Meeting the Sargeants
“Could you wait for a moment, please?” Logan asked the taxi driver after paying.
“Why do you want him to wait?” Esteban asked, getting out of the car behind him. They walked up to the gates in front of the big, beachfront house in Boca Raton.
“I don’t believe this is happening until I see them.” Logan said with a sad smile and rang the bell at the gate. A couple seconds later the gate opened and they walked up to the house. The door opened and a middle-aged man stood in the door.
“Hello Logan.” He said a little bit stiff. He was wearing a suit, even though it was just a lunch with their son.
“Father” Logan said with a nod. “May I introduce, this is Esteban.”
“It is nice to meet you, Mr. Sargeant.” Esteban said, stretching his hand towards him.
“Hello” he said and turned, walking back into the house.
“I feel really underdressed now.” Esteban said, nervously looking after Logan’s father. He was wearing a button-down shirt and slacks. Logan was wearing the same.
“I like the way you are dressed.” Logan said with a smile and guided Esteban into the house.
“Logan! It is so nice to have you back here!” a lady in a knee-length dress, that looked more like business than pleasure, said, getting up from a couch and kissing Logan on the cheek.
“Hello mother.” Logan said, looking a little surprised. “This is Esteban.”
“Yes, you said you were bringing a friend.” She said, smiling at Esteban, confusing Logan.
“No, I said I would bring Esteban, my boyfriend.”
“Of course, sweetheart.” His mother said, giving a more strained smile. “Come on, lunch should be ready in a bit.” She said before following her husband onto the terrace. Esteban looked at Logan with raised eyebrows, Logan smiled back apologetically before they went on to the terrace.
“So, what are you doing?” his mother asked while they finished their soup.
“I’m a racing driver. I drive in Formula 1, just in a different team than Logan.” Esteban told her.
“And what else?” Logan’s father asked.
“Well … I’m advertising for a clothing company.”
“Meaning you let them take pictures of you wearing their stuff. That’s not a real job, though, is it.”
“No, it is not. My real job is to be a racing driver.” Esteban said.
“This is your busiest year, Esteban. 24 races, each race spanning three days, making a total of 72 days of work.” Logan’s father said, setting down his spoon, having finished his soup. “What are you doing with the rest of your time?”
“Father, please.”
“It is okay for me.” Esteban said to Logan “I’m happy to answer. Although it feels a little weird to explain this to a racer’s parent.” He chuckled “There is always at least one more day of media, plus the travelling to and from work. We also have meetings in between, need to go to the factory for the development of the car, train a lot to be able to race as good as we can, all that is part of our work. It’s much more than just the bit that you are able to see on tv.”
“And you are able to live from that?” Logan’s mother asked.
“Mother!” Logan exclaimed loudly.
“Yes, I am.”
“How much do you earn?”
“Mother, please!”
“This year my salary was lifted to 7 million plus bonus.” Logan’s parents stared at him “That’s what I’m getting for the racing itself. There of course are additional earnings from the advertisements or other endorsements. I own some realty which is rented out and with that I have an additional income, although the amount spent on said realty isn’t equalled yet, it takes another 7 months until the break even. I just sold my partial ownership of a company, earning 2.5 million, although the winnings overall were just 1.8.” Esteban said, eating the last spoon of soup. “Do you have any additional questions?”
“Where do you come from?” Logan’s mother asked.
“Evreux in France.”
“And what do your parents do?”
“My father is a mechanic and my mother works at an office.”
“Interesting.” Logan’s father said with a scoff “You met them already?” he then asked Logan.
“Yes, they invited me to stay with them. They are really great people. Open to everyone.” Logan said, smiling at Esteban and taking his hand.
“And what are you doing next to racing now? As much as I know, you don’t earn that much.” Logan’s father said to him.
“True. It’s my first year, I’m a rookie, I don’t earn that much. I also do some advertisement, although for drinks, not clothes.”
“Right … these energy drinks you work for.” Logan’s father said dismissively.
“Yes” Logan said.
“The most successful team on the grid this season.” Esteban said.
“And for how long do you think you will keep doing this … job, if you call it that.” Logan’s father asked his son.
“For as long as I can. It is what I want to do. It is what I love and I’m really great at it. I earn money with it. Enough to support myself and then some. Why isn’t that enough for you? Why do you grill him like this? Why do you judge his family without even knowing them?”
“Because it is not a real job, Logan!” his father said “Racing is a hobby, nothing more! And now you are sitting here, trying to tell us that it is a good idea to – to be together with a mediocre alpha at his best! Do you even know where he comes from? His parents weren’t even able to give him a stable home growing up! They made their son live in a trailer, Logan! They weren’t even able to keep a simple roof over his head! What kind of alpha, what kind of SIRE let’s his own family live in a trailer! We raised you better, Logan. You should know better. You should choose better! Harry spent so much of his money sending you to that school in Europe on your little – little adventure and how do you thank him for it? By doing this! Hanging around with people from low upbringing! You could have concentrated on Lance! Chosen wisely for once! He at least is someone from a good background! But no, you throw everything away, spending your time with – with a mechanic’s son, a young man whose father builds electric scooters, a racing omega, a man who publicly stated multiple times that his father abused him and your old team mate’s mother was in jail for Christ’s sake! Those are not the kind of people you are supposed to spend your time with!” Logan’s father let out, leaning back after finishing his last sentence, letting out a growl of anger.
“Alright. You now insulted every single one of my friends, my boyfriend, their families, and me, including everything we do. Now that you are done, we will go. I should be saying that it was nice seeing you again, but I was raised not to lie. Goodbye.” Logan said, getting up and pulling Esteban with him. They walked quickly down the street, Logan letting out some of his anger by mumbling to himself. Esteban was only able to stop him two blocks further, engulfing him in a hug before waving a taxi over.
“Restaurant?” Esteban asked in the taxi.
“No, I will take you where my friends and I went without telling our parents when I was here.” Logan said and told the taxi driver an address. They went about five miles south before the taxi stopped and they got out.
“Okay, that’s not what I expected.” Esteban yelled over the loud music on the street.
“Welcome to little Havanna!” Logan said loudly and pulled him down the street. “Whenever I came back during vacations, this is where we went when we needed to get away from our parents. And the food is amazing.” Logan said.
“LOGIE!” an elderly lady yelled from down the street, Logan running towards her, hugging her tightly. Esteban walked up to them. “Estie, this is Graciella, she owns one of the best restaurants here.”
“Hello Esteban, we saw you racing!” Graciella said, leaning on her stick. “Come on, you boys, you look all starved, you need to eat.” She said, hobbling away in front of them, Logan took his hand, pulling him down the street as well. The entered a restaurant, decorated with lots of memorabilia of Havanna, as well as Logan’s trophy from his third place in the Formula 3 championship in 2020 and his two trophies from Formula 2, winning the races in Italy and Russia. They sat down at a little table, a waitress bringing them some bottles a moment after.
“It’s not alc. It’s like a Fanta.” Logan said, clinking bottles with Esteban. They were served a mountain of grilled gambas with olive oil, garlic and a lot of other spices Esteban couldn’t name. It tasted amazing.
“I watched the videos you sent me.” Logan said when they were back in their hotel room.
“And, what do you think?”
“Well … I wanked.” Logan admitted and Esteban laughed “And I don’t do that a lot.” Logan also laughed while Esteban walked up to him, engulfing him in his arms.
“And is it something you could imagine us doing some day?” Esteban asked carefully.
“Yes, I think so.” Logan gnawed on his lower lip. “I would like to try something. Tonight.”
“Okay. What do you want to try?” Esteban asked and Logan took off his shirt, followed by unbuttoning Esteban’s shirt as well, kissing down his chest, moving lower with every button he opened. Esteban let the shirt slide off his arms while Logan kneeled down in front of him, starting to open his belt. “Logan” Esteban said “Logan, are you sure?”
“Yes, why?”
“You’ve got tears running down your cheeks, Cherie.” Esteban said and Logan wiped his hand over his cheek.
“Oh” he let out.
“Come here” Esteban said softly, picking Logan up and carrying him to the bed. The laid down side by side, Esteban holding Logan close to his chest, pulling the sheets over them. “There is no rush for anything.”