It wasn't something he'd chosen. But he'd been 19, and then he'd been 29, and all of a sudden he was in his late 30's and he was still single. Robert Richards wondered what had happened, how he'd gone from ladies man in high school, to a hardbitten bachelor? It wasn't something he had intended, ever. But he was still happy. He had a pretty good life. He'd finally decided on a thing to do just before turning 20, and had since then spent every moment he could in the garage. He'd up and quit his job, started looking for mechanics that were involved with races, and put his heart into his job. Then, by 23, he was on the track and he was good. Really good. He won what he could, and brought home trophé after trophé to his parents house. Because since leaving Akron, and the apartment he'd shared with one of his best friends, Rob hadn't had a real home. He lived in the bus that went with them, in hotels and motels and every once in a while he stayed in one place for long enough to actually rent a place.
But by the time his 20 year high school renunion came around, Rob had no idea what he'd really done with his life. He'd gotten the cash flow he'd always wanted, and he'd finally bought a small apartment in LA. He worked full time as a coach, three days a week spent in Nashville and another three in Houston - which made his apartment in LA a really stupid buy. At the end of the week, he crashed into bed before getting back and at it.
He wasn't nervous as he stepped into the halls of Carmel high school - he looked down the halls and realized not much had changed. A high school was a high school was a high school...
The music was way to modern; it was just noise, and for once he was on board with the former members of Vocal Adrenaline, those that had actually graduated the same year he had. He scoffed to himself, and wondered what good it had done them to never like each other.
People asked about his job, and he happily replied. But when they asked about family; wife, kids? He always felt a pang of regret. It was with a heavy heart he kept shaking his head, saying no, no he didn't have a family. Everyone seemed surprised that he hadn't settled down.
