The Ex

A pair of black biker boots stuck out from under the powder blue Chevy Tahoe that was parked in the middle bay of a small three car garage. The sign over the door into the office simply said "Rodriguez Motorcycle Repair" and blended in with the wide variety of automotive paraphernalia that littered the walls. Eventually after a great deal of swearing the owner of the boots rolled out on a backboard showing black jeans a black denim shirt and then the light brown skin and tied back black hair of a young Latina woman.

She looked up at the man who was waiting for news on his baby and shook her head.

"I'm sorry George, you've locked this tranny up tight and I can't make it budge an inch. Your going to have to take her to someone with a lift."

"But your father always fixed up my baby Anna, I can't trust her to anyone else."

"Dad never had a lift in here either George. You know we mostly do bikes here but I'd never turn down a friend of my father's but there's just nothing I can do with her." She wiped some of the grease off of her face with a rag from her back pocket "Lord knows I could use the business."

"Still that bad?" George asked.

"Too many macho pedejoes around here that think a girl can't fix bikes I'm afraid. Never mind my father spent just about my whole life teaching me. Well the banks not breathing down my neck just yet, cheer up George, the street racing is still keeping the lights on."

"Your gonna get yourself seriously hurt running those races Anna, your dad would have a fit if he were still here."

"Yeah well if dad was still here I wouldn't need to be doing them would I? It's fine, the same meatheads that think I can't fix a bike think I can't race one either and there at least they put their money up instead of keeping it away. You wanting to call to have her towed now? Or need to call a ride home?"

"Nah it's okay I have my other car here, I'll arrange having her towed after I decide who I can trust with her."

"No hurry, God knows I got the space to keep her here until you're ready."

"Good night Anna."

"Good night George."

Anna sighed while she closed and locked the open bay door after he left. Nine months after her fathers **** and things hadn't gotten any better but at least she still had the shop and her little apartment above it. No race tonight and a damned good thing as she was tired and sore as hell from spending hours trying to bust the frozen tranny lose on George's pride and joy. No telling what the hell he'd done to it, he'd certainly not done it "going over a speed bump" like he insisted. Best not to pry, if a customer said they had no idea how honey got into their gas tank you took them at their word dad always said, as long as they paid for the work.

It was lonely work though, first thing dad's few other employee's at the shop had done after his **** was quit en masse. None of them wanted the "Stigmata" of working for a girl. Never mind she'd worked with them for years under him. Fucking cabrones.

Anna left her greasy work clothes in the hamper and scrubbed down with lava soap trying to get the stains out of her skin. A mechanic couldn't be afraid to get dirty her father always said, but that didn't mean you had to like staying dirty. Too tired to even hit a bar and try to pick up a chick for the night Anna just slipped on some jeans and her favorite shirt then turned on the TV. It was a bit cold in here tonight she thought and grabbed her leather jacket to bundle up in instead of turning on the heat. Her eyes were closed even before things faded to black.

.

The woman in a bikers leather jacket sauntered up to the ladies in the circle looking around like a tourist. "Wow this is a crazy dream. I don't know who any of you people are. Wait, no way! Is that the singer for Darkest something something? Karen? No, Carla! I haven't thought of you since my ex dumped me, why are you in my head?" Anna walked over to Shar who was chuckling at the punks antics and the singer who couldn't decide if she wanted to be outraged or keep hiding. "Now you, you are seriously freaky. You can be in my dreams any time you like, just let me get my climbing gear."

"Anna?" Laura gasped "No no no, you did not bring Anna here."

"What's your problem?" Anna asked looking at Laura who seemed to be freaking out. "Wait a minute. Laura? Yeah wow, now the Dorkest Darkness girl makes sense."

"While this is mildly entertaining we do have a schedule so I'd like you to realize you are not in fact dreaming" Shar snapped her fingers and Anna shivered like she'd just had cold water thrown on her "and have a seat so we can get your introduction out of the way."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Anna sat down looking at the host with a mixture of fear and awe. "Sorry about the whole climbing gear thing."

"I take it as a complement. Now if you would introduce yourself to the audience."

"My name is Anna Rodriguez, it's not short for anything just Anna. I'm 26 and own and operate a motorcycle repair shop though most of my money comes from illegal street racing these days. I'm a lesbian, five foot four and wear a C cup. These are some really weird questions by the way. Oh and I know Laura because we were dating in high school before she broke my heart."

"Anna... What happened to your dad?" Lauren looked like she was past having a break down but still looked much less her old confident self now.

"Heart attack, about nine months ago. But you'd know that if you had kept in touch."

"I had college and long distance stuff never works out and I thought a clean break would be best. I'm sorry."

"Yeah well sorry won't bring my father back." Looking back at Shar "So why am I here exactly? Some kind of reality show?"

"And why didn't she zone out giving her intro?" Gabriella wanted to know.

"First I put the questions into her mind when I gave her the wake up call. Secondly you are indeed on a reality Show, think of it as TV but more multiversal. And you'll be playing for a position in the master's, that's Laura by the way, harem."

"Well that's a hell of a thing."

"Indeed. So on to the next candidate, only three left to go!"