Chapter 23: Good news!
Almost a month had passed since that day and Jayden was now 10 years old. His birthday was celebrated at home and beside his family, only Simon came over. Jayden had spent most of this month looking up information about karts. Everything from how the amount of power the engine provided to the type of suspension used. Furthermore, he looked up every track that would usually feature during the karting season. Watching videos of these tracks over and over again he could now almost dream their layout. He did all this in preparation for the upcoming karting season. There was only one problem.
Jan Lammers had never contacted his uncle! No phone calls from him or his sponsors. Not even a text to inform them of his progress. This was highly frustrating for both Jayden and his uncle. Uncle Anthony had spent a lot of time creating a video of excellent quality showcasing Jaydens driving and his progress through that day also adding comments from Jan praising Jayden's talent and his potential as a racing driver. There were only 6 weeks left before the season would start and if Jayden could not drive this season he would have to wait until next year. He would have lost so much time racing compared to other children his age by then that it would be exceedingly hard to catch up to experience they would have gained. Anthony was now looking for sponsors by himself as he had already given up hope that Jan or his sponsor would contact them.
While Jayden was waiting and hoping for a miracle to happen Lyssa was having a far better time. She had recorded the song her uncle had given to her and it turned out the person who wrote it liked the way her voice and way of singing went with the song. He helped her master the audio making it sound like a professional project. She was even allowed to post it online and this gained her praise from almost anyone who heard it. This boosted her confidence and pushed her one step further on the path to stardom. She was even invited to have talks with the songwriters' company with uncle Anthony acting as her manager for the time being. Eventually, he was only needed as mental support. Lyssa being very strongwilled and straightforward knew exactly what she wanted. A deal was made for her to sing three songs the company provided. She would be paid a small fee and the company would handle promotion and distribution. If this would turn out to be a success they would provide her with better songs and help her further develop as an artist. Uncle Anthony wanted to secure larger payment for her but she did not see this as being important. Not being able to change her mind he tried to convince her mother but had no success there either. Finding that he would not change their minds he conceded and they signed the contract. She was now working on the first song during her time off from school and was loving every second of it.
Jayden was genuinely happy for his sister but could not help feeling some jealousy as well. After the last day on the track, he had believed that his luck had changed but now it looked like nothing had changed. He was about to turn off the computer when his mother ran up the stairs with her cell phone in her hand. She had a look on her face that was alternating between a frown and a smile. "It's your uncle, he has something important to tell you," she said handing him the phone.
Taking the phone from his mother Jaydens heartbeat was slightly rising filled with anxiety.
"Hello uncle, How are you? Mom said you had something to tell me?" He said, his voice slightly trembling.
"I do! I just received a phone call from a major supermarket chain. They told me Jan Lammers informed them that he had met a promising young driver and that it would be in their best interest to meet him! They just asked me if it was possible to meet them tomorrow! I don't care what you have planned but where going. Make sure you dress appropriately because we need to make a good impression! I'll pick you up in the morning so I expect you to be ready by then. Also when we arrive I will be there in the role of your manager, not just your uncle. I will be there trying to get you the best possible deal so leave all the talking to me oke?!" Anthony bombarded Jayden with this information. You could tell he was excited by the tone of his voice which had reached a higher pitch than normal.
The information slowly started to sink in for Jayden. A smile started spreading on his face and his whole body started trembling. For a moment he wasn't able to respond.
His mom took the phone from him and answered" He will be ready for you tomorrow. I hope you're able to get this to work but don't try to force him into doing things that he doesn't want as you did with Lyssa!" She had warned him in advance this time hoping that no issues would arise.
"Don't worry it was just a minor misunderstanding last time. I was just trying to get the best deal possible for Lyssa. What kind of manager would I be if I did not try at least!" He said this with a soothing tone to keep her calm.
"Just be there as his uncle! If he can race this season that would be enough for him. He doesn't need anything else for the moment!" Was her response. She obviously did not fully believe he was acting with her children's best interest at heart but she knew he was their best option. In just a few weeks he had proven this and the results were showing.
She hung up the phone and smiled at Jayden. Looks like Jan did his best for you after all. Go and prepare yourself for tomorrow! Read up a bit about the company so they know you're genuinely interested in them. This might go a long way into showing your sincerity. Jayden nodded and went off to his room. He had his head in the cloud's and would surely not be able to sleep today. He sat himself down behind the computer and messaged Simon. He was almost excited as Jayden by the news but was able to keep some sense of calm.
"Go and read up about the company as your mom said and prepare your clothes for tomorrow!" He wanted this to work out for Jayden so he pushed him to prepare himself.
The night went by with Jayden learning about the company as much as he could. He could not sleep at all but due to the adrenaline and excitement, he wasn't feeling tired. He was now waiting for uncle Anthony to show up. When he arrived he looked over Jayden's clothing. Seeing he was dressed neatly and had tried to comb his curly hair he nodded pleased by what he saw. They jumped into his car and drove off. It was time to go to the meeting. Hopefully, after today Jayden would have put a major step toward starting his racing career.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone