Gilles wakes up very early in the morning, the rest of the house still sleeping, Gilles is filled with excitement, today is the day he is going to secure a financial support for his newborn Formula Atlantic career after all. He completes morning hygienic routine, prepares a breakfast for himself and also for his family.
He is ready to leave the house but notices newspaper in their mail box. His curiosity wins and he takes it and starts reading it. I wish he hadn't done that. It was dedicated to junior Formula league careers and their tragic ends. Sold houses, borrowed huge amount of money or running out of money of a whole supporting family. As the result destroyed lifes, not just the racers' but also people around them. Those all are possible ways, the dead ends. Another huge wave of realisation and self hate hits Gilles. A huge amount of pressure, stress and fear defeates his feeling of exitement and hope that woke up with.
"I must succeed, not for me... but for my close ones"
Many more hours pass and many potential sponsors have already rejected him. I guess that you can imagine what this did with Gilles' mind.
Another company, another representative, another unnecessary talk and apologizing, another rejection, another fail, another... disappointment.
"We are sorry, mister Villeneuve, but we don't provide services like this. We already have pretty good reputation in the sociaty so such a thing would be more counterproductive for us. Unnecessary costs, you sure do understand what I'm trying to say."
"Don't worry, sir. I do remember where the door is. Thanks for your time." after Gilles ended his sentence he smiles politely and immidiately walks out of the room trying to act calm and stoic. He leaves the building, enters his pick-up and just stares throught the wind before smashing into the steering wheel with his hand in a moment of rage.
He then drives throught the city, looking for another car related companies that could possibly sponsor him. After almost an hour, hee spots a spare parts store and stops there. He is waiting in his car for a while, staring into nothing, just thinking if this all is really worth the risk of reaching his dream of racing in Formula One, dream as easily reachable getting hit by twice by a lightning. He is thinking about his family, how selfish he was when he put them into the possibility of becoming homeless, of ruining their entire life just for a... mere little possibility.
He then closes his eyes and breathes in deeply, telling himself that this time it's going to end up well and he is going to find a good financial sponsor. He steps out of the car and filled with a forced feeling of hope and faith enters the store.
After few minutes he leaves it again, smiling, calmly closes the main door. Then he absolutely rages out and starts screaming. He kicks into a trash can in front of the store. He takes off his jacket and throws it on the ground in anger.
A photo of Mélanie and Jacques falls out of the jacket as it hits the ground. Gilles then stops and immidiately takes back the jacket with the photo and rushes towards his car and enters it, closes the door and just sits and stares. After a while he smashes into the steering wheel again many times before he bursts into tears.
"I'm such a fucking idiot." he says to himself. He stays at the place for many minutes before putting back together.
After a whole day of trying to get at least one financial sponsor he drives back home, feeling as a loser who dissapointed and failed as a man, as a husband, as a father... as everything possible.
He hasn't spoken with his family for the rest of the day, he hasn't eaten and in the night he didn't sleep.
He can't stand this insanity anymore and decides to call Jim Curtis. Jim gladly offeres Gilles to meet together and talk about his feelings. After not even an hour Gilles arrived, Jim invited him into his house where was already prepared coffee.
"So... what did you want to talk about, champ?"
Gilles just smirks at the term 'champ', "You know, this is propably the problem."
"What do you mean?" Jim visibly very confused.
"You heard me, I don't think the right man was crowned as the champion. I just don't deserve it."
"Man, tell me what the hell has gotten into your head. Because it's something serious."
"Nothing has gotten into my head. I just reached a moment of realisation," he giggles, "how naive, stupid and egoistic I was."
Jim is just staring at Gilles, absolutly not understanding what he's talking about.
Gilles then continues in his self hating comments: "Thinking that I can race in a Formula series just because I won a championship in something so insignificant as snocross by nothing but a mere luck. Putting my whole family into such a risk because of my stupidity..."
Jim slaps Gilles before he can even manage to end the sentence, "One more word and I'm going to do something way worse than just a slap! Stop humiliating yourself and especially something that used to be a huge part of your life as I can remember! I don't know what has happened to you, but whatever it was, you should stop thinking about yourself in the way you do now! You defeated me because of who you are, because you are the worst oponent you can face, the one to never give up no matter the circumstances! You understand?!"
After this confrontation, both men seem to calm down.
"You don't understand Jim, I don't have sponsors. I sold our house just to get a chance in Formula Atlantic. It's not even a bit enough to become a competetive driver... nor to help my family from what I dragged them into."
Jim stares at Gilles with a feeling realisation, "Everybody makes mistakes man but we have to get up and learn from them. You have never given up, so why to start now when you need it least in your life?"
Gilles just looks at Jim for a second and then immidiately looks away again.
"For god sake, man. Have you tried Skiroule? They don't do literally car stuff but they can help you financially, after all you won a snocross world championship while racing for them, so you deserve this from them," bumps Gilles into a shoulder, "don't you think, champ?"
Gilles seems to be as emotionless for a moment before a new spark of realisation and faith lightened up in his eyes.
"Jim, you are a genius, do you know that?"
Jim nods and says, "Yeah, I have heard this sentence few times in my life, why?"
Gilles sips the rest of his coffee and stands up, "You reminded I need to take care of something. Until then, bye."
He walks towards the door and as he is ready to leave the house, he turns around towards Jim, "Thanks, I really needed this."
Jim just nods as he watches Gilles leave.
The same day he goes to meet the boss of Skiroule to ask for support financially his Formula Atlantic career. And after so many rejections and fails, this time Gilles finally succeedes in his task. Maybe only for what Gilles has done for the company during his snocross career, nobody will ever know. The important thing is that he finally had sponsor, and actually a good sponsor to be honest.
Gilles immidiately after that drives back home to celebrate this with his family. The fact that they had zero clue where he was until now? It doesn't matter now, nothing else does. It's just a pure happiness after this small era of misery. Gilles then calls Jim to tell him about all of this.
"See? I told you to never give up, champ!"