A few weeks ago I was texting back and forth with BD. I know, I know, you are all asking yourselves "Why, oh why would you be talking to him?" I don't have an answer for that question, but through a few texts back and forth he told me he was going to the Daytona 500. This news sent me into a bit of unreasonable anger...
A little history is necessary at this point, in hopes of making myself not look so crazy. When I moved to Dallas I was seeing a guy, we dated for about 8 or so months, and towards the end of our relationship he went to the Daytona 500...and didn't take me with him. I was hurt by this because I just want to be included in things with the guys I date, and for the past few years, I seem to find the ones that don't really want me around all the time. So, I was hurt that I missed out on such a fun opportunity, as the Daytona 500 is really the only NASCAR race I have wanted to attend.
So, when BD told me he was going to this race I so badly wanted to go to, I was reminded of the hurt I felt 2 years ago, and was also reminded that BD was another guy I dated for an extended period of time who usually excluded me from things. Well, I was talking to my good friend Theo about all of these feelings, and he graciously suggested that we go. He made the whole trip possible for me, and I will forever be indebted to him for making one of my dreams come true.
I flew to Miami on Friday afternoon and spent the night in South Beach at Theo's amazing home. We spent part of the day on Saturday at the pool and part of the day on the beach. Then on Saturday night we drove up to Melbourne, FL to spend the night. Sunday afternoon we got up and drove into Daytona...without tickets to the race. I was freaking out a little bit...Ok, a lot because I really wanted to get into the race and had never bought tickets from a scalper before. Theo tried reassuring me that we would get tickets, but I wouldn't stop bitching about not having them. So...we finally stopped to talk to a guy on the street with tickets and thanks to Theo's amazing negotiating skills, we ended up paying $50 for $185 seats. And they were GOOD seats! We were right on turn 4 at the very top...a few seats down from Kurt Busch's spotter. How fun is that??
So, we get in our seats and the race begins. I have only been to IndyCar races before, so I was very excited to be at my first NASCAR race. The people, the noises, the whole atmosphere of racing is so much fun!
About an hour into the race I get a text from BD. Yes, that's right, he contacted me first. I hadn't told him I was going, but he found out from a mutal friend of ours. So, we texted back and forth a couple of times, and he tells me that his phone is dying but to let him know if I wanted to say "hi". We were sitting just a couple of sections away from each other. So, then I get a text from a strange number saying that BD's phone died, but to text that number. So, I decided to see him and asked him to come down and meet me. He did. And the whole exchange was just awkward. We talked a bit about his "move" to New York and about the race. And then I wanted to get back to the race, so I said good bye, hugged him, and walked away. As I walked away I got an overwhelming feeling that I will never see that man again...ever. The chances of our paths crossing again in the future is very slim...and I think I'm ok with that. Who'd have thought that I would have gotten closure at a NASCAR race??
So, I return to my seat, just after a big wreck...I was upset that I missed it, because minutes later the clouds rolled in and it started raining. They red flagged the race so we went underneath the stands to stay dry and wait for the verdict. Soon after, they called the race. Theo and I headed back to the car, where I proceeded to complain and bitch about us going the wrong way. I was cold and wet, and just wanted to be warm and dry again. We made it back to the car, following Theo's direction (which, by the way, was the correct direction-that's right, I can admit when I'm wrong). We settled into the car for the drive back to Miami. We had a great parking spot, so didn't have to sit in traffic for very long at all. All in all it was a GREAT trip. I hope that some day I can repay Theo for the kindness and generousity he showed to me.
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