Chapter 4:
"Just watch the tape with me, please? Oh and, don't tell my mom. She gets a little too emotional about these things."
"Of course," Joy said a little fearful.
Could my mom really be alive?
"Come on," Storm said, offering his hand.
They walked to the gate where his bike was waiting.
Joy stopped him.
"Uh,uh. I think we should… walk," The word walk sounded a bit too flirtious.
"Oh, ok," He said a bit dazed.
They walked through now quiet, peaceful streets of Radiator Springs.
"This is nice," Joy said as she admired the golden orange shaded sunset.
"Yeah."
They soon entered the serene neighborhood in which Storm lived in.
"Remember when we used to race on our bikes all around this place?" Joy asked.
"Yeah. I would always win." He said jokingly.
"Yeah, it was so 'awesome' when you smashed your head in trees," Joy said sarcastically.
They both laughed until it became awkward. They were in silence for the next few moments. Storm started to feel embarrassed, so he broke the silence.
"We're here," He said nervously.
The house was huge. The modern house was circle-ish and almost completely white. Very different from the rustic farm that Joy had lived in all her life.
"How much things have changed…" Joy gasped at the size of his house mostly.
She laughed, and skipped to the front door. She started to knock, but Storm shook his head. He held the keys up in her face, and she he gave him an "seriously" look.
The keys clicked in the keyhole, and the door slid open.
They entered the house and immediately his little sister, Ray, ran up and hugged him.
"Mom! Storm's home!" She called out still hugging her brother.
Sally ran down the stairs and nudged Ray aside.
"I thought you ran away! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to insult you or- "She stopped talking to smother Storm with kisses.
"Mom stop!" he half laughed, half scolded.
Sally looked up to see Joy admiring the house.
"Joy!" Sally exclaimed.
"Hello, Ms. Carrera! It's been a long time."
"You're all grown up," Sally laughed.
They both embraced.
Joy bent down to Ray.
"You must be Ray," She told the 9-year-old girl.
"Storm has told me a lot about you, good things though."
Ray only smiled and went back to playing with her toys.
Storm turned to his mom. "Do you still have the VCR?"
"Yes, why?"
"To play a tape."
"Since when do you watch tapes?" His mom asked suspiciously.
Storm put on his best good-boy smile. "Since… today! It inspires me to watch history and- "
"Why are you watching the Firestar?" Sally asked with the tape in her hand.
"Wha…" He looked from his mom to the satchel.
"Where did you get this?"
He pursed his lips. "Ma…ter."
Joy cut in before an argument started.
"Please Ms. Carrera, he only wants to know more about his father."
Sally looked from Storm to Joy.
"Fine. But whatever this tape shows, stays in this house, got it?" She said sternly.
Storm grabbed the tape from her hand.
Storm seized the remote for the TV and changed the input.
"Hey! I was watching that!" Ray said angrily.
"Don't you want to know more about dad?" He said in a persuasive tone.
Ray thought a moment.
"Yes."
"Good. Then step aside." He pushed her away.
"Hey!"
Storm placed the VCR in the player, and waited. The screen frizzled on.
All the racers on the screen were head to head close in range.
Storm smiled when he saw the distinctive, one of a kind, #95. He almost gasped at the skill the grace of how his father maneuvered the race car.
The announcers exclaimed over the microphone:
#1: There he goes! Look at that swift maneuver!
The screen switched back to the image of McQueen going swiftly through sharp turns like a pro.
#2: I don't this guy will ever retire! He's just too good! Why-
The recording started to fast forward.
"What?" He saw that Joy had the remote.
"Wh-what are you doing?" He asked.
"Fast forwarding to the part where something actually happens," She said bored.
The video stopped rewinding.
Storm complained, "This is halfway through the race, it could have already happen- "
#1: Oooh! A terrible spinout by McQueen!
#2: Is he going to make it?
Both: He fell off the cliff!
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Storm said quickly. "Rewind, rewind."
"Ok, ok, ok, ok." She mocked.
Storm saw his father driving just fine until the tire exploded and he skidded out. Then-
Static.
"Nooo, no, no, no, no, no." He said half crazed, half angry.
He tried to take the tape out and put it back in again.
Static.
Uhh!
He hit his head on the TV.
"Stupid VCR's!" He said loudly. He paused. He heard tapping on the floor.
He looked up and his mom was right there, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
"Uhh…. Hey, mom… how's it going?" He said with a strained smile.
Sally narrowed her light blue eyes.
"Storm?" Joy said.
"Uh-hu?" He spoke through gritted teeth.
"I have to go. My dad doesn't like me to come back home after dark." She looked up to Sally. "Bye Ms. Carrera!"
"Tell Mater I said hi," Sally replied as Joy closed the door.