bob hired some specialists two months ago that we don’t need. Not right now anyway. We already have one tire specialist and one engine specialist. Why do we need two more?” asked Joan.

“Bob thought having a back-up for trained tires and engines would be helpful. You know how it is. These guys have families; they can’t be there all the time. So we need someone to fill in at the last moment.”

“Dad, you’re getting soft. You wouldn’t have cared about this s**t ten or even five years ago. Bob’s our crew chief. I defer to him about anything mechanical. He can be the extra tire specialist and engine specialist if push comes to shove, but we can’t keep doing what we’re doing. Listen to me on the budget, marketing, and payroll. We have too much outgo and not enough incoming. We let these two specialists go before their ninety-day probationary period, we won’t get a charge on our federal or Florida unemployment taxes. We have to cut costs for the time being.”

Earl nodded, avoiding the dark brown eyes of his only daughter. He knew she was right, but he wasn’t ready to admit it. Not yet. “We have to wait until the 400 race. We just need a couple of weeks until that race is over then we can take stock again of our financials. We might be able to get more endorsements if Garrison places well.”

Joan slid back in her seat. “Well, we need a lot more endorsements. Otherwise, we’re back to the brink of bankruptcy. Two of our big sponsors aren’t renewing. I’m trying to line up Acme Household as a sponsor but I heard they’re looking at someone else, too.” She clicked her pen a few times then continued. “If Garr listened to me, we’d probably have more endorsements.”

“He already told me some of the ideas you pitched. He’s not going to do shirtless calendars, or pose nude in a sports mag body special.” Earl paused. “I’ve also forbidden him to do any beer commercials or liquor advertisement.”

Joan crossed her arms. “I only mentioned that beefcake stuff because he needs to be better known. Our sales of shirts and some marketing items increased when Garr admitted he was an alcoholic. Some counseling groups wanted him to visit and be a speaker, but he turned them down. And most of the product placement in NASCAR is pretty limited unless he’s a top name or finisher in NASCAR. He’s low on the Sprint Cup points, and he’s not going to get national coverage unless he starts winning more races.”

“Garrison is going to win Daytona one day. I can feel it. This is his backyard. Right now he’s doing what he can to earn points, taking laps and finishing decent. Hell, I took all three of you to every race, showed you all everything that is NASCAR but Garrison—I feel he was just born to race, like he didn’t even need to be exposed.” Earl exhaled and gestured with his hands. “Well, I don’t know anything anymore. It seems every year the rules change around here. One year, it’s pack qualifying to get pole position; another year, it’s something completely different. It’s about ratings, advertisement, and products. I remember when NASCAR was just about racing. Now it seems that racers are chasing endorsements, public appearances, and social media feeds and more work is done away from the track than on it.” Earl paused and clasped his fingers together. “What about sponsorships from manufacturers of lawnmowers, car parts, you know the gamut of home improvement, mechanical parts?”

“All the big ones are taken. Besides, the true beauty in the family isn’t Garr anyway. It’s Caleb—’’

“No. Definitely no, and hell no. The press, social media will eat Caleb alive if they knew.”

“Dad, it’s a new day. NASCAR is changing. He can easily grace GQ or some sports mag. I even turned down the naked body issue for ESPN when they called our office looking for someone for NASCAR. If he doesn’t want to be out, and it’s his choice, just think of the money. Women are hot for him.”

Earl shook his head. “That all may be, but my son is not going to be a guinea pig. I promised your mother before she passed I would make sure that Caleb and you would be protected from the vultures out there. And believe me, there are some condor-sized harpies in this effed up world. Garr can handle his own. You know how it is in racing. This isn’t a world for women and gay drivers. And you know there is no way in hell that Caleb’s secret will remain in the closet. Newspapers and everybody are aggressive if they even hear a whiff. We won’t be able to control him. Isn’t he dating someone right now? Is he too ashamed of me to let me meet this guy?”

“He’s not ashamed.” Joan sighed. “And I hear what you’re saying. But, I see pockets of change. Look at Danica Patrick’s following. If we waited for people to change we wouldn’t have women drivers! I’ve done the market research. Attitudes towards gay issues and gay rights changed.”

“But stock car racing isn’t ready for a gay driver. We’ve had two drivers before Caleb come out. Look at how welcomed they were. This is the South. All but a few racetracks are in the South. You show me market data that Caleb will be accepted as an openly out gay man, then I’ll change my mind. I don’t think attitudes have changed that much since Stephen Rhodes came out in the Camping World truck series. I don’t want someone going after him all twisted up in hate. So yeah, I’m not outing my son for the whole world to make him be their road kill.” Earl placed his palms flat on the desk.

Joan stood and paced back and forth before she spoke again. “You need to tell him that then. And you need to be honest with him and tell him that’s the reason you will never let him drive for Youngblood Racing.”

“You know I agreed with your mom that he should’ve finished school. When he decided to move back here to be with us, I was happy. Your mom was happy. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he shouldn’t race for us. And when your mom passed, I just couldn’t get myself to tell him for a long time. I tried explaining why I wouldn’t let him race, but he cut me off. He stormed off! He didn’t let me explain!” Earl’s faced flushed. “I’ve tried reaching him. You know that. He won’t return my calls.”

Joan remained quiet so Earl stood and walked to where she was.

“If I can get him to talk to you and me, will you talk to him without shouting?” asked Joan. Earl nodded. Joan pointed to a photo frame on the shelf. “I need to get a copy of this one day.”

Earl looked over Joan’s shoulder. It was the last picture of his wife, Amanda, before she’d started chemo. The kids had insisted on scuba diving at the Great Coral Reef before the oceans had completely bleached the sea life. Garrison had his arm around Amanda, Joan was on the other side of his wife. Earl sat next to Joan. Caleb’s arm was around Earl. Caleb was probably twenty-one. Everyone’s dark hair was wet except Earl who benefitted from male pattern baldness. Of all his kids, Caleb looked the most like his wife. Even now, thinking about her pained his heart. He stared at the photograph a few seconds more and wondered what his wife would suggest if she were here in the office.

“Yeah, it’s a great picture of all of us.”

Joan moved closer to Earl and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I miss her, as I know you do. You know sometimes I forget how much she and Caleb looked so much alike. Same nose, same eyes.”

Earl nodded. “I know.”

Joan faced her father. “I’ll try to reach Caleb. We need to face these problems as a family. But if I do will you be honest with him?”

“Even if he hates me for being honest?”

“He has to know why you’re saying no. You need to tell him. I’ll help you make Caleb understand.”

Earl nodded. “Thanks. That might help. You know you, Garrison, and Caleb are it. If the business fails, so be it. But I can’t live without the three of you so I hope you’re right: that telling him the truth will be good because I don’t want to lose him.”

Joan sighed. “I hope I’m right, too.”