About two hours before Christabel Bloom stood close to her competitors, started a race and fainted, Nicholas Wild was walking round the empty track as he thought of his future in athletics and what he had to do to regain his name which was already diminishing.
He counted the number of white lines on the track before admitting he was a fool to start two seconds late in the race that had made him become a laughing stock and an object of ridicule in the national championship.
Moving away from the white lines he had been counting quietly, he came in contact with one of the organizers who was a female dressed in a green flowing gown. He had known her for several years. Since the start of his sprinting career, she had been there from the onset to see him through the obstacles he had faced, not as his personal coach but as a judge in the organizing team.
"You are here again," the woman who was popularly called 'Pam' said.
Nicholas eyed her as he tried to look away from her almost perfectly curved boobs that she was visibly showing in order to get his attention or some other men attention.
"Why are you here?" Pam continued with her awkward smiling.
"I came to see how things are going on here. It has been a while since I visited the track. It has been a while since I smelt the familiar air of my origin," Nicholas replied.
"What is familiar about this place?" Pam kept her cool as she placed her hands above her waist.
"The memories," Nicholas replied. "I don't know if you still remember, but, my career started from this very racing ground. I used to run several laps here before I upgraded and represented the state in national competitions."
"That was then, Nicholas," Pam laughed. "And, you represented this state in just one national competition not several competitions. So, be clear with your stats. It is sad you are back here to see the changes. Now, things are quite different from what you were used to while growing up. When you were younger, whether you were good enough or nowhere to be found, your father's wealth always placed you in favorable places that people who really deserved it could not attain. Everyone in this town knows who your father is and what he is capable of doing especially to those who choose to stubbornly go against his wishes. I am glad this society is beginning to embrace wisdom."
"What are you talking about?" Nicholas asked, bewildered.
"Don't you remember, Nick?" Pam was persistent in bringing the worse out of him at the moment. "Don't you remember how often you were given a clear pass when everyone in the organizing team knew you didn't deserve it?"
Nicholas stepped back from Pam as he threw his face away from the woman he had knew for almost a decade now. "If you want to insult my father, I advice you tell him straight at his face rather than talking shit about him to me," he said. "You of all people should be careful with the kind of words you use against my father. He has people in high places that can make life unpleasant for you."
Pam laughed. "No, Nicholas boy! I am not talking shit about your father. I am telling you how far you father was willing to go to make you become a man. I mean, I am a mother too. And, there is absolutely nothing wrong with rubbing a few palms with money when you can't get what you want naturally."
"I am fast!" Nicholas yelled. "I am a sprinter. I was chosen to represent the state in the national championship because the organizers knew I was good enough."
Pam hissed. "If you are so confident of yourself, why don't you proudly tell me your position after the race?"
Nicholas was quiet.
"There were eight sprinters including you," Pam continued. "If you truly deserve your place as you claim you do, I see no reason why you couldn't pass one runner."
"I was tired," Nicholas tried to explain. "I had a bad day. Everything happened so fast and there was nothing I could do about it. When I heard the whistle to run, I was two seconds late before I could swing my legs. I was fucking late. . ."
"Save your strength, Nicholas Wild. Times have changed. I assure you that the time we are in now is different from the time your father controlled the people he wanted to control. It is far different from the time you were used to while growing up. Now, if you want to represent the state in the national championship, you have to earn your place. You have to fucking work hard for it!"
Nicholas was still quiet as Pam kept on pouring her anger on him as she questioned the transparency of the process that declared him the male state championship winner the year before.
"I don't how you father did it," Pam's voice was still slightly raised. "I don't know how he was able to convince a lot of people to allow you win a race when you finished third. Who disqualifies someone for mistakenly coming in contact with a fellow athlete during the race even when the contact was minimal and almost negligible? Honestly, I have no idea the kind of power your father has, Nicholas Wild. But, I assure you, it is going to be tough for you to ever represent the state at any level again. If you want to win a race, win it legally!"
Nicholas' lips were still in place, sealed, and shut tightly as he watched Pam walk away from him to join the rest of the organizing team who were all preparing for the race that would determine the female who is going to book a place in the state championship. He grinded his teeth hard as he remembered the male version was the next day. He was really pissed after what Pam said and he wished he could prove to her that he was far better than she imagined.