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Chapter 3
Emily never went back to the pit, instead she went to Tony’s coach and started dinner and watched the race from the big screen TV in the living room. Tony came in 5th with Martin Truex Jr, winning the race. She tried not to smile when the announcers commented on DEI’s dominance of restrictor plate races.
Tony came back to the coach around eight that night after the post race conference. He went straight to the shower and didn’t say a word to Emily who was sitting at the table flipping through a magazine.
“What’s for dinner?” he asked finally walking out of the bedroom in boxers and a t-shirt. He stopped at the counter and lifted the lid off the crock pot. “Did you make the mashed potatoes?”
“They’re boiling. I wasn’t going to make them and have them go cold when I didn’t know what time you were going to be back.” She pushed the magazine aside and got up from the table to check the potatoes. “Congratulations on 5th.”
“Back here. It’s too damn hot to be sitting out there. You know I don’t tan well, so I’m probably going to get burned tomorrow.” She took the lid off and stabbed a piece of potato to see if it was cooked. “You’d know how that is, wouldn’t you?” Tony looked at her and then went into the living room. “Shit.” She mumbled under her breath. She knew she shouldn’t have made a crack at him getting burnt two weeks before when they had been in Texas.
Emily put the lid back on the potatoes before going into the living room and kneeling down in front of Tony who was lying on the couch watching a show on Speed channel.
“Listen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She put her hand on his arm, causing him to look at her. “I really am.” Tony surprised her by leaning down and kissing her. “What was that for?”
“Can’t I kiss my wife?” he asked.
“I didn’t think you wanted to.” They looked at each other and Tony winked at her.
“I want to talk about this morning before the race.” He said after a few minutes of silence. “I was wrong to go off on you. One of the guys on the pit crew was at a hotel this morning and saw a woman that looked like you with Junior getting on the elevator. He said he was almost positive that it was you, but he never saw the woman’s face.” Emily felt her heart stop beating for a moment. They had been caught. “When he told me, I was ready to go off. I know that you and Junior have become close since we’ve been married. I can see how that would happen being that he’s my best friend and over all the time. I just couldn’t imagine you doing that and I got angry.”
Emily started to get up and Tony grabbed her arm, pulling her down so that he could kiss her again.
“I love you.” He said kissing her quickly.
“I know.” She kissed him back and then pulled away. “I have to make the mashed potatoes.” She walked in the kitchen and tried to regain normal breathing.
While she was finishing dinner, there was a knock on the door and Junior walked in after Tony yelled for whoever it was to come in. Emily’s eyes grew big when she saw him walk in and she dropped the mixer on the floor.
“What did you do?” Tony asked.
“Dropped the mixer.” Emily bent down and picked it up. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Do you want to stay for dinner, Junior? Emily made swiss steak and mashed potatoes. We have Bud in the cooler outside.”
“Sure.” Junior shrugged and looked at Emily who gave him a, ‘what the hell you doing here’ look.
Emily served everyone dinner and then sat down next to Tony on the couch so she could eat. Junior made idle conversation about the race and then nearly gave Emily a heart attack.
“Tony I wanted to talk to you about something that’s been going on for a few months.” He said as Emily choked on a piece of meat. She started coughing and Tony pounded on her back. “You ok?”
“Yeah I’m fine.” She managed to get out.
“What’s been going on?” Tony asked.
“About six months ago, I met a woman and I’ve been seeing her.” Junior set his plate down. “And I think you should know who it is.”
“Oh, is this the woman that you got caught with today at the hotel?” Emily asked looking straight at Junior. “One of Tony’s crew went running to him trying to say it was me, can you believe that?”
“What?” Junior asked confused. Emily nodded. “Fill me in.”
“One of the guys cornered me in the hauler today and said that he saw you and Emmy leaving a hotel today. He was pretty sure that it was Emmy, but he didn’t get a good look at her.” Tony patted Emily’s leg. “And to think that I’d believe that guy.” Tony smiled at Emily and took her plate from her before taking it to the sink.
“Yeah…that’s…uh…odd that he would have said that to you.” Junior took a drink of his beer.
“So who’s your new woman?” Tony tried to hand Emily a beer, but she shook her head. He shrugged and set it down on the floor in case she wanted it later.
“Who?” Junior asked confused.
“The chick you’re seeing.” Tony looked at Junior.
“Oh…I forgot her name. She’s nothing special. Listen I gotta book.” He got up and took his plate in the kitchen. “I’ll catch you later.”
“I’ll walk you out, Junior. I gotta grab my laptop from the rental anyway.” Emily got up and followed Junior outside; making sure the door was shut behind her.
“You could have at least told me that he made up with you.” Junior stopped at the rental car so Emily could get her laptop. “I looked like an asshole in there.”
“Only because you backed out of telling Tony the chick’s name. Nice comment about she’s nothing special.” Emily slammed the car door and looked at him. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yeah, go have a nice night with your husband.” Junior emphasized husband in a way that made Emily glare at him. They both turned and walked away from each other.
Later that night as they lay in bed, Tony curled up around Emily and kissed her neck.
“Let’s try for a baby.” He said quietly. Emily’s eyes flew open. “We’ve been married for a year and a half and I’m not getting any younger.”
“Uh.” Emily stammered, once again her thoughts going a mile a minute. “Now?”
“We’re alone, it’s the middle of the night, I want you.” His hand slid under her t-shirt and caressed her stomach. “Our parents would love for us to have a baby.”
“You’re gone a lot and you’re in the height of your career. I don’t think it’s a good time.” She turned and looked at him. “Every month we go through this. First we agreed that we’d wait until we were married at least three years and now you’re pushing the issue.”
“Emily, you’re almost 30 and I’m going on 34.” Tony laid back and threw an arm over his face. “How much longer do you want to wait? I’d like to be able to see my kid get married, not put me in a nursing home.”
“Soon.” Emily rolled over on her side and closed her eyes. “Don’t worry, it’ll be soon.”
“How soon?” Tony asked. Emily groaned. “Can we start tonight?” His hand snaked its way under her t-shirt again.
“I wasn’t going to tell you yet, but I’m pregnant.” Tony’s hand quickly moved.
“What?” He sat up in bed and turned on the light. “What do you mean you’re pregnant?” Emily rolled over and looked at him. “You weren’t going to tell me?”
“Not yet. I just found out a month ago.”
“You’re a month pregnant and you didn’t tell me when you found out?” Tony’s aggravation was evident in his voice.
“According to the doctor, I’m nine weeks.” Emily sat up. Tony looked at her shocked. She could tell that he was doing the math in his head.
“Two and a half months and you’re just now fucking telling me we’re having a baby.” He got out of bed and went storming into the front of the coach.
“Mother fucker.” Emily mumbled and got out of bed to follow him. “What the hell is the problem? You’re the one fucking bugging me for the past how many months about having a baby and now that I’m pregnant, you’re pissed off?”
“Because you waited until now to tell me.” He sat down on the couch and rubbed his eyes. “When did you get pregnant?” Emily leaned against the counter and closed her eyes trying to think. “Emily?”
“Daytona.” She said quickly. It was the only time in February that she could recall them even having sex and it had been after he won the Busch race. Most of the month he had been in North Carolina and she had been at their home in Indiana.
“When did you stop taking the pill?” he asked looking at her. Emily stared at him. “You said you weren’t going to stop until we decided it was the right time.”
“I, uh…didn’t stop taking it until I found out. I missed a period and took a test. When it came back positive, I went to the doctor who confirmed it.” She stumbled. It was the truth; she took the pill religiously every morning when she brushed her teeth.
“When are you due?”
“November 11.”
“That’s still during the race season!”
“Well I’m sorry that I didn’t plan this to fit your racing schedule.” She took a glass from the shelf and poured herself a glass of milk. “I’ll try and keep my legs crossed until after Homestead.” She drank the milk quickly and then poured another glass. “This is exactly why I said I wanted to wait. All you think about is what race you’re doing next. Whether it’s a Busch race, the cup race or racing at Eldora. You’re never home. And you’re going to start racing the truck for Kevin soon, so then what? That’s three to four races a weekend. You’re hardly ever in Indiana, so why we moved back there I have no idea. We were fine in North Carolina.”
“I wanted to be closer to my family and your family is in Michigan, so you’re closer to them too.”
“That’s great if you even saw your family, Tony. When was the last time you saw your niece? I just saw her the other day.”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged.
“That’s right, you don’t know. If I remember, it was Easter when we went to dinner with your parents.” She put her glass in the sink and then went to sit in the recliner at the front of the coach. “This is why I didn’t tell you.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want to have the baby?” Tony asked.
“I’m having the baby either way. There’s no going back.” She pulled her legs up to her chest and looked at him. “You’re just going to have to do something. Start coming home more. Be a family for crying out loud. Half the time I feel like I’m single and just watching your house for you.”
“We talk all the time.”
“Great, talking is awesome.” She sighed. “I’m going to bed. I’m tired.”
“You don’t have to be such a smart ass, Emily. I know I’m not around a lot. But you knew that too when we got married.” Emily stopped and turned around to look at him.
“And things have changed…a lot.” She left it at that and went back to the bedroom and got in bed. She was sound asleep when Tony finally got in bed next to her. |