Sorry this final part has taken so long to appear. Perhaps sub-consciously I just did not want to say goodbye to our characters. Either that or I was really quite busy. However, we must say goodbye, and here is how we’re going to do it - the results of our final vote. Melissa’s future caused quite a bit of discussion but we have a definitive answer: Mitch sat in the garage, helmet in hand, his eyebrows furrowed.

Well now, that was a really fun experiment! For a long time Mitch was leading the vote, but Bruno snuck up from behind and took glory. Only Mason was chosen twice out of the various Other suggestions. I am intensely curious where the idea of Damon Hill came from. Anyway, on with the story. “Bruno,” Melissa sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “What are you doing?” “I just wanted to see you,” he said.

I am very impressed with how good and honest you all are: Let’s see how she takes it! Also for today’s poll, I thought we’d try out the “fill in your own” option. Much fun! “Come with me,” Mitch said, taking her by the arm and leading her through the crowd. They slipped out into the corridor and Melissa followed Mitch as he rounded the corner and walked ahead. He slowed outside a door, knocked lightly, peeked inside, and gestured for Melissa to follow him in.

I needed a few days for this one to come to fruition, but we’re getting there. Now we are on part seven and beyond, I know where I’m going with each outcome. We have some end goals in sight, people. Here are the results for the last vote: I thought it might be closer than that, but interesting voting, nonetheless. Now for part 7: “I’m not going to race you, Bruno,” Mitch said, and his voice had a definite edge that couldn’t be ignored.

We’re entering into the second half of our story now, and things are hotting up. Old rivalries come to the fore, and new relationships are tested. There, that ought to look good on the back of the book. Here are the results of the vote: That Mitch, he does like handling things himself. “Don’t make any calls, Mason. You sound like you’re in the mafia.” “You never know,” Mason chuckled.

Certainly a very tricky situation, and how will Mitch try and get out of it? Mitch slammed his foot on the brake but knew that stopping wasn’t an option. The track was slippery and grip was almost non-existent. Bruno was inches away. Mitch jerked the car left, as hard as it would go, and held his breath. Bruno steered the other way, but his out of control Shuttleworth continued sideways. They touched wheels.

My timing seems to have gone all wonky now. I closed the poll late, and this post has appeared later than I’d hoped. I can only apologise. Here are the results for the poll on Part 3: Quite the majority! Awww, you guys. “Wow!” Mitch said, hugging her quickly. “Congratulations. I’ll have to take you out for a celebratory drink.” “I turned it down,” Melissa said. “A commiseratory drink?” “I wanted to turn it down,” she clarified.

Oh, wow, I have wrestled with this next section. I wrote it. Then I wrote it again with about six different endings. Then I went back to the original ending. It may still not be right yet. But let’s go with it. “This is nice,” Melissa said, as the waiter offered her a menu. Bruno smiled. “Wine?” he asked. “No, no, just a sparkling water for me. Can’t drink on duty.

Yay for the return of Mitch and Friends. If anyone wants a quick catchup on everything that has happened so far, or wants a reminder of which character was which, I created a Life in the Fast Lane page with all you need to know. Now, the results of the vote for Part 1: I am glad that everyone on the list got some votes, I thought it might be a one horse race as only one of the characters is known to us so far.

So, here it is. The return of Mitch and his friends. I wanted to write a ten-step story on a different topic but I wasn’t inspired by anything else, and I missed Mitch. Marilene sent me a tweet and suddenly the sequel was there in my head, as though it had always been there. So thanks to Marilene, and thanks to you for reading. I hope it’s okay! Melissa took a deep breath and pushed open the gate.