Chapter 7
“Eww.” I muttered to myself as I looked at a small Hyundai hatchback on Car Sales. I scrolled past it, looking to the next few cars.

It was mid-afternoon, and so far I had spent most of my morning doing this. Looking through cars and trying to find something decent. Granted I knew nothing about cars, so I was basing my judgements on looks alone.

The day before, I finally got access to my bank accounts, seeing as I couldn’t remember my details from before the crash. Whilst my card had Paypass, that was only good for $100 or less. Good for the odd trip for groceries, however made any important purchases or cash out impossible. Mum had been covering most of my expenses since the crash, seeing as my money was locked away in the depths of my mind, but I didn’t want to be depending on her for too long. It felt good to have access to my money again. Like my life was starting to return to normal.

During the time when I couldn’t access my account, I got paid out for insurance on my crashed car, and I was starting to get sick of relying on lifts and busses. It had been about four days since I first caught the bus by myself, and since then I had caught it just about every day, going to the shopping centre, the bank, and even university to try and figure out how to proceed with my course. They ended up recommending that I defer for a year until I am in a more stable position before continuing my course.

As I scrolled through pages and pages of cars however, was distracted. Even though the last few days had restored my sense of independence, to a degree, this was a whole other level. I knew I should get someone to help me, but I was forcing myself to not think about it, because, truth is, the only person I can picture helping me through all this is Mason.

I hate it because I have only know him for about two weeks, and I am becoming way too attached. The other day, when we pretended to be a couple to p*** Aaron off, I liked that way too much. Deep down, though I wouldn’t admit it, I kind of wished that it was real.

I mean, I barely know the guy, outside of what he has told me. We have a history that I know nothing of. And I can’t help but think that at some point or another before the crash, I would have felt this way about him if I feel it now.

Maybe he wasn’t interested. Or maybe I never had the nerve to talk about it. Or maybe I just suppressed it all. Or maybe I never saw him this way, and I only am now because of how much I have relied on him.

I continued scrolling through pages of cars, skimming through information that I didn’t even understand most of the time.

“Stuff it.” I muttered as I grabbed my phone, and opened my contacts. I scrolled down to Mason’s name, and pressed call.

The phone rang for a few seconds, before I heard his voice.

“Hey, how’s things?”

“Alright.” I replied, “If you have a bit of free time, I need some help. I’ll shout you dinner if you come around for the afternoon and give me a hand.”

“Sounds vague.” Mason said, “Do I need to bring anything?”

I thought about it for a second. If we were looking at cars, two computers were probably better than one.

“Just bring your laptop.” I replied, “I’m looking at cars, and I have no idea what I am looking for.”

“You called the right guy.” Mason laughed, “I’ll just finish cleaning up, and come around as soon as I’m done.”

“Thanks.”

Truth is, I could have easily asked Tom to help me, or just gone for the same car I had before the crash, and not worried about it. But from what I have seen, Mason wants to help me, and as for a different car, well I pretty much have a new life now. I feel like there is no point me trying to relive my old life, ‘cause it’s gone. Maybe forever.

About forty minutes later, I heard a knock on the door.

Mason was dressed in his usual attire (from what I had seen), of a pair of jeans, a casual button up shirt, with a dark hoodie and a jacket over the top. At his side was a messenger bag with what I presumed was his laptop.

“So what’s with the sudden fascination with cars?” Mason asked, as he took a seat on the couch. I made my way over and sat next to him.

“Well my old car is wrecked from the accident, and I just got access to my bank account, which now has the insurance payout in it.” I replied, “That and the gimmick of the bus is getting old quickly.”

“Fair enough.” Mason said, as he opened his laptop, “I’ve done some thinking, based on your history of cars, and have some ideas. Granted, I don’t know what your budget is. I just guessed based on what your old car was probably worth.”


He loaded Car Sales, and quickly opened up a listing for a Hyundai i30.

“Apparently these things are pretty reliable.” Mason said, putting the laptop in front of me, “And it is similar to your last car. Mid sized hatchback.”

“Maybe.” I said, “Either way, I’d want to take it for a test drive to be sure.”

“About that…” Mason said cautiously, “I’m not meaning to be rude or anything, but with your whole memory thing-”

“Do I still remember how to drive?” I asked.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know to be honest.” I explained, “Some stuff I have absolutely no idea how to do, like catching the bus. Then there is some that I have to do once or twice, and eventually I pick it up pretty quickly, I assume as well as I used to, like doing my washing. Stuff I’ve done a million times before that I just needed to be refreshed on. Then some stuff, I still do without even realizing it. Stuff like showering, or brushing my teeth. I didn’t need to be taught how to do that again.”

“It could be any of these. I could get into a car and be able to drive it no problems. I might need a few practise laps then I’ll be good.” I said, “Or I may need to start again from scratch.”

Mason was silent for a second.

“Well, before you test drive something for sale, maybe you should drive something else first to find out.” Mason said, sounding as if he was hinting at something.

“What are you suggesting? I borrow a car?” I asked. Before I even finished the sentence, he had pulled his keys out of his pocket.

“No way! You love that car, and it is too nice to risk!” I replied, “You can’t let me take it onto the roads!”

“Calm down.” Mason said, “We will take it to an empty car park and see how you go. If it’s just like riding a bike, I’ll let you take it for a spin down some roads. And besides, it only got as nice as it did after I got all the damage I did to it fixed.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Mason didn’t respond, however put his laptop aside and made his way to the door.

“Come on. While we still have daylight.”

Half an hour later we were on one of the multilevel car parks at Greensborough Plaza. The plaza itself had a massive carpark, however one of its department stores had one as well, which was nearly always empty according to Mason. And this is where I’d find out if I knew how to drive.

I sat in the driver’s seat, anxious about damaging Mason’s car, and even more anxious at how calm he was.

“Run me through that one more time.” I asked, as I hadn’t heard everything he said over my own thoughts.

“The engine spins, and connects to the gearbox, and from there, the wheels. If there isn’t enough movement in the engine to move the whole car, the engine stops and the car stalls.” Mason explained, “The clutch, that pedal on your left, disconnects the engine from the gearbox, and lets it spin freely.”

I looked at him still confused.

“Basically, if you press the clutch, the car won’t move when you rev, but you can’t stall it either. You wanna use the clutch when you take off, slow down or change gears.” Mason explained, “When in doubt, dump the clutch. But you’ve done this a million times before. You were the only girl in our class who learnt manual.”

“That’s reassuring… I think.” I said, “Okay, so I’m in neutral. Hold in the clutch?”

“Yep, then put it into first.” Mason replied, pointing at the gear shifter on my left. I moved it to the left and pressed it up. The motion felt strangely natural, even though I had no memory of ever doing it before.

“Now give the car some revs, then let off the clutch. And once the clutch is up, give it a little more.” Mason explained, “When it starts making revving high, push down the clutch, release the accelerator, then shift and take off again.”

“One step at a time…” I replied.

I pressed lightly on the accelerator, and saw the red needle on the tachometer rise a little.

“Now let off the clutch and as you do, give it some more.”

I let of the clutch, and pressed the accelerator down a little further. The rear wheels of the car span from the sloppy launch, but I had done it.

“Now shift!” Mason said. I pressed down on the clutch, and released the accelerator, pulling down the gear shift into second. Whilst I was still nervous driving his car, I could feel a sense of familiarity in it.

“And again!”

We drove forward for a few more seconds, until we started to run out of carpark.

“Now slow down, and down-” Mason said, as I pressed down the clutch, and hit the brakes. I turned right, and shifted the car into second, taking off again. Pretty soon I had made a lap of the carpark.

“Just like riding a bike-” Mason said before a look of horror hit his face.

“STOP!”

I quickly slammed down the clutch and hit the brakes.

“What?” I asked. Mason smiled.

“I wanted to see if you could stop the car in the heat of the moment.” Mason explained, “If you hit the clutch first, then I’d know that everything is still in there, it's just a matter of getting to the habit of doing it again.”

“A**hole!” I shouted, “You scared the s*** out of me!”

Mason laughed, as I pretty quickly calmed down and actually admired his ability to figure this stuff out.

“You ready to take it on the road?” Mason asked.

“Do you trust me to take it on the road?” I replied.

“What does a green light mean?” Mason asked in response, “And who has right of way at a roundabout?”

“Green light means go, obviously, and as for the roundabout, whoever is there first, but if people are there at the same time, give way to the person on your right.”

“Told you.” Mason said, “It’s all in there. Come on. Take me out of here, and turn right, then left at the lights. I got some roads I want to take you on to see how you go before I let you test drive any cars.”

We left the carpark and I followed Mason’s directions, eventually finding ourselves on a windy 70 kilometre per hour road. As we drove past a small road that lead off into the bush, Mason spoke up.

“Blue Lake is down there.”

“When I get my own car, the first thing I'm doing is googling all these places you mention and going there.” I said, “Put all the pieces together.”

We continued on the windy road until a little further up, where it became 80. After a few minutes on this road, we got stuck at a red light with an idiot next to us in a red car, revving his engine. I could feel myself getting annoyed just looking at the car.

“After this intersection the speed limit becomes 100, and the road becomes pretty straight. And there are rarely cops down here.” Mason explained, “Once the light goes green, make him your b****.”

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, but deep down, I was glad he said it.

The second the light went green, I let my foot off the clutch, and hit the accelerator, letting the car nearly redline for a second before shifting.

Within seconds, the other car was getting smaller in my rear view mirror, as Mason burst into laughter.

“You always hated commodores, and the idiots that drove them like that.” Mason explained, “You’d always try and drag them but none of your cars had what it took to keep up.”

Whilst I knew he wasn’t intending to hurt me, I couldn't help but sigh.

“You must really miss her…” I whispered.

Mason gave me a puzzled look.

“The old me. The one that died in that crash, and left me here to carry on.”

There was a silence for a second before he spoke.

“You don't believe you’ll ever get your memory back?” Mason asked solemnly, “Just then, you proved to me that the old you is in there somewhere.”

“I don’t know what I believe to be honest.” I replied, “Deep down, part of me would like to believe that this isn't forever. But I know that chances are, if I get my hopes up, and in ten years I am still the way I am, it will be horrible. I’d rather force myself to start again than constantly wonder if things will go back to normal.”

Mason was quiet, just thinking about the whole thing. I could tell he had a lot on his mind. A lot he wasn't telling me.

“Truth is it’s weird hearing this from you. You were the most optimistic person I knew. Which I needed, being the [i]ray of sunshine[\i] that I am.”

“That’s the thing. Everything you tell me about myself is weird.” I explained, “My life at the moment feels like the person who lived it before me has died, and I’ve been thrown in to cover for her, but only been read half the instruction manual. It’s like, the rest of the world expects me to know what I am doing, whilst I am running around blind.”

“Would you prefer if I didn't talk about before the crash?” Mason asked.

“No, please do!” I replied, “I enjoy learning more about myself. I guess that the flip side of that is coming to terms with the fact that I don't really know a thing about myself.”

“Well just let me say this.” Mason said, “Just know that whatever you do, I’ll have your back. Be it starting a new life, and kicking that off by learning to drive again and getting a new car, or going on a massive journey across Antarctica in hopes of finding yourself. I’ll have your back.”

I couldn't help but feel a little better about the whole situation. The other part of this whole thing that was confusing me was Mason himself. Half the time I find myself falling for him and the other half I am suspicious of him. But hearing that put my mind at ease. Mason is the best friend I have right now, and I need to be thankful for that.

“Thanks Mason.” I said, as I turned left at the intersection.

“Do you have any idea where you are or where you’re going?” Mason asked.

“No, why?”

“Because the last four turns you have taken, are the ones you'd have to take to get home, and I haven't told you where to go.” Mason said with a grin, “It’s all there. I know it. And maybe one day you will find it.”

We arrived at my house about half an hour later, significantly more confident that I hadn’t lost my ability to drive. And I was relieved that I hadn't damaged Mason’s car.

“So should we call up the person selling that Hyundai and organise a test drive?” Mason asked. I thought about it for a second.

“No, don’t.”

“How come?”

“You said my old car couldn’t beat a Commodore…” I explained, “Well it felt good thrashing that guy at the lights…”

Mason burst into laughter.

“What have I created…” he muttered to himself as he tried to get a grip, “Okay so you want a faster car than your Mazda 3?”

“Yeah.” I replied, “Even though it is pretty old, your car felt nice to drive. I’d put my foot down and actually feel it. What is yours again?”

“A Toyota MR2.” Mason replied, “But I don't think that's the right car for you. Besides, I don't know what your budget is, but for people our age, it would cost a little more than what we’d have available.”

“How come?” I asked, somewhat confused, “I didn't lose control or anything. And besides, I had savings before insurance paid me out, and now I have more. I'm looking to spend twenty thousand.”

“Jesus, I wish I had twenty thousand to spend on a car. And to be honest, you’re lucky you didn't lose control.” Mason replied, “The MR2 is mid engine, rear wheel drive, except you were driving the way you’d drive a front engine, front wheel drive car like your old Mazda. They handle much differently and if you aren't careful, an MR2 can be a lot more temperamental around corners. Let’s stick with a front engine car for now.”

“Fine…” I groaned half heartedly, feeling a slight bruise to my ego from today’s drive.

“Don’t be like that.” Mason laughed as he opened his laptop, “There are plenty of good front engine cars.”

He opened a folder called photography, clicking to one called cars, then another called favourites, clicking on the first image.

The first image was a small, two seater convertible with pop up headlights.



“Too small,” I said, “I don't think I could take myself seriously driving one of those.”

“Fair enough.” Mason said clicking onto the next image.



“That’s… alright…” I said, trying to think of some way to explain what I thought, “It looks too much like someone got the sort of car my mum would drive, and tried to make it look tough.”

Mason burst into laughter before clicking onto the next photo.



“I like that one.” I explained as I looked through the photo, “It has that classic sorta look, but still looks a little modern and different.”

“I like your taste, but I better stop you there.” Mason replied, “That has a rotary engine. Great engine if they’re well maintained and looked after. Nightmare if they aren't. If you wanted one of those you'd be better off buying all the pieces and rebuilding the whole thing from scratch to make sure it works. And I'm not much help there.”

“Fair enough.” I replied, still slightly disheartened, as Mason clicked onto the next image.



As I saw the car pop up onto the screen, I knew it was the one.

“I don’t car what you say, that’s it.” I said, pulling the laptop closer to get a better look, “That’s the car.”

Mason laughed, before opening his photography folder, and typing S15 into the search bar.

“That is a Nissan Silvia S15.” Mason explained, before clicking on one of the photos. It was the same car but from another angle, showing the back. I instantly fell in love with the taillights and the badge.

“It has a two-litre, turbocharged engine, same size as mine, with a little more power, but still plenty quick enough.” Mason said as he flicked through photos.

“And how much would one cost?” I asked, as that was one of the deciding factors for me. Mason opened up carsales and punched in the car, quickly selecting manual, roadworthy certificate and turbo, with a maximum price of twenty thousand.

Within seconds there were dozens of results.

“Take your pick.” Mason said, handing me the laptop. I scrolled through eventually stopping at a dark, metallic blue S15.

“What about that one?” I asked, handing the computer back to Mason. He quickly browsed through the photos.

“Looks clean.” Mason muttered as he scrolled through the comments, “Apparently owned by a middle aged bloke who imported it, so you know it hasn’t been thrashed.”

“So it’s good?” I asked, trying not to get too excited.

“Except one thing.” Mason explained, “It’s in Albury.”

“Where’s that?” I asked, feeling the excitement disappear in a heartbeat.

“About four hours north of here. In New South Wales, right near the border.” Mason said, “Basically it means that it is a slight gamble. Short of making multiple trips, the best we could do is drive up there for the day, take it for a test drive, and pay a mechanic to come and take a look at it, then decide if you want to buy it or not after that.”

I remained silent as I looked through the photos. It looked like a really nice car.

“So when are you free this week?” Mason asked, “If we leave here at 8, we can be there by midday, get lunch, test drive it, get it looked at and make a decision, then drive back by 3pm and be home by eight.”

“Wait, you’d drive me up there?” I asked, somewhat shocked.

“Sure.” Mason said, “If you really want this car, and it is as good as he says it is, what’s a day worth in comparison?”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“I am free whenever. I still haven’t really got anything to do until I figure out what I am going to do.” I replied.

“Well if that’s the case, what about the day after tomorrow?” Mason asked, “I have a shoot to do tomorrow, but the next day I have nothing.”

“That would be amazing!” I exclaimed, as I hugged him, nearly knocking him off the couch, “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome.” Mason said, “Just let me take a drive of it as well. Half because I wanna make sure you aren’t getting ripped off, and half because I’ve never driven an S15.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his comment, as I got up and made my way to the kitchen, and opened one of the drawers. I had discovered this recently. A drawer full of take away menus.

“I said I’d shout you dinner, and I plan on keeping my word.” I said, looking through some of the menus, “Do you like Thai food?”

“Haven’t had enough to know.” Mason replied.

“Neither.” I laughed, as I tossed him the menu, “Pick what looks good, and I’ll order it.”

Mason didn’t stay around a great deal longer after dinner. He mentioned a shoot the next day, and that he needed to make sure all his gear was ready. Memory Cards empty, batteries charged, lenses cleaned. It was interesting to see how a serious photographer treats their work as opposed to a teenager with a camera phone. Granted, he’d be stupid not to. This is his livelihood.

Still, I can’t help but wonder why he loves taking photos as much as he does...