Nostalgic Purgatory
(16mm film reel rolls)
(Read in 1960’s radio voice)
It’s December 26th, time for the annual SCALEXTRIC BOXING DAY TRANS AM CLASSIC From beautiful Family room speedway! Our competitors today are running the wonderful 14 foot scalextric course with high speed straight, sweeping back turn along the bar and the tight hairpin kink at the christmas tree. Braving these corners will be the #6 Camaro in the blue SUNOCO paint scheme that has dominated several tracks through out the series this year! Coming in hot on the Chevy’s heels is the beautiful and proven #15 Boss 302 Mustang representing the Mustang Club Racing team! This car has been settled in and composed all season with back to back wins to begin the year with 2 more in the fall.
With the cars warmed up we are getting ready to drop the hammer here at Family Room Speedway, the weather is a balmy 21 degrees celsius and outside the walls a cool 5 degrees with a deluge that hasn’t let up for weeks on end! As we pan back to the formation lap the green flag drops and the angry 302’s come alive with high octane excitement bounding off the wallpaper! Staying on this skinny and slick course will be a challenge as the cars are required to run the same tires from the last race in the dining room!
The race is tight as the cars weave through the high speed sweeper along the bar side and down passed the starting line! Action is fast and assaults the imagination with dynamic control and they slip and slide through the chicane!
The race is winding into it’s final laps with the cars beginning to show signs of heat soak and tire exhaustion causing all sorts of trouble with several offs and yellow flag restarts! Quick pit stops to check rushes and re bead tires are almost a relief for the drivers as they are losing the edge and take the precious seconds to catch their breath!
The white flag is in the air as the washing machine chimes and the phone is ringing for the 400th time today! The drivers are now laser focused on the last set of corners to the finish! They pull the gears as fast as lightning and hang the back wheels off line as they try to hold position!
As the sun begins to drop to the horizon the cars round the final turn through the bar sweeper! It’s the Sunoco Chevy running from the inside all the way out with a nose on the Boss 302 and he takes off down the straight to the line. The Boss grabs another gear and pulls to the Camaro’s quarter panel but it’s too little too late!!
THE NO. 6 CAMARO CROSSES THE LINE AND TAKES THE WIN HERE AT FAMILY ROOM SPEEDWAY!!!!
As you pick up the pieces of little plastic guardrail and track, you check the baby monitor. The little one is stirring and waking up from her nap and your wife is in the kitchen tidying some of the holiday decorations and leftovers. The rain outside is tapping the roof and patio and it seems never-ending, almost enough it feels like all the water in the world has fallen on the house. Christmas was lovely and cheerful, despite the looming prospect of saying goodbye to a sick loved one and preparing to endure the coming grief. The phone has been going off with texts saying happy holidays, mixed with some stuff that reminds you the stresses of starting a small business and navigating the modern landscape of social media and marketing.
For 30 mins life was back to a time when all you had to think about was what your imagination could turn the living room, bedroom floor or backyard into. Nostalgia in full force reminding you that it’s ok to let the mind wander and be a kid for a while. Without that it’s easy to lose touch with true happiness and even creativity, and it’s a good reminder of why your kids are who they are.
As you look at the phone and take the slot car set back to the storage room you remind yourself about a few tasks to finish before heading to family gatherings and enjoying the last of the holiday festivities. The new year is coming, and there is no choice in understanding that it’s not going to start off the best. You know that you can’t stay in the Christmas to New Years Purgatory forever, but enjoying the time there and buyis nothing short of everything you needed.
See you on the road
