Trixie stepped off the plane, her eyes sweeping over the entire area. It had been a long time since she'd been to California . . . without Sparky and Speed, and the prospect of doing something on her own scared her yet excited her at the same time.
'I can do this,' she thought as she went to retrieve her luggage. 'I know I can.'
Unlike Speed, Trixie had a very definite idea as to what she was going to do. She had the talent and the skill, and it wasn't something the racing officials could ban her from doing. And that was flying.
As her thoughts went to Sparky and Speed, she sighed. She'd been there as Speed had made his decision to move out and head for Philadelphia. It had been a heart-wrenching scene to see. Spritle had been devastated and had started crying. The fact that he adored his older brother had not been lost on anyone. It tore the youngster apart that he couldn't go where Speed was going.
'Pops had been upset, too,' she mused, watching as suitcase after suitcase rolled by. 'I'm surprised he didn't blow a gasket after Speed had made his announcement.'
The Racer patriarch had always had a bit of a volatile temper. He exploded but he'd never hit any of his children. Trixie had often been reminded of a big bear when it came to Pops and his family. Strong, burly, and protective. Those three words were the foundation that was Pops Racer.
And if strong, burly, and protective described Pops, loving, compassionate, and understanding were the words that described Speed's mother, Rachel. Her sad expression had been what truly had killed her and Speed both when they and Sparky had announced their intentions for the next year.
'I can't believe we each agreed to go our separate ways . . . I would have thought for sure Speed would have wanted me to go with him or come with me . . . Maybe I shouldn't have ignored him for two days after he made that announcement.'
Having finally retrieved her suitcases, Trixie made her way to the rental car company so she could get to her apartment. Unlike Speed, she had a place to say while she was in San Francisco. Her parents had left her the house in Farmington Hills and an apartment in San Francisco. Her brothers got the other homes across the country. Because she didn't really such a large house to herself, she'd sold it. The apartment in San Francisco had almost met the same fate, until Speed had advised her against it. It would save them hotel expenses from when he raced in California, he'd stated, and she'd agreed.
'There was more to it, though,' she thought as she signed the paperwork for the car. 'He liked the idea of having a place to go during the off-season . . . somewhere to rest . . . It's like he wanted to have a place that would help him to get away from the pressures that surrounded him . . . Maybe him being in Philadelphia will be just what he needs.'
The paperwork complete, Trixie followed the clerk to her car and made her way to her new home. Tomorrow she started her new job. Today, she just wanted relax . . . and allow herself to remember . . .
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Speed fought back a groan the moment the music started. The group that had started all of the talking had decided they were going to celebrate. What, he didn't know but he could tell by their music, they were in quite the good mood.
'At least this isn't going to be a boring trip,' he thought as he gazed out the window. Somewhere, deep inside of him, something started to relax . . .
