Formula 1: The GOAT

“How about we visit them once we arrive, and depending on how things go, we can spend the following week with them?” Rümeysa suggested, but her voice was still heavy from the emotional state she had been in throughout the story.

“That sounds good, but shouldn’t we inform them ahead of time to give them time to make a decision? If we do that after we arrive, won’t we lose more time?” Fatih asked, knowing that either way, they would have to wait a few hours before a final plan could be made with everyone on his father’s side who would be able to meet them. Knowing how much the culture and traditions of where people live seep into them, he knew that, despite them being Turkish, their Germanic roots would require them to be informed ahead of time. They would hate surprises, especially from someone they hadn’t seen in fourteen years.

“That’s true,” Rümeysa agreed as she took her phone, stood from the lounge table, and walked out of the room to have a private conversation with all the relatives from her husband’s side she still had a connection with. She knew that having the conversation there might not be a good idea, as it was likely not going to go according to expectations. The reaction and response from the other side were going to be mixed, and she didn’t want Fatih to see or hear it.

“How are you feeling?” Güldane asked, finally speaking after being silent during the entire mother-and-son recap period as if she didn’t exist.

“I’m fine, though I look forward to learning more about Dad,” Fatih said, a smile appearing on his face momentarily before fading.

Güldane took a moment following Fatih’s response before she said, “He was a good man, so don’t let his mother’s behavior reflect on him or the rest of his family,” her face looking reminiscent for a moment as she remembered her late son-in-law.

“Don’t worry about that. I treat everyone I meet with a neutral outlook, and depending on how things go, my perception of them changes accordingly,” Fatih said.

His new approach was a result of his new life showing him the worse side of people that he hadn’t expected. Having experienced little to none of the bad side of humanity in his previous twenty-five years of living, the shock he went through when he experienced the bad, greedy, and selfish side of people forced him to adjust his approach from looking at things from the good side as a default to a neutral one, which he would then adjust depending on the additional context he gained.

“Who is this smart kid?” Güldane asked teasingly upon hearing Fatih’s response, as a means to distract him and change the topic. She followed up by asking, “I have been wondering about this for quite a while, but was worried to ask, in case it had a negative result. But now that you are on your final race, don’t you ever get bored from being so far ahead of everyone and facing no competition?”

Fatih took a moment to think about the question as he weighed how to respond, since answering with the full truth was out of the question, as the system was involved.

If he were to tell the truth, it would be that he never got bored because these races were the only places where he could put to the actual test everything he learned in the simulation from Apollo, without the constant risk of injury that Apollo had been consistently using to make sure it was always on the back of his mind as he trained him in hypervigilance. He had yet to show any hint that he was on the verge of completing the starting phase, which should only be concluded once he gets the ability officially recognized by the system, just like he did for Aquaman.

“Winning is enjoyable, and although doing so with no challenge might appear boring, it is a testament to how much hard work I have put in before those races. So instead of getting bored, I get motivated to increase the effort I put in so that I can increase the gap even further and enjoy it as it happens. When I move to the next category, the gap won’t be at this level anytime soon,” Fatih said, finally answering after coming up with a truthful but omissive answer.

“It is good to know that this is not going to be a constant expectation in the future, or you would really be down once that happens,” Güldane said just as her daughter returned to the lounge.

“What are you talking about?” Rümeysa asked upon returning and finding them talking.

“Just this and that. So, how did it go?” Güldane asked immediately after answering her question.

“They agreed to meet immediately. According to them, they have wanted to meet him, but my mother-in-law was threatening them if they reached out on their own. One of them even offered to come and pick us up from the airport once we arrive, so we can spend the day with them before heading to Wackersdorf. As for the rest, they agreed to attend the races starting from Saturday for those working, and those with time will attend starting from Friday. After the final race, we will have a picnic. The rest of the week will be decided once we meet with them and have the picnic on Sunday evening,” Rümeysa said with a smile on her face, excited about how things went.

With that response, the mood at the table changed from slightly somber to celebratory, as Rümeysa finally felt the weight lifting from her. She was finally correcting some of the mistakes she had made, mistakes that had taken her over fourteen years to make amends for.

Time went by as slowly as a tortoise racing against a hare, but just like how the tortoise ended up winning the race, they too ended up boarding the plane earlier than they had expected. They headed to Nuremberg International Airport, finally starting the next part of their journey to the final race.