Page 1 of Fast Track to Forever
Prologue
25th November
Bahrain
Will
The lights flicker in the distance like a mirage. The heat on the smooth racetrack asphalt lifts up steam. The growling of the race car engines merge together like an antique Greek choir of Doom. My body is taut with adrenaline and my breaths are short, like I’m about to run that half-marathon I’m always committing to, but never quite making it.
Damn, my hands are clammy. It’s lucky I have my driving gloves on, gripping the steering wheel. “Good luck” are the final words on the team radio. I squint and bring up the most powerful memory I can conjure. My mountains, the Remarkables. My lake. My family. Yep, this is why I’m here.
The lights turn to green, and I slam my foot on the accelerator. Let's do this.
The champagne fizzoverwhelms my senses, enveloping me like a crisp blanket. Everyone pats my back as I go past, and people whose names I don't know congratulate me.
I toss my gloves to one side and dial the most familiar phone number of all. New Zealand. Home. It rings three times, and it goes to the B&B voicemail. My mother’s warm and cheerful voice chimes in: “You have reached Pine Lodge B&B. There is no one available to take your call right now. Please leave a voice message after the tone, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Alternatively, please use our brand new website booking system”.
I scoff. Brand new? They’ve had that rudimentary website for the last five years. I cut the call and try again. It’s towards the end of breakfast service in New Zealand. Surely, I sigh. Surely, someone will pick up the phone.
“You have reached Pine Lodge B&B—“ I drop the arm holding the phone against my side with a sigh, not bothering to hear the rest of the automated message.
I’ll leave a voicemail. The long beep makes me jump. What was I even going to say? I clear my throat. “Hey, Mum and Dad. It’s Will. I’m in Bahrain. I won the season…”
The team owner, the manager and several members of the crew are striding towards me, gesticulating, in great spirits. Before they tear me out of my bubble, I continue speaking quickly. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you I’m coming home for Christmas. And maybe New Year’s. Speak soon. Love you.”
I hang up the call and take a deep breath. Wow, I’m really doing it. Taking a break after five years. I ruffle my helmet hairand stride towards my team. I have some helluva good news to share.
29th November
Monaco
Darius Plein letsout a large puff of cigar smoke. I cough and raise my eyebrows at Tom, the long-suffering team manager. Tom sighs, and waves around his nose, to send a direct cue to Darius, the owner.
Darius sets down his cigar and leans back in his sumptuous leather chair. “You know, Will, when I took you on five years ago, you were a nobody from some backwater at the end of the world.”
I’ve heard this spiel so many times over the years, that I cut straight in. “And I’m grateful, Darius. But this holiday season, I’m taking a break. Going off-grid. Visiting family.”
Tom chuckles. “Good luck with that.”
My fingers start a regular drumming on the wooden armrests. I know I’m taking a big gamble here. I’m not Madonna-famous, but I’m recognizable. Tall, red hair. I stand out like a giraffe. A memory tugs at the back of my brain, and I let myself be carried to the past for a second.
“Earth to Will! Hello!” Darius shouts through his cupped hand like a voicebox.
I’m even more irritated. I slouch, cross my legs and tap my feet. “I know people will recognize me. I lived there for eighteen years. But I also know that people in Queenstown don’t CARE who I am”, I emphasize for good measure.
Tom shrugs and wipes some invisible specs of dust off his armrests. Darius’s place is absolutely spotless, kept by an army of cleaners, butlers and assistants. My one bedroom apartment would fit in his walk-in closet.
Darius stares at the ceiling, his palms forming a triangle. He is puzzled by me telling him I’m going. Not asking for permission. Just going.
I rise before this conversation drags on longer than it has. “That’s settled then. I’m off from mid-December until after New Year’s. Until then, it’s training as usual.”
Darius cocks his head. “Ok. I’ll allow it. Have a good break. Don’t get in too much trouble.”
I roll my eyes, as I push the ornately carved door towards temporary freedom. “Yes,Mum.”
The idea of going back to New Zealand fills me with both longing and dread. I yearn to reconnect with the place that shaped me, but I'm also afraid of facing the person I left behind. Will I still recognize myself? Will they? I know I need to make this journey, but I can't shake the inner turmoil it brings.
29th November
