Serendipitous Love - Oscar Piastri

𝙸𝙸𝙸

Aʙɪᴇɴᴄᴇ. 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝓊𝓇𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝒶𝓋𝑜𝒾𝒹 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔

☆

𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐲'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

If anything, I loved kids. I grew up an only child until my sister was born in 2016, a 15-year difference from me and what my mom called: 'A do-over on being a mom'. She had me at 18 years old and always claimed my birth ruined her life; having Lily at 33 was life-changing for her. She never neglected me or abused me; she did her motherly duties perfectly, still making sure I had everything a kid needed. But other than that, my Dad was the one to make sure I had a good childhood. They divorced two years after Lily's birth, and he moved to Cambridge. By then, the relationship with my Mom was as good as non-existent.

As much as I resented my mother, I loved my baby sister. But I needed to escape from my mother and the toxic environment hanging around her. So, as soon as my internship was coming up in 2021, I chose one at the Silverstone Circuit and Museum, 82 miles away from London, as an event management intern; this entirety was my first encounter with anything Motorsport-related.

The first time I met Lewis Hamilton was when he arrived three hours early at a pre-seasonal event organized for the Mercedes F1 Team. He made it a point to introduce himself to the three interns and get to know them, too.  

The second time was when my car broke down only a couple of miles away from the circuit. He stopped because he recognized me and offered me a ride to the circuit after he waited with me for the tow truck to arrive. In all honesty, he was the kindest soul around the circuit while I worked my ass off during the nine months I worked there.

Next to motorsport-related events at the circuit, I also helped with corporate festivals, business dinners, and exhibitions within the Silverstone Museum. It was Lewis who noticed my biggest interest wasn't directly within the motorsports or the circuit; it was within helping the littlest guests have the best day of their life when they visited the museum.

Thanks to Lewis and the many conversations we had when he was in Brackley or at the circuit, I landed the babysitting job with his half-sister. It was back in London, but at least I could work at a small event company three days a week, babysit his niece once a week, and earn enough money to get out of the house soon.

"Hi, Cassidy," Nicola opened the door and immediately let me into their apartment. Babysitting her kids, Lewis' niece, was the only time I'd be in downtown London. "Willow is in the living room. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Some tea is perfect," I retorted but followed Nicola towards the kitchen.

"I should've called you for this, and I am sorry I didn't," Nicola said as she turned to me. "I have my friend's kid Bella here too. She's 18 months, but I promise she won't be any trouble."

"That's absolutely no problem, Nic. Is Kaiden here too?"

"No, it's just Willow and Bella."

"Cassie!" Willow ran into the kitchen, and I immediately squatted down to hug the seven-year-old. "Come! I am dancing, and I need to show you this dance."

I chuckled and nodded, "Alrighty, kiddo, lead the way."

Nicola followed us, too, and in the living room, I saw the two-year-old sitting and playing with blocks in front of her. I turned around and smiled at Nicola, "Go get ready; I am sure I can handle these two."

"Thank you, Cassidy."

I had given the kids dinner and put on a movie for Willow to watch as I brought Bella upstairs. All afternoon, the neighbors had made loud– remodeling-like– noises, and as 7:00 PM was nearing, I hoped they would finally stop.

Bella was stirring in my arms as I was carrying her to the guestroom; Nicola had put up a bed for the kid, but as soon as I laid her down, the noises began again, and Bella started crying.

I sighed and softly rubbed Bella's belly as I tried whispering a sleeping song, one that my mother used to sing for me, too. But the crying did not stop, and after trying for ten minutes, I gave up.

With a smooth scoop, I carried Bella out of the little bed and walked back to the living room. Willow sat silently on the couch, her eyes fixated on the television playing The Lion King. She looked up at the soft cries Bella made and gave me a smile.

"Doesn't she want to sleep?"

"No, I think it's the noise from the neighbors. I am going to knock on their door to ask them to stop, alright? Just stay here and watch the movie; I will be right back."

"Of course," She replied. "I think they are new. Mom said something about people moving in since yesterday."

I nodded and readjusted the way I held Bella, "I am right back."

People must be crazy to think you can still be remodeling in the evening. I knew that per law, he was allowed to be busy until 11 PM, but I can't have Bella be up until then.

Just as I was about to knock, another drill of noise ran through the walls and door, giving me the confirmation I had the right neighbors now, and I knocked– rather loudly to make sure it was heard– on the door.

Bella's soft cries started again, and I tried softly to rock her in an attempt to quieten her down, as the noise on the other side of the door did not stop. Were they seriously going to ignore me?

I held my fist out to knock again when I heard the click of the door, and within a second, the door opened. And all the words I was about to say, the scolding I had mentally prepared myself to give, immediately disappeared when I looked into the brown eyes I had seen before– how could I forget the calm in the panic?