Chapter Four
"Morning, Dragon," Marlene greeted her friend.
"Storm," Lightning agreed, nudging her playfully. "Wanna play a game?"
"Sure," she said quite excitedly. "What are the rules?"
"Just don't ask anyone for answers, and try to figure them out for yourself, alright?" he said.
"What are 'them'?" she asked.
"The 'them' are riddles. I give you one, and the answer lies in a place where that resident usually lives, and it goes on from there," he said. "This game was planned exceptionally for you."
"Really?" She was overjoyed. They'd remembered her birthday!
"Really," he confirmed. "Now, the last riddle leads you to a big surprise."
"I'm ready," she said.
"I'm round like the moon but black like the sky," he started.
She was thoughtful for a moment. "Luigi's Casa Della Tires!" she exclaimed, and raced off to Luigi's.
"Hiya Luigi, Guido!" she greeted excitedly.
"Are you here for the riddle?" Luigi said, chuckling.
"M-hm!"
"I'm a-wet like-a water, but as colorful as the rainbow," he said.
"Ramone's! Thanks Luigi!" With that, she raced away to Ramone's.
"Ramone?" she asked.
He chuckled. "Slippery when wet," he started, "but yummy when tasted."
"Flo's!" she squeaked happily, and he watched her race away.
"Hiya Flo!" she said.
Flo only laughed. "She's smart and beautiful, and has an uncanny love for something we usually don't like," she said.
Marlene's heart sank. She was stumped. She thought of it just about the whole day. That late afternoon, Lightning settled by her in her usual spot at Flo's: just out of the way but it was still at Flo's.
"You know, it still weirds me out that Sally designed the motel rooms like traffic cones," he said, smiling.
A light bulb lit up. "That's it!" She kissed him on his fender. "Thanks Lightning!" With that, she left for Sally's.
"Sally!" she squeaked.
"Well, that one took you a long time to figure out," Sally chuckled. "Anyway, rusted or not, idiot or not, he's still the most helpful of us all."
She pursed her lips, deep in thought. She gasped as a thought clicked. "Mater!"
She raced away to Mater's, but Mack told her he was out tractor tipping. By the time she reached him, it was about sunset.
"Heya Mater," she said.
"Oh, hiya Marlene," he greeted her. "Come on; I wanna show you something." He led her to a downtrodden path in a field. "I don't know what's in there, but I'm too afraid to check." His tires rattled lightly. "Could you come with me and check it out?"
She chuckled, patting him gently. "Sure." With that, she entered the field, knowing he was in tow. But when she checked behind her, he was gone.
"Mater?" she asked. "Mater, where are you?"
She could only drive forward to see if he'd planned a surprise ahead of her. She smiled at that fact, then saw a light hidden by the grass in front of her. She pounced out of the grass, hoping to catch him.
But what she caught was Francesco Bernoulli, smiling that smile with bright, hopeful eyes, not those that she saw yesterday that made the twins swoon.
But she snarled anyway. "What is this?" she spat.
"It is a candlelight dinner for two," he replied calmly. "Look, I chose this spot for us because McQueen a-told me you like a-watching the sunset." He backed away to reveal a beautiful view of the sunset that he'd hidden behind himself. He wanted to surprise her with that. He smiled at her.
But she'd felt more frustrated than ever. "Do you think all this will grant my okay to be with you, to sleep with you, only to not see you there the next morning? Is that it?" she asked, hot tears in her eyes.
His face was suddenly afraid and sad. "No, no, it's not like that!"
"But it seems so!" she exclaimed. "Do you really think you can go through great lengths like that just to woo a girl you can leave the next day? Do you?" He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. Tears rolled off her fenders as she spoke. She was breaking her own heart. But she had to. She wanted to avoid worse heartache. "You just don't understand, don't you? You think you can just barge in here, invade my privacy, and think that those open wheels of yours will ever make me fall like the twins did? You can't! I didn't ask for you to come here! Whatever you're offering, I don't want it! I don't want any of it!" She was sniffling already, her heart hurting like hell. "I don't love you!" she spat finally "I don't need you!"
He stared at her, trying to comprehend her words. Sorrow gripped his heart like a spiked vise: the more it tightened, the more it hurt his heart, and he didn't want this kind of hurt. He never wanted to experience such a thing again.
"Marlena, please," he pleaded, driving to her.
"No!" she said, glaring at him. "I don't want you! Just…just go away!" With that, she drove away.
Francesco sank to the grass, crying, frustrated. All he wanted to do was to be her lover, to tell her how much she meant to him, how much he loved her. But all that disappeared when she told him she didn't love him back. He blew out the candle, signaled for the waiter to clean up, and headed back to town.
Back at the motel, he could hear frustrated shouts of an argument. He could hear every word she was saying.
How could you ever think that was a surprise?
Marlene, give him a chance, please! He hasn't even done anything to you!
I don't care! He's still the arrogant pile of metal I saw at Porto Corsa!
What made you think he was arrogant? He was just trying to make a good first impression!
She was silent.
Lightning's voice was gentler, and Francesco moved closer. He planned all this with my help, but most of it was just him. He wanted your birthday to be special, Marlene. He cares.
But-but what if—?
He won't, Marlene. Don't be afraid. Like our head doctor said, don't live in the past.
I…I can't. Old habits die hard.
Then maybe it's time for them to die after so long.
They were silent for a while, except for her sniffling.
Just try and give him a chance.
With that, Lightning's engine revved, trying to turn around. Francesco hurriedly left to enter his cone, then went to sleep with a heavy heart.
