The Limit (Sebastian Vettel)

103. Cruel To Be Kind

Seb zipped his suitcase up and gave a loud sigh.   It was Monday morning, and in just a matter of hours he and Lily would be flying home to Switzerland.  

Before that though he knew he had to have the talk with her.    He couldn't put it off any longer.  He knew there was a very high chance that she wouldn't be speaking to him once he'd said what he had to say.  Maybe she could think everything through on the flight home.

He didn't want to say it. He was only going to say it because he loved her and he believed in her.  He wanted the best for her, which didn't include being replace by Stoffel bloody Vandoorne.  He knew Lawrence had been serious about that.  The Canadian never bluffed.  

He glanced across the room to where Lily was sat gazing out of the window at Albert Park in the distance.   All the stands were being taken down now, all the fans had gone home.  That was it for another year. 

He thought to himself how pretty she looked in her blue skinny jeans and white off the shoulder, gypsy style top.   She'd tied half her hair up and left the other half down. She looked a lot younger than her twenty nine years. 

"Baby, can we talk?" he asked nervously.   He was terrified he was going to lose her, but things had to be said, and he knew he had to be the one to say them.  He was the only one that she might actually listen to. 

She turned her head and looked at him and he almost chickened out.  She looked so vulnerable, and he was about to put even more pressure on her. 

"What about?" she asked.  Seb sat down on the bed and patted the mattress next to him. Lily stood up and walked over to sit next to him. 

"Look, I told Lawrence I'd have a word," he said softly, reaching out and taking her hand. 

"About?"

"He's not happy Lily.  He thinks you should be challenging for wins."   He saw her whole body tense up.  

"Like his poxy son does?" she replied, bunching her free hand into a fist. 

"Lily, Lance is a second driver. Oh I know they'd never say that but it's the truth.  You're their big hope, the one they know can bring them wins and championships."

"And Lawrence is too much of a pussy to talk to me himself?"  Seb shook his head.

"No Lily, it's not like that.  We both thought this would be better coming from me."

"Really?  Because it seems to me like he just wants shot of me and has sent you to do his dirty work."

Lily pulled her hand out of his and Seb knew that this was not going to go well.  Still, he'd started now. He had to finish.

Lily looked away from him, concentrating on a small black mark on the wall so she didn't start to cry.  She'd had a bad feeling the team would eventually lose patience with her, but she hadn't expected it to be this soon.   There had only been three races.

"Lawrence thinks that maybe you need to take the rest of the season off and concentrate on getting your head straight." 

She knew it! They wanted rid of her.  They wanted someone unbroken, someone that didn't cause a media frenzy wherever they went.

"And you?  What do you think?"   She held her breath as she waited for Seb to speak.  Did he think she was broken and beyond repair? Was he going to take his seat back?

"I got Lawrence to agree to give you two more races, but if you don't improve then he's going to put Stoffel in."  

"Stoffel? They think he'll do better?" Lily laughed wryly.  "I'm surprised, I thought they'd have wanted you back.  I guess I should thank you for getting me a stay of execution.  You never answered my damn question though.  I asked you what you think. Do you think I should take time out?   Did you have a nice discussion with Lawrence about how to get me out?"