Driven from Normal .

Simon McKenzie started his week normal enough, but after a series of events he found himself standing in a bar wearing a cocktail dress. Chapter 25.

The rest of the ride back to our hotel was very quiet, I suspected that Mitch was as deep in thought as I was. Hopefully that was what he was doing and it wasn't something else, now I had that to worry about as well…
Was I really gay? I’d never had any attraction or even a hint of a feeling towards any guys in the past, so what had changed now. I wouldn't say I knew a heap of gay guys, so I'm not an expert or anything but as far as I knew, they’d always known they were gay, it wasn't something that just changed one day out of the blue.

“When did you know you liked guys?” I asked Mitch, refusing to look at him.

He never answered but I caught him shrugging his shoulders out of the corner of my eye.

“Like, did you always know…?” I continued.

“Mmm, I think so. I tried to push it down for a long time. I’ve dated a few girls and that, but I never really felt any sort of a connection and got bored, I convinced myself they just weren't the right girl and kept looking, but…”

“Go on..” I pushed him

“I dunno, I think I always knew it wasn’t the personality that was the issue…” he went quiet again, then glanced over towards me before continuing,

“So, what’s up with you? You look troubled!”

“I am!” I drew in a long, slow breath, “Until I did the Queenstown job, and had to dress up as a chick, I thought I was straight…” I didn’t know how, or even want to, finish that sentence, so I didn’t and just shrugged my shoulders.

“Do you, I mean, are you attracted to girls or guys? Mitch asked me.

“Yeah! I really like girls. I can't wait to see Mel next week again” I replied straight back. I didn’t need to think about that. The sex I had with Mel were some of the best times I could remember.

“Ok, cool! So then, what do you feel when you think about us last night?”

I thought back to exactly how I felt last night, and I liked it, A lot! There was no denying that but it was different to what I felt about Mel, with her it was deeper. The thought of just spending time together with her made me warm deep down inside. When I looked over at Mitch, there was nothing other than a memory of feeling turned on. Looking at him now didn’t bring up any feelings at all of wanting to climb over into his seat and carry things on from last night.

I must have been thinking for too long without answering Mitch’s question,

“So, do you feel anything at all from last night?” The trepidation in his voice was obvious.

“I enjoyed last night, I think…. No, I did enjoy it…. At the time, but now it seems a bit.. I’m not sure? I don’t really feel any chemistry now.” I tried to watch what I was saying and avoid hurting Mitch’s feelings. He slouched ever so slightly down in his seat, and let a slow breath escape from his nose.

“Bugger…” he mumbled.

“I think I enjoyed someone taking charge more than anything last night…” I realised that the more I talked the worse it sounded, so decided just to leave it there and shut up for a bit.

Mitch pulled into the carpark and switched the engine off,

“Beauty, thanks for the ride!” I unclipped my seatbelt, grabbed my stuff and opened the door,

“Wait..!” Mitch asked. I turned back towards him and he looked like a lost puppy. A look I'd never seen him have, he was always so confident in whatever it was he was doing.

“....if you ever change your mind, I’ll be here…”

I had no idea what to say but my mouth was way ahead of me anyway, “I know! Maybe. Who knows?”

Mitch nodded and gave a weak smile then opened his door and climbed out. We walked in silence to the foyer of the hotel and waited for the lift door to open. When I leaned forward to select the button for our floor, Mitch leaned in and attempted a kiss.

“Sorry” I said, pulling away clear, “That’s not gonna happen again for the moment…”

“Huuuuuuhhhh… worth a shot.” he stood up straight, then asked “Are we still cool, shits not going to be all weird between us now, aye?”

“Naaaahhh, we’re good! Bro’s before pretending we’re ho’s”

“Cool, cooooool. So what are we doing for dinner? That lunch was friggen horrible! Does anyone even like Asparagus sandwiches or that other shit they had on those wee cracker things?”

I laughed, “Yep, it was fucken gross. Nobody does a good ol’ sausage roll anymore! Just that pretentious, fancy bullshit that's meant to look flash.“

The lift doors opened on our floor and two guys waiting when it opened gave us a weird look because of the laughing. As we walked out, past them, I said “Ya stinkin’ dirty prick, fancy dropping your guts in the lift like that…” I grabbed my nose to reinforce the lie as the doors shut the new passengers inside.

“Haha, Ahh… you wanker! See the look on that guy's face as the doors shut?” Mitch mimicking the look of disgust and the flared nostrils. I burst out laughing again, only managing to nod in agreement.

“Dick!....” Mitch glanced at his watch “...meet downstairs in an hour or so for dinner, at the bar?”

“Yep! sweet as” I headed down the hall towards my room singing “Mitch, me mate the master farter…”

From the other end of the hall, between his chuckles, I heard “Laugh it up smart arse! You’ll keep…”

I lay on the bed and unlocked my phone to see what had happened in the world since I'd last checked at lunch time. Not much it turned out, so I called Dad to see how he was getting on. He said he was almost sorted for next week, the transport truck had been and collected all of the bikes he was sending down, the trade tent was already up waiting for him to arrive and arrange the displays. I double checked about getting dropped off, in case he’d forgotten or changed his mind. He hadn’t, then he asked me if I was still ok with the Simone deal. When I confirmed he thought I could maybe do a pre-emptive post or something, to try and create a bit of hype.

I’d have to say I was impressed that Dad had thought of that and asked where that idea came from.
“Listen mate,” he said, “There might be a few things I’m still a bit green in, but I’m not a cabbage!”

It was hard to argue with that. I told him I’d try and come up with something, after the call ended I did a quick google search for something field days related that I might be able to use. There was an aerial photo from last year that I saved and had a play with some editing software before uploading it on Simones Instagram account. (Looking forward to Southern Field days next week, come say hi @ McKenzie Motorcycles stall #4367)

I flicked a message to Mel to see what she was doing, and while I waited for her response ended up on YouTube that was a quick trip down a deep rabbit hole when I searching videos for modelling tips and tricks, all sorts of very bizarre suggestions started appearing in the playlist, It started innocently with how to stand what to do with your hands, even walking in heels, then it turned into hair and makeup ideas. When I realised I had watched a forty second video of someone removing black heads from an ear canal I knew I’d probably reached rock bottom. Mel’s phone call saved me from playing the next video, which looked like a moth stuck under someone's eyelid.

“Whatcha doin?”

“Ummm, learning how to get a blackhead out of your ear on YouTube, actually!”

“Gross!, you might need to get a hobby or something, that isn't that!” she laughed.

“Yeah I do! But now I know how to anyway, so there ya go…”

Mel laughed and asked how my day had gone. I told her how mundane the day had been with the safety features taking any enjoyment out of the job. She snickered when I mentioned being called a girl a couple of times during the day.

"It's because you're such a purdy wee thing" She teased. "Soooo, any who, Dylan!.. He knew you were a guy and kissed you anyway, what's the story there then?"

I could actually hear her settling in, getting comfortable waiting for me to dish up the gossip. I ran through what I knew and a brief highlight recap of what he'd told me with Mel only adding a few agreement noises as I talked.

"Ah well! That's very interesting, very interesting indeed…" It sounded very much like she was stroking a long beard while plotting a diabolical plan, which concerned me slightly.

"...what exactly are you thinking is so interesting?" I asked.

"I was wondering if he's gay or just bi? I thought he'd been checking me out a couple of times, but now I'm not so sure?"

"Well, Even a blind, gay guy would think you were hot and would check you out…" I told her, she gave a quiet giggle

"Ahhh, you're sweet" she said in a soft whisper.

With time rolling on towards when Mitch had suggested we meet downstairs for dinner, I thought I should better make a move to freshen up and get changed out of the work clothes I had on. I'd left the run a bit late for a shower, so ran with a hot face cloth and a puff of deodorant. A clean shirt and jeans would be more than adequate.

I met Mitch at the bar, he was already waiting with a beer for me. "Cheers" I said, taking a large swig.
We chatted for a bit, mostly about the day's events, the cars and a few memorable people we'd taken for a ride. Mitch said one old fella nearly pushed the floor out of the passenger footwell on his first lap. He didn't think Mitch had seen the corner and panicked, pushing an imaginary brake pedal as he grabbed the roof handle and braced for impact.

"Did you go deeper into the next corner as well?" I asked, knowing full well the answer would be yes.

"Shit yeah! The ABS only just kept up. I think I rooted a set of brake pads as well. A warning light showed up on the dash when we came in." Mitch laughed.

There was a noticeable difference in the friendship dynamics, I think we both sensed it but neither of us wanted to be the one to mention it. It was like we were both trying too hard to be normal. Half way through rating our meals, Mitch finally raised the subject.

"I'm sorry about last night, I shouldn't have started anything without asking…"

I shook my head and tried to swallow the mouthful of food that was stopping me from answering.

"Nah, I'm serious. It wasn't cool and I really am sorry…. But when you opened the door wearing that little top… and the lipstick…." Mitch shook his head and smiled "Fuck, you looked really hot…"

He placed another fork load into his mouth and began chewing. Suddenly stopping and his expression changed,

"Why did you have lipstick on?... and a bra for that matter?"

I actually had wondered if he was ever going to ask what that was all about. I cleared my mouthful, took a drink of beer and a deep inhale before explaining about Dylan.

"So, did you think he was going to beat you up or something just for dressing up as a chick?" Mitch inquired.

"I dunno, maybe?, he's a pretty big chap and I wasn't sure how he'd react after he found out I was a guy, especially after…" Shit, I'd said too much…

"Especially after what? Don't leave me hanging here"

"He kissed me at a party" I could feel the redness in my face going off the chart.

Mitch never said anything, but his eyebrows took a helicopter flight to the top of his forehead, and that was enough of a reaction to know this conversation wasn't ending anytime soon.
The more I explained the stupider it all sounded, Mitch’s expression was blank, making me feel like I needed to explain myself more. I was caught in an endless loop of trying to cover an awkward story with more awkward stories and I couldn't stop talking.

"For fuck sake, just stop talking. It's like watching a slow motion train crash with shit commentary…" Mitch’s laughter finally ended the agonizing flow of dribble from my mouth.

"You could have stopped me talking sooner…"

"Yeah I know, but then I wouldn't have got ya back for telling those two dudes I'd farted in the lift"

With the meal finished, Mitch advised me that he would need to head back to his room shortly, he was expecting a call from Europe and needed somewhere to sit and take notes. I joked about how much time he’d spent on the phone in the last few days, he gave me a nod,

“Mmm, yeah! Who’d have thought moving to the other side of the world, with three weeks' notice, would be so tricky?”

As we rode the lift on the short trip back up to our floor, Mitch kept glancing over at me,

“What?” I asked, reasonably abruptly

“Gez! Calm down!, I was just thinking….” Mitch answered

“About?...” I continued in a much nicer tone.

“Maybe Simone could pretend to be my girlfriend…you know, like, just pretend..”

I was a bit taken back by that statement and was trying to work out why he was even suggesting the idea. All I could think to ask him was “Why?”

The lift stopped at our floor and the doors opened, as we stepped into an empty corridor, Mitch continued,

“I’ve talked to two journos today about heading overseas, and they both asked if I was taking my girlfriend! I just thought…”

I interrupted him mid-sentence, “What? You thought you’d just lie, and say I was your girlfriend? That’s the stupidest shit I’ve heard… Just say you’re single and focused on your career, which is the truth, and move on…”

Mitch dropped his head slightly and looked at the floor, “Yeah, you’re right, it is stupid. I didn't mean You, I meant the girl version… We’re doing an official press release next week and they’ll all ask the same thing. But, yeah it’s stupid.. Forget I said anything!” Mitch started walking towards his room “See ya tomorrow” he said, giving a little wave.

I shrugged and turned towards my room, I felt a bit bad, I mean really, what harm could it do? “I’ll think about it…” I yelled opening my room door. I heard Mitch yell “Sweet as!” as my door swung shut behind me.

The rest of my night was very uneventful, there wasn't anything on TV, and after watching a few more videos on my phone I was getting a bit bored. An early night wouldn't do me any harm anyway, I had a quick shower then climbed into bed working my way down into the very tightly tucked in bed sheets. I wondered how much of an issue it was, so many people must have fallen out of hotel beds, that they now need to secure people in the bed, unable to move. It was like trying to get a birthday card into the wrong sized envelope.
I actually really struggled to roll onto my side enough to reach the phone charger cord and the light switch.

I lay there completely motionless for a while, running over the day's events, wondering how and what I had gotten myself into saying yes to the dress in Queenstown. Would I have gone through with it if I knew what it would have led to? Once again, I started a list in my head of the pros and cons, starting with the cons. The negative side of the list didn't really seem that bad at all when I visualized them against the positive things. I drifted off trying to imagine what it might look like pretending to be Mitch’s girlfriend and pictured myself on the pit wall at a Grand Prix.

The next day was more or less the same as the previous, with the only difference being that I had breakfast with Mitch and he gave me a ride to the track. It was a carbon copy of the same duties, taking more punters for a ride attempting to catch the driver aids napping, I never did. The small area of the skid pan didn't really give many options to try anything spectacular anyway. As the last few rides finished, a well dressed MG executive came over and thanked me. He’d had lots of positive comments from everyone I’d taken, which was nice to hear. I confirmed I was going to the Gala launch event later that night, and genuinely seemed pleased when I said yes. He did have a slightly puzzled look on his face when I said my tux was hanging in my hotel room, I had a horrible thought that I’d show up way over dressed with everyone in jeans or something. Mitch confirmed that it was a full on penguin suit event and he was also wearing a tux, I figured I’d just misread his expression.

We didn't have a lot of time for a “shit, shower and shave” at the hotel room, luckily I didn't need to worry about the shave, with my face still smoother than a baby's bum. I met Mitch in the main foyer of our hotel, I must admit he looked very good in the crisp black suit. His finely tuned and muscular chassis filled it out very well. I told myself there was nothing wrong with admiring a good looking fella, and that it definitely didn't mean I was gay or anything…
As we waited for our taxi to arrive, Mitch, while trying to act all casual, and it was no big deal or anything, asked if I’d had a chance to think about letting him say I was his girlfriend.

“I don't want to be your girlfriend…” I said, making him sweat a bit.. “But, I can't see any harm in you saying that Simone is”

Mitch’s grin quickly spread across his face. He nodded, “Sweet! That will definitely help with some of the media stuff. Thanks mate!”

The chat in the taxi on the way over to the event was fairly light banter between the two of us. We discussed the day's events and both decided it was more or less exactly the same as the day before, maybe less exciting if anything, however the pay packet would keep the wolves from the door a bit longer.
We were met at the main door by a spotty faced teenage boy with a clipboard and radio earpiece, he gilded ahead of us ushering straight to our seats, right up the front of the large conference room. The room itself was decorated out as expected, fairy lights on the roof etc. and the new MG taking center stage on a slowly rotating platform. I’d been to a few of these sorts of things now to know how the night would run, a long drawn out welcome speech followed by a run down of the companies future goals and aspirations, and just as the majority of the crowd became restless, a spiel about the new vehicle.

I made sure my drink was topped up as it began, the string of executives making a quick speech before introducing the next person, higher up on the company ladder. We finally made it to the introduction of the regional CEO, that normally meant it was getting towards the pointy end of the talking. The CEO was that same well dressed man that had thanked me at the end of the day. Typically he started off saying what a great team he had around him, and what a great job they’d done over the last few days. One by one he started rattling off names, individually thanking them to a restrained applause from the crowd.
“I would also like to express my gratitude for our very capable drivers over these two days. We have all enjoyed the fantastic display of skills these two young drivers have shown us” He paused and motioned us to stand before continuing, “Both Miss McKenzie and Mister Reid here, have done a fantastic job, please join me in thanking them” he started clapping and the entire room joined in as we stood there, awkwardly smiling and taking it in.

When the applause died down the CEO added, “I also hear that we have been very fortunate with having Mitch Reid here with us, as he will be away to Europe soon to drive a Formula One car!” The crowd erupted again, Mitch held up two fingers and tried to mouth it was actually Formula Two.
“Oh, sorry. Forgive me, it is Formula two… but I’m certain the F1 teams will be watching anyway” and a few polite chuckles from the crowd meant it was on to introducing the new car.

“Shit you’re an F1 driver now” I whispered to Mitch as I tried to hide my giggling

“That's right, MISS McKenzie!” he replied with a wink.

Bugger, I thought I’d heard him say that as well….