Hello! I'm sure your probably wondering whats going on with this and why I haven't updated in ages, cause life, you know.
But I've been thinking about this story a lot, mainly new ideas for it that sound better and fit better, so chapter one and two have changed and I'm editing chapter 3, but it will be up soon!
Again, this is an Australian writing in an American context so please be considerate!
North Birmingham, Alabama 1983, mid-July
It was amazing how quickly something could break your dream.
One stupid mistake.
No matter how small it could be, it would have some effect on the one thing you had wanted and trained for your whole life… except this something was not so small.
"This year's piston cup was set to be like no other with the only female driver to have qualified to race this year, qualifying to race for the Piston Cup. Twenty year old Valery Valiant, driving her red Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS under number ninety-five as one of this year's rookie racers set to challenge Strip Weathers in his second year of racing to win his first Piston Cup." The enthusiastic racing reporter enounced over the television, yet to break the truth that the racing world had not been expecting to hear. "But in a shock announcement early this morning from the young racer, Valery has withdrawn her position in the race and will not be competing. Richey, your thoughts on the situation?"
"The racing world… is in shock, there's no other way to describe it." The other presenter spread his arms on the table to emphasize the situation. "Valery was the only female racer to compete this year and there haven't been any female racers for a couple of years now. And being one of the few female racers that have qualified to race for the Piston Cup is incredible. And we all believed she would win the Cup this year, making her the first rookie to ever win it and the first female racer too. But now, she has forfeited the race, and we haven't got a cause for her resignation either. We've had our reporters try to reach out to her but have been unable to find her as it does seem she has gone into hiding after the announcement."
"It's a very interesting situation Richey. Usually the only reason racers retire is because of health or age, but this is a complete mystery. We can only hope that the down to earth, fan favourite will give a proper explanation to this very early retirement." As the presenter spoke those final words, a clip of a young woman of a slightly short height with long dark brown-reddish hair, bright blue eyes and an active figure was played. She faced a crowd of fans and reporters with a gold trophy in hand and a bright happy smile on her face. Standing on a platform with her famous red racing Chevrolet with the number '95' parked at her side, she waved, shook hands and signed autographs with her fans who supported her through her short, incredible and fulfilling racing career.
But it was not the same young woman who sat in front of the television screen with her mother and father on either side of her.
"There goes Valery Valiant…" She sighed.
"It was just your racing name Jane."
"But it was still important to me dad."
"And no one is going to forget it." Her mother squeezed her hand in support. "You're Jane Valiant, and you'll always be Valery Valiant at heart."
Jane managed a weak smile.
"Now-" Her mother started softly, looking down. "-we have other matters to worry about."
Jane looked down to where she had absentmindedly placed her hand. Three months had gone by so fast yet it felt like it had been longer.
"Any names yet?"
"I don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet dad."
"Never too late to start thinking about it."
"Yeah but most people pick a name, get so over run with emotion from birth then completely forget what they were going to call the baby and end up calling it something like, Montgomery."
Jane didn't know how to feel about the unplanned pregnancy and all the feelings on being a single mother. But the unease was making her sick and she felt like she'd let her parents and the racing world down with her stupid, foolish mistake. But it was too late now.
"I'm feeling pretty tired, I'm gonna go to bed. See you in the morning."
"Goodnight sweetie."
"Night Jane."
She didn't go to bed straight away. She stood in front of a floor length mirror in her bra and underwear, looking at the steadily growing bump that had just ruined her racing career. Her parents were trying to be supportive about it, but even they couldn't completely hide the hint of disappointment in their eyes. She couldn't return to racing after this, she didn't want to think what the racing world would think of her, the racing world's disappointment. Her stupid mistake had cost her her racing career, and the man she'd believed would spend the rest of his life with her. But as soon as he found out she was pregnant, he left. All she had left were the photos of their memories, small gifts and a name. The memory of a blond haired man who she met in high school and shared her first kiss with…
January 15th 1984, 8:26pm
The nurses and doctor didn't know who Valery Valiant was and didn't recognise, much to her relief. Valery Valiant had been missing in action for six months, and she would never be seen again.
A quiet knock on the door caused Jane to look up from her trance. A midwife was standing their asking to come in with a tray of food and supplies for the small baby Jane was cradling against her chest. She was alone in the room with the midwife and her new son, her parents having left to get food from the canteen.
The woman arranged the food on a bed side tray before giving the baby a light scratch on his soft pink cheek. "And how are we both tonight?"
"Tired." Jane replied with a small chuckle. "Although he seems more tired than me, and I did all the work." She shared a laugh with the midwife.
"Very true." The woman spoke. "I do need to ask though, have you decided on a name yet? The doctor needs to complete the birth certificate. Although from what your parents told me, the father does not wish to be involved with your son."
"Yeah, he, left… when I told him I was pregnant."
"A typical deadbeat. It's one of the worst things a man can do to his partner. But I'm afraid your son will have to have his last name, per law."
"Well, at least his last name wasn't horrible."
After sharing another small laugh, the midwife proceeded to leave with Jane having not yet decided on a name. She looked down to the bundle that was pressing against her chest. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she had considered putting him up for adoption. She could forget this had ever happened, move on with her life and pick up where her racing left off. But that was until she held her son in her arms for the first time.
How could she do that? His father abandoned him and she would just give him away. She couldn't do that to him. She had her parents to help her, she would do her best.
There was a storm brewing outside.
Ka-CRACK!
A massive bolt of lightning flooded the room with more light. Jane jumped from the fright of it, but quickly realised she could have hurt the newborn and immediately checked him, but he had not even flinched. Another bolt broke the silence of the room, yet her son remained unfazed, looking up to her with scrunched up bright blue eyes bursting with wonder at everything around them. He was as strong and bright as the lightning that shook the room.
"Lightning… doesn't even faze you does it?" Jane spoke softly.
She realized this was the moment she would name her son, a name she joked about, but in reality, really did like…
5 Years Later…
"Monty?"
"Monty!?"
Jane closed the doors of the pantry. "Where is that kid now?" She spied her mother in the dining room from the kitchen, sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee and a newspaper her father had been reading before he left.
"Mom, have you seen Monty? We need to leave for school but I can't find him anywhere."
"Your father went out to the garage for something, he might have followed him."
"Typical, he was playing with cars before he could talk." Jane crossed her arms and slowly shook her head.
"As I recall, you were just as bad. I would have to get you out of there before school most mornings." Her mother said smugly with a sip of her coffee.
"Thanks mom."
"Grandpa, when can I drive a car?"
"When you're a bit older kiddo."
"Like… next year?"
"Ha, a bit older than that son. You have to wait till you're sixteen."
"But that's like, in forever!" Monty whined, throwing his arms in the air for extra emphasis, his grandfather laughing at him. Giving up, Monty started walking around the shed while his grandfather put pieces of car engines away.
They lived in a large modern house in a residential area in North Birmingham. The large backyard left room for a shed to be built, storing engine parts and the old Monte Carlo. Wilfred Valiant, Jane's father, was a car engine designer for Chevrolet and worked closely within the company. He would travel to Detroit in Michigan and live there for eight months a year while working at the Chevrolet headquarters, traveling back to Alabama when he wasn't needed and he could easily work at home.
When Jane became interested with racing, he proposed the idea of her racing for the company as they hadn't had a Piston racing team for a few years now. The company promptly agreed and was instantly back in the racing scene with a new female racer, Valery Valiant. With them as her sponsor she was set to race and fulfil her one dream. Until she found out she was pregnant.
When he told the company that Jane couldn't race for them anymore, they weren't impressed. They'd let him keep the job, but he'd lost his high position in the company. Tried as he might, he could never get back the position he once had. He was told that unless he could make an engine like no other, a design like no other, to stop trying. But their family had always lived with one motto, to never give up, and he never would.
He looked over to his grandson, watching his lips mouth the names of engine parts and tools he walked past, always stopping at the car with the cover protecting it.
Monty picked up the corner of the cover, flipping it over half the hood of the car. Half of the fender was framed by sponsor stickers, bright red and white paint shined in the overhead lights with the name Valery Valiant running down the hood in sparkling cursive yellow. He didn't know who she was, but he loved her car.
"Monty, what are you doing in here?" Monty turned with a sheepish expression as his mother walked briskly toward him. "I don't want to be late, we need to leave now."
"Jane I was just about to bring him inside."
"Dad Last time you said that, we were an hour late for a dinner party. Come on baby, time to go."
"Wait mom!" He tugged on her hand as she try tried to pull him with her, then pointed at the car he uncovered. "Who's she? Is she your sister? She has your last name."
Jane looked up to her father watching her with curiosity. She would tell him one day. "She's someone I use to know. Now, come on, let's go."
"Mom?"
Jane looked to her son, he was watching parents bringing their kids into the school gate from the passenger side of the car. Kids holding hands with their moms on one side and dads on the other…
"Where's my dad?"
Jane rubbed his back while she watched the parents with him.
"I don't know baby."
"Didn't he like us? Didn't… he like me?"
She looked down, tears threatening her eyes. "I'm sorry baby, I really don't know."
"Alright class, where going to go around the circle and introduce ourselves to everyone. Tell us your name and your favourite thing in the world!"
As names and favourite things went around the circle, it finally came to her son. Jane watched from the back of the classroom with other parents looking on, her son catching her eye as he stood up to introduce himself. Little hands intertwined with nerves.
"Ah, my most favourite thing in the world are cars… oh and my name is Montgomery McQueen."