Pit Lane Persephone

Chapter 6: Seb (Part 2 of 2)

When the PR guy gathers us for a group picture with the park's resident Komodo dragon, I yell across the pen to Lauren who missed the call, but the man with the camera waves me off.

"That's alright. Just the fellas this time," the press photographer says, moving Tobei a little closer to the venomous reptile before stepping back and starting to shoot. After a few pictures, our guide is already leading us to the next stop.

The ooh's and ah's start as soon as we enter the koala house. Warm and humid, the miniature indoor eucalyptus jungle mimics the fuzzy, gray animals' natural habitat. Nando and I wander around a bit before finding a little guy about two meters up with its furry bottom wedged between the y-shaped intersection of two branches. Holding onto the trunk with its long, sharp claws, the koala looks down at us with its beady, dark eyes and twitches its large, black nose. I have to admit, it's darn cute.

"Would ya like to hold her?" asks a keeper as Lauren joins us.

What made her ditch the girls, I wonder.

"You guys gotta do it, but I definitely want to go after you," she says when I don't respond quickly enough.

"Oh, no." Nando points to his nose. "Allergies."

He's such a liar. He just doesn't want anyone to know he has a phobia of small, fuzzy things. Even a kitten makes the hair on his arm stand on end. It's hilarious. But Lauren is now looking at me with the expression of a kid on Christmas morning, waiting to get the go-ahead to open her presents.

"I do it already last year. You go," I say.

I've already showered. Playing with the koala—tempting as it is—would mean I'd need to do it again when I'm planning on falling face first into bed as soon as we get back to the hotel. Plus, Lauren is clearly more excited about the opportunity than I am.

"Are you sure?" Her question at this point is probably just to be polite because she's already heading toward the keeper prying the animal off its perch.

I smile and hold out my hand. "Of course. Give me your mobile. I take a picture."

She stops and fishes it out of her pocket. "Okay. Thank you." As she hands the phone over, my fingers graze hers. It may just be my imagination, but I think she blushes.

I step back, and soon Lauren is holding the koala like a baby with one hand under its bottom and the other supporting its back. The animal's front paws—with some decent sized claws—rest on her shoulders.

"Oh. My. God," She whispers, trying to contain her excitement. "She's so soft and warm, and I just want to take her home with me."

I chuckle. This is the first time I've seen my teammate enthusiastic about anything that's not motorcycle related, which—from the little I know of her—I didn't think was possible. Maybe she isn't the 'all-business, all the time' person she's tries to be, like at the press conference with the overtly diplomatic answers or at the photoshoot with her carefully considered reservations. Not that there's anything wrong with being professional. This is our job, after all. But for someone in her position, she's better off not taking things too much to heart and enjoying the perks along the way. Because she's most likely going to be struggling at the back of the pack coming into our series this late in the season. And the last thing I need is another teammate who can't handle the pressure if things don't always turn out perfect.

"Can you turn a little so I can get its face?" I ask when I can't get a good angle of the koala.

Lauren takes a deep breath. "Okay." She slowly shifts positions, and I snap a picture.

"Ya don't have to worry," says the keeper. "She won't break. Ya can even walk around a bit if you'd like. She enjoys the cuddles."

"Well, I mean who doesn't?" Lauren laughs, taking a few steps and gently bouncing the animal. When the koala strengthened her grip on Lauren's shoulders, she stops and grimaces. "Owowow. Sorry about that, buddy. No bouncing. Got it."

"Does someone else want to give it a go?" The keeper asks Schulz and Pichler—followed by two photographers—who've also joined us.

Before anyone can accept the offer, Lauren lets out a surprised gasp. "What do I do now?" Her voice is super high-pitched and her eyes are wide with shock as a disgusting smelling liquid flows through her fingers and trickles down the front of her shirt.

"Oh, my. She hadn't done that in a while." The keeper takes the animal before sticking it up the tree again.

Lauren looks down at her pee stained clothes before bursting out laughing. "Is this at least considered lucky?"

We've all been waiting for her reaction, but now everyone relaxes and joins in the laughter. The keeper also looks relieved and finally smiles. "Don'tcha worry. All our koalas here are healthy so no risk of ya catchin' anything." She grabs Lauren's wrist. "But I will help ya get cleaned up. Come along."