Shelby Manning (
shelbycobra) wrote in
nexus_crossings2022-08-03 05:19 am
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In which Shelby brings an unexpected guest.
It had been a while since Shelby had visited the Nexus, and in that time, many things had changed. She had made the decision to stay at Team Penske despite getting a very good offer from Chip Ganassi Racing, unable to walk away from the teammates and crew members that she considered family after they had supported her through the majority of her career. She had reunited with her strategist Shane Worthington, and the two of them had made a pact that they were going to make her giving up her dream job worth it. Unfortunately the 2022 season had not yielded the success that they wanted.
While Shelby had won a race, her other teammates had won more. And though she was leading the championship standings by virtue of consistently finishing in the Top 5, that still felt disappointing when she'd had years where she had won three or four events and dominated. There were only four races left in the season and she felt like she hadn't reached her full potential. She was also adjusting to changes off-track with rumors about where she might be driving in 2023 and having to balance a personal life. After almost a decade of friendship and over a year of circling each other, she and her ex-strategist Peter Fowler had finally entered into a romantic relationship. While Shelby loved Peter deeply, the transition hadn't been easy and she wasn't used to having to think about her home life during the racing season. She also had no idea that he had bought an engagement ring in Toronto.
Add all that up and she wasn't surprised the Nexus thought she needed a getaway once they had finished the Indianapolis race and things had relatively settled back to normal. What did surprise her was that Peter had gone through the door with her. That had never happened before, but one second they'd been headed for the garage to try and distract themselves by working on her Cobra, and now here they were. Peter was the most down to earth person she knew, so Shelby's first reaction was to turn around and see exactly how perplexed he was. He was just staring at her like he thought she was going to say something, and so she just grabbed him by the waist to get his 6'2" self out of the way.
"Okay, how does anybody else feel about surprises?" she quipped, wondering who was around right now and what they were going to say when she introduced them to her boyfriend.
While Shelby had won a race, her other teammates had won more. And though she was leading the championship standings by virtue of consistently finishing in the Top 5, that still felt disappointing when she'd had years where she had won three or four events and dominated. There were only four races left in the season and she felt like she hadn't reached her full potential. She was also adjusting to changes off-track with rumors about where she might be driving in 2023 and having to balance a personal life. After almost a decade of friendship and over a year of circling each other, she and her ex-strategist Peter Fowler had finally entered into a romantic relationship. While Shelby loved Peter deeply, the transition hadn't been easy and she wasn't used to having to think about her home life during the racing season. She also had no idea that he had bought an engagement ring in Toronto.
Add all that up and she wasn't surprised the Nexus thought she needed a getaway once they had finished the Indianapolis race and things had relatively settled back to normal. What did surprise her was that Peter had gone through the door with her. That had never happened before, but one second they'd been headed for the garage to try and distract themselves by working on her Cobra, and now here they were. Peter was the most down to earth person she knew, so Shelby's first reaction was to turn around and see exactly how perplexed he was. He was just staring at her like he thought she was going to say something, and so she just grabbed him by the waist to get his 6'2" self out of the way.
"Okay, how does anybody else feel about surprises?" she quipped, wondering who was around right now and what they were going to say when she introduced them to her boyfriend.
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She knows what she does isn't going to change the world overall, but she strives to change her world for the better. Whether it's volunteering with IndyCar charities or giving advice and help to some of the younger drivers. She takes her job with a very high degree of personal responsibility.
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"And what about yourself?" he asks, smoothly redirecting the questions back to her with the ease of someone who's handled diplomatic functions for decades. "What's your calling in life?"
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A nod back toward her boyfriend, who has the better part of a foot of height on her. "Peter is the strategist for my teammate's No. 3 car. He calls the races, so I guess you could call him the captain of his team, in a sense." She worked with a different strategist who was much more difficult, but that was a whole other long story. "What we do probably isn't as cool as a starship, though," she adds with a laugh.
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"Well, that explains why walls might be an unwelcome surprise," he says with mild amusement. "The way I see it, 'coolness' isn't really the best thing to base your career on. You find something you enjoy doing, or that you find value in doing for others."
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"It's actually about a decade." Leave it to Peter Fowler to know the specific time stamp given that it's his job to know every fact and figure. "I remember thinking your father might shoot me. Working with your driver's father is a particularly uncomfortable situation." Even though Shelby's dad had always liked him, that didn't take away the intimidation factor. "But I imagine you form similarly close bonds on a ship's crew, right?" he added. "Spending that much time in a relatively close space."
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It's sad to think that he missed out on the rest of their lives, but there's little he can do about that. At least he hasn't missed out on one particular life, a small miracle of the Nexus of his very own.
"My husband was my first officer," he adds, raising his eyebrows knowingly. "Even before we were involved, he was one of my best friends."
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"You never lost me." He shook his head. "We might have been apart, but there was never anybody else."
She'll have to ask him about that later. "We've been through a lot," she says by way of explanation. "But I feel like that all has strengthened our relationship now as we've sort of re-learned each other. To have so many shared experiences. Does that hold true for you? That it's just easier to understand when the person you're talking to has been on the same journey you have?"
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"I'm grateful we have few of those in our lives now, of course." His smile broadens slightly.
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"How long were you serving?" she asks. "I started my career when I was ten, but my line of work is definitely not typical!"
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"I didn't start until after college," Peter chimes in with a shrug. "But it's also not nearly as competitive to get my job as it is yours."
"You can also do your job way after 40." Shelby points out. "The downside of starting young is it's also a young man or woman's game," she adds by way of explanation. "Not that we have to quit. I have friends in their early 40s who are still racing. But there is always a new crop of teenagers or twentysomethings waiting to take our seats. Is there that same kind of turnover in your line of work?"
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Kirk makes a thoughtful sound as he considers how to answer, a smile tugging at his lips. Her curiosity is open and honestly refreshing in a lot of ways, yet she's still willing to balance her questions with his own. Were she not a racing driver, she might try her hand at diplomacy, he thinks.
"Of a sort," he agrees. "Promotions shake up the fleet periodically. Captains give up their ships to be admirals, and everyone moves up the ladder, making room for Academy graduates and training cadets. Experienced personnel can move to new ships, or even get a command of their own. My helmsman of many years made captain when he left the Enterprise," he adds, unmistakable pride in his voice. "Captain Hikaru Sulu of Excelsior, top of her line for her time." He gives her a small smile, raising his eyebrows. "I did a stint as admiral myself, but it didn't stick."
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She shoves her hands in her pockets. "My role model when I was younger, she started as a driver and then moved up to owning her own race team. I was lucky enough to drive for her for a little while. But I don't think I'd want to follow her career path. I don't want to be mired down in all the business decisions that come with ownership. I want to stay involved in the actual racing. If someone offers me the opportunity, that is. Nothing is guaranteed."
A small smile. "I wouldn't give it up for the world, though. Or the multiverse. I'm sure you feel the same about your career."
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A faint smile lingers on his lips as he looks at her, considering, lightly tapping his fingers against the cover of his book. "My advice is to cherish it while you can. And find other things you love to do that can fill the gap once it's gone. A love of books," he adds, thumping the novel in his hand a little more solidly in demonstration, "or riding horses, something that can keep you busy. Remembering the good old days is important, but so is moving forward. It's easier to start now, instead of waiting until you don't know what to do with yourself anymore."
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A small chuckle as she nudges her boyfriend. "He can keep doing what he does until he's retirement-aged. There's no age limit on being the smart guy in the room."
That got a laugh out of him. "One of," he corrects. "I'm pretty sure at least Tim is smarter than me. But he has a point, we should start thinking more about our future. We're both in our mid-30s now."
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"Of course, you have a long way to go yet," he adds with a smile. "But you won't regret laying that groundwork now."