Sometimes the bar changed. Sometimes the time was closer to midnight, business or personal matters sending their meeting time back. Sometimes it was cancelled and there'd be a gap of a week, two, three even where their Friday didn't happen.
It would be a stretch to call Clifford O'Donnell a friend. The '72 Stutz Blackhawk was a loudmouth with a brash personality, but they got along just fine. Despite their clients.
Friday found them again, at one of their most frequented bars, not really friends, just two cars with similar jobs and not so similar clients.
"I'm telling ya, Chick's gonna be the death of me. This guy- lemme tell ya, Harv, be glad you ain't his agent- this guy calls me up to tell me he's gotta cancel the little sponsor thing with one of his smaller sponsors cause he's got a date. A DATE. I ask him, for kicks, cause Chick ain't the dating type, who with, and he tells me he'd rather not say. Honestly, I'm pretty sure he just doesn't wanna do it. Wouldn't be the first time.".
"Sounds like a real winner right there.". Harv was fighting a grin- he'd heard many stories about Chick, and they got better with time. Although he suspected they wouldn't last much longer- Cliff had hinted at a retirement for the racer soon, but Harv doubted that in a way. Cliff just rolled his eyes, but there was an edge of a smile.
"Yeah, a real winner. I tell you what, if this punk hadn't made me rich, I woulda dropped him ages ago. Can you believe that people actually liked him up until that tiebreaker fiasco?"
"Sure as hell can. I mean, people liked McQueen and he was an ass."
"McQueen was an absolute ass. I thought Chick was bad, but y'know, at least he's got character. McQueen just thought he was hot shit. Took that little town- what was it, Rateater Sinks?- to make him have some likeability."
"Radiator Springs.". It was an automatic answer- he'd given off an air of not caring about the town to his client, but he'd been too curious about the damned place to pretend he didn't at least know the name of it anymore.
"Right. Radiator Springs. Wish I could shove Chick there, get him a little more popular again. Got his hood in the clouds that one. Pretty sure he's given up, but y'know, people hate him now."
"Eh, he's old news anyways. I mean the guy's been around for over a decade, he's far past being even close to the best.". Cliff chuckled.
"You sure ain't wrong. He's too stubborn to give up, I'll tell ya that. But hey, what hotshot racer isn't?"
"They're keeping us in the money, that's for sure.".
"I'll toast to that!"
Fridays. They weren't friends, but they sure seemed like it to anyone who cared to notice.