Catch Can Man

J.D. laughed, and said, "Not a problem. You can come with me, and I'll change at the track. I have a clean uniform in my locker in the hauler. We'll just take my motorcycle and be there in no time."

Allison looked at him questioningly. "If I ride there with you, everyone's going to know that you and I are going out together. I thought you wanted to keep that quiet around work?"

J.D. looked her in the eye, and answered, "It's time they knew. I'm getting tired of watching the guys hitting on you." He laughed. "Once they know you're my girl that will come to an end, I hope."

"Aw, I'm going to miss the attention." She looked coyly at him briefly, and then laughed with him.

"You get plenty of attention. You're probably in the erotic dreams of half of the men watching NASCAR. You're The Racing Channel's hottest on-air personality." He took her in his arms, and kissed her. "It will be a good idea to let the guys around the track know that you're my personal erotic dream."

They left her apartment together, and soon pulled out of the parking lot on his motorcycle. Allison was holding onto him tightly, her head nestled into the back of his shoulder.

Chapter 5

They had entered the track infield through the tunnel, and rode directly to the trailer that housed the trackside studios of The Racing Channel. J.D. pulled up to a stop beside the entrance stairway, dismounted the bike and helped Allison off. She removed the helmet, and said, "I think they'll need to redo my hair, for sure." She laughed, and then tried to fluff it up with her fingers.

"You'll look as beautiful as ever, I'm sure." J.D. put an arm around her, and pulled her close for a tender kiss. As they parted, Allison's cameraman and one of the drivers emerged from the trailer. The conversation they had been having ended when they saw Allison and J.D. breaking their kiss. Nothing was said, but J.D. noticed the knowing smiles that came their way. He knew it would be around the entire garage before he even got changed into his uniform. Who said men don't gossip.

Allison squeezed J.D.'s hand, and said, "I have to get in there and get ready. They'll have a script for me to go over, and a list of interview subjects they will want me to prepare for. I'll see you later."

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It was just after 12 noon, and a dozen cars were screaming around the track, getting in their last hour of practice before qualifying. Allison had just conducted an interview with the driver and crew chief of a car considered to be among the favorites in the race the next day. It had gone well until the driver, always known to be a joker, asked her if he would need J.D.'s permission to talk to her. It had flustered Allison for a few moments, one of the first times that had ever happened to her on-air. When the interview ended, she had playfully punched him in the shoulder, and asked him not to give her a rough time like that.

She had just turned to walk away from the men she had interviewed when someone touched her on the arm, and said, "Excuse me. You're Allison Brewer, aren't you?" Allison turned, and saw that the woman seeking her attention was Robin Meadows, J.D.'s former girlfriend.

Allison was a pretty good judge of character, and a quick glance at Robin's face convinced her that the woman meant her no harm. "Yes, I'm Allison."

"I'm Robin Meadows. I was John's, I mean J.D.'s, girlfriend in Indianapolis. I hope you don't mind me talking to you. I wanted to meet you before I go back to Indianapolis."

Allison was watching her closely, and could see that Robin's eyes were tearing up. "No, I don't mind. I've got a couple of minutes before my next interview." Allison looked over at her cameraman, got his attention, and said, "I'll meet you over at the hauler for the number six car. I have an interview set up with the crew chief in about 15 minutes."

When the cameraman left, Allison turned back to face Robin, and said, "We shouldn't have any interruptions now. What would you like?"

"I don't know what he told you about me, but he did say he was going to talk to you about our relationship." She attempted to smile, but it didn't quite succeed. "I guess I should say our former relationship."

Allison could see that it was difficult for Robin to speak, so she took over the conversation. "He's told me all about how you met, how you were living together in Indianapolis, and about your friend Frank. He said the two of you had a good long talk at supper last night. He came over last night and told me about it." Allison's competitive nature almost had her let it slip that J.D. had spent the night at her place, but she held that back. It was obvious Robin was hurting enough already.

Robin looked down, appearing to be on the verge of tears for a moment, before straightening her posture and lifting her head, once more in control. "I really screwed up. John and I were doing so well before that damned Frank showed up. I wasn't strong enough to keep him from messing with my mind, and it cost me everything that John and I had together."

Allison was beginning to feel a bit of sympathy for Robin. "I'm sorry, Robin. I can see you're upset. I don't really know what I can do for you, though."

Robin took a deep breath before speaking. "I know it's over for him and I. Last night was like the end of the world for me. I had really hoped to come here and somehow we would get back together. He showed me that wasn't going to be possible, and I accept that now." She looked directly at Allison before she continued. "I wanted to meet you, because he spoke so lovingly of you last night. That was when I knew that we were truly finished. He never told me that he loved you, but I could see it in his face, especially in his eyes when he spoke about you."

She had Allison's interest now. "So what are you trying to say exactly?"

Before she spoke again, Robin took Allison's arm gently in her hand. "John... J.D. I mean, is in love with you. After what I've done to him, I want to be sure that you aren't going to hurt him too. He deserves better than what I gave him." She stood there watching Allison, trying to get her measure; attempting to read her mind.

Allison was at first unsure of how she should answer Robin, and finally told her the truth. "I've been in love with him for a while now, but it wasn't until last night that I finally felt he may be feeling the same way about me. There was something different about him when he came over after speaking with you. He said something about how much better he felt having cleared the air with you." Allison put her hand over Robin's before she continued.

"I guess I really should be thanking you for coming here. J.D. has been carrying so much emotional baggage around with him that needed to be cleared up. You gave him the opportunity to do that, and I think he may have begun seeing me clearly now. You can be sure that I have no intention of hurting him. If we don't end up together, it will be because it just wasn't meant to be."

Robin smiled now. She squeezed Allison's hand, before letting it go. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm heading back to Indianapolis now, and I'm going to do what John told me to do. I'm going to get on with my life, and try to be happy." Robin turned and started walking away, in the direction of the exit.

When Robin had reached a point about 10 feet away, Allison called after her, "Goodbye, and good luck, Robin."

Robin never turned, and didn't return the salutation, and Allison wondered if her tears had finally broken through. She continued to watch as Robin walked away, finally losing her in the crowd. A few seconds later Allison turned, and started heading for her next interview, a confident smile on her face.

The End.

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