Debutant. Chapter 5. Zebra and its parts. Part 2

This novel is fictional; you should not look for intersections with historical events. This is a continuation of “Debutant” by Nikita Savelyev, the first readers of which were readers of F1News.ru…

Chapter 5. Zebra and its parts. Part two

Eyes drooping from lack of sleep, Adam called a break for the final check – tomorrow morning they should report to Edward that the car was perfectly prepared. Henry couldn’t help but feel jealous of Georges: he was now sunbathing in a cozy crib in a local motel room. Honestly, mechanics have a great job: sleepless nights, constant hassle, and incredible responsibility. Your hands are constantly covered in oil and grease up to your elbows, and an invisible stopwatch clicks above your ear. Faster, faster, there is no time at all. Well, where is this good?

Almost with tenderness, Henry recalled the times in Mr. Jenkins’ garage: he and his comrades often took time off from their leisurely work to smoke, have a bite to eat or simply scratch their tongues, washing the bones of colorful customers and the surrounding problems. free saleswomen. But there is no way back. Let it go. The precious magazine pleasantly warms your pocket. It’s time to start a new life and get rid of these artisans as soon as possible – as long as they still fought for victories and didn’t sleep at night, otherwise… ugh.

Henry drew back, so that suddenly a snow-white silhouette floated silently out of the darkness. No less Sandra in her elegant suit. No ghost at all. My nerves have been bad lately. Thanks to Manuel and his colleagues.

– Mrs. Baker, is that you?

Henry automatically started wiping his dirty face with his sleeve. Not only is she a lady, she is also considered a boss.

“I thought you went to bed a long time ago.”

“Edward couldn’t calm down, he wanted so badly to control your work,” Sandra explained. ‘With difficulty I persuaded him to stay in the room – he needed to get some sleep before the important day to-morrow, and I solemnly promised to keep a vigil.

“We’ll just take a break for half an hour… and then again,” Henry unexpectedly justified himself.

“Come on,” Sandra waved it away. – Give me a light? Oh, you don’t smoke.

She deftly took a drag on her cigarette, releasing a stream of smoke. Henry hesitated next to him, and it is difficult to leave, and you don’t know how to continue the conversation.

– Are we getting faster overnight? – asked Sandra.

“Unlikely,” Henry replied cautiously. – The car has a serious lack of speed on the straights.

– I know, but Edward is so hopeful: this is the first race of the season.

“You should have thought earlier,” Henry almost blurted out, but said out loud diplomatically:

– The most important thing is that we got to the start and received prize money from the organizers for participation. The season is long, just think of the first race.

Real. Then the rivals will go even further and modify their cars, and Baker’s design cannot be seriously improved. An old chassis is an old chassis. It seems the unspoken doubts were not lost on Sandra, she glanced sideways at Henry, but ultimately just sighed eloquently.

– Tell me, why escort? – Henry interrupted the long pause. – I found out that when Thomson won they had a BGS engine on their chassis. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was this combination that helped them.

– Escort’s offer was too favorable and cheaper. Plus, Edward’s old colleague and brother-in-arms works there.

– Co-worker? – Genie widened his eyes. – Mr. Baker fought?!

-What bothers you so much? – Sandra shrugged. – He fought like most British people his age. By the way, in the ranks of the Marine Corps. Edward was at Dunkirk, took part in the Battle of Dieppe and landed in Normandy. He was injured and has awards. And after the war he went into business. Besides, he made a little capital with his own wits.

“Great,” Henry shook his head.

– Did you think he was just a crazy motorsport enthusiast? – Sandra asked bitterly.

– Nothing like that…

– Never mind, Henry, you often see contempt in your eyes when Edward starts talking about possible successes. Yes, we fail at many things. Yes, now it is a bit difficult for those who do not build the car themselves. But without passion you can’t achieve anything in racing. You have to believe, but you don’t believe. That is noticeable. But you keep talking about prize money. It’s not about them.

The inflamed Sandra is beautiful: burning eyes, tousled hair, righteous indignation. I thought this was a reasonable person, but no, everything around me was like being in an insane asylum.

Henry remained silent and Sandra ended more quietly:

– I took a closer look at you, I thought it was that you were an American, a different psychology, a pragmatic nation. On the other hand we have the Yankees, they are also real sports fanatics. You are absolutely nothing like them.

“I’ve often said, I’m a racer,” Henry was injured.

“Apparently made of a different material,” Sandra grinned. – In our sport, money is not the most important thing. I see your reluctance to pick up tools, and even the most advanced mechanic literally has to live for racing.

“It’s difficult to get used to the new work rhythm so quickly because of my living conditions,” Henry muttered.

“Apologies,” Sandra snapped. – And your circumstances are generally shrouded in mist. Are you a racer, Henry?

-Who else? You saw my car club ID.

“It’s not about him,” Sandra waved her hand. “I don’t think we’re on the same path.” Demand payment from Edward, we will part ways after the finish. He has a soft heart, he himself will never offer to leave. Do not torture yourself or others. Racing isn’t your thing.

With these words Sandra turned and walked away. Henry scratched the back of his head thoughtfully and stared after him admiringly. And Edward was lucky. Who would have thought that this comedy bubble had such a glorious past? And what is Sandra! She was the only one of all the men who noticed his attitude to what was happening in the team. But in fact, it’s stupid to participate for the sake of participating. Henry himself may have started his career from the back, but he expected to rise to the top. It’s a pity that the flight was mercilessly cut short at the start. I don’t care about these bad breeds! It didn’t work out and it didn’t work out, how much can you earn here?! And there are so many possibilities in the world. The main thing is not to overlook them.

== To be continued…