Asher ✓

57 | absence

JUNE 16, 2020 / GOOD SPORT RADIO NEW YORK BUILDING

"That Kevin Priest is a right douche bag," the radio host, Isaac Deng, quipped.

"Who's Kevin Priest?" Asher replied, swivelling back and forth in his backless, curved red seat.

The skyscrapers of New York soared outside the glass windows of the radio building, where Asher was sitting in a minimal, air-conditioned room.

Tallulah had secured him yet another press appearance, which would help in bringing attention to Delrov Tech, and subsequently the children in need. The Good Sport Radio interview was the latest in a growing list of magazine, website and talk show appearances that Asher was reluctantly, but dutifully, making.

He always felt slow and awkward in live situations like this, but Tallulah said his Russian accent was hot — and half of the charm. The other half of Asher's charm, apparently, was his story. That left very little room for his complete, utter lack of a voice for radio, face for livestream, or charisma for interview, to screw things up.

"The new commentator for the AMA Series. Dumped like fresh diapers, a coyote on coffee and what was it? The Boy—"

"The Boy Who Cut the Brakes! Oh my God, I've never known his name until now," Asher exclaimed, recounting all the colourful language the obnoxious Kevin Priest seemed to craft specifically to throw Asher off his game. "He is easily the worst announcer I've ever heard."

"I'm glad you think so! I watched the Detillo Arena race and half the words that came out of his mouth weren't even MX-related. Frustrating, I tell you."

"Sure," Asher laughed. "You know how they say time drags if you're not having fun? I think I ought to thank Priest for slowing down time, and letting me get ahead of the competition."

Isaac guffawed at that, his brown eyes crinkling with genuine amusement. "Hear that, Kevin? When Asher wins the AMA Series, we'll have you to thank."

"Oh, I don't know about winning—"

"Do you prefer red or white wine, Kev? We'll send you a gift basket," Isaac continued, his exuberant personality shining through the radios of Americans all across the country.

Asher really hoped to God that Kevin Priest wasn't a fan of radio, and nor would he stumble upon the recorded livestream of his and Isaac's conversation on Facebook or Instagram, to where a mobile webcam was delivering the feed at this very moment.

He imagined that Priest's vocabulary would become a whole other sort of colourful at the next AMA heat, and Asher wasn't sure if his ears or nerves were equipped for that barrage.

"But on a serious note," Isaac said. "You made it to the tenth AMA heat when you were only nineteen, back in 2015. And the year before that, you placed first in the Gravity Gauntlet competition, which was more stunts-based. How are you finding this Series?"

"This Series is challenging in a lot of ways. Obviously, I'm less fit than I was as a teenager, which is hard to deal with when I want to push harder, and my brain knows how to do exactly what I want, too. It just, I guess, doesn't translate to my body sometimes."

"Now is that a rusty thing or a, pardon my candour, amputee thing?"

"Probably a rusty thing. Although, I read this interesting paper about the effect of amputation on the endocrine system—"