back on track

56. the one with the story of my life

"Fine, what do you wanna know?"

"Everything" all three of them said in unison.

"Sure" I laughed. "So you know how I met Mick, so after that I stayed in touch with them, well my uncle stayed in touch with them. We met many times again in Europe that year and the year after, when we raced against each other multiple times. I was having a bit hard time with everything: traveling and school and all that and I think it was your dad" I looked at Mick because I was not sure about this part. "Who suggested that I would start to do some of my school in Switzerland with Mick"

"Yeah my dad talked about it with my mum and then your uncle, who I hope talked to your parents, and they all agreed that you were too good to waste your talent, so yeah I think it was my dad in first place" Mick nodded and I shook my head. It still felt unreal that one of the greatest drivers of all time thought that I was that good.

"So when you told us that you were racing just for fun it was a lie?" Carlos asked. Everyone on the couch was more or less shocked by the story and I had barely even began.

"Yeah you could say that" I nodded little embarrassed and Mick laughed next to me. "Anyways so I started to spend more and more time with Mick's family and started racing more in Europe. We joined the same team and competed against each other most of the time. My uncle traveled  with me most of the time and the reason you probably don't know me is, because young me decided that she wanted to race with his last name, don't ask me why, but I think it had a lot to do with the fact that my parents weren't that into me racing and were happy to let him handle everything, spending all of their time helping my brother with his career and dreams. So I was a bit upset with them." 

"But if you've been racing with Mick all the time how he doesn't know who you are?" Emma asked pointing Lando. "Aren't you guys the same age and all that?" she added.

"Yeah, but we raced in different categories for most of the time. I've raced him when I was younger but coming to the Euros or World championships it was different categories" I explained to the girl who had no idea how these things worked. To be honest neither did I. I knew just and about where I had driven, but why. No idea.

"I'm still so confused that none of us realized that" Lando shook his head.

"Yeah, especially cause she was the one always winning" Mick pointed out and Lando's mouth dropped.

"Okay, maybe it's good that no one knows" he nodded to himself making all of us laugh. I continued my story telling them about years leading up to 2014 which turned out to be the last year of racing for me. There had been a lot of changes in those years, of course everything happening in Schumacher family and growing older in general. I told them about getting know to Anthoine that we had discussed a bit earlier in Netherlands but I told them little more detailed version of that too. All that was left in my rather quick recap of my career was the last year, not my favorite.

"So 2014" I sighed. "It started great you remember" I looked at Mick.

"Yeah you were a pain in my ass" he pointed out making me grin. I really had been. Going into the season I wasn't really thought as one of the candidates for any of the championships but I had proven them wrong.

"Yeah I guess I was. It was the year I spent battling with you and Max" I laughed to the memories.

"Oh come on you were going to win the championship, probably both of them" Mick looked at me more serious. I didn't like talking about those things, not my success and not those what if's. There was no value in those anymore.

"Well I didn't" I said blankly. "But yeah, I was stupid enough to enter the France national karting series for couple races too, that's where I met Arthur. I had a huge crush on him back then but it ended up in a crash. It wasn't even that bad, I just rolled around, and I don't remember anything else but the crack I heard from my back and then it went all black." I shrugged. "Obviously couldn't compete rest of the races and was count out of the championship battle" I stated. Nothing really that I could do. "It was pretty hard back then, waking up in the hospital and realizing that I wouldn't probably race ever again" A sad smile played on my lips. "Of course that wasn't true after all, I recovered way better than we had thought and I was back on training in little more than a year. Nothing massive but soon enough I was back in shape that I could've jumped in a kart or car or anything that went fast on a track."