Spinning My Wheels: One-Shots
Red's Inner Voice
I am not shy, I am not a mute, and my name is not Red. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Ralph Ranft. Who am I, you ask? Why, don't you recognize me? I am that red fire truck who sits in the background, watering flowers all day…Or at least that's what you think. There is more to me than just flowers and being quiet all the time. Let me start from the beginning. I was manufactured in Pasadena, California by a firetruck company. Both of my parents were thrilled when the box containing me arrived on their front doorstep, especially after waiting for several months. They could not be any happier to have me in their lives and I couldn't be any happier to have them in mine. All was right in the world. However, there was one small problem. They wanted me to be a fire truck, like them. I wanted to become a mime. I have been practicing to be one for years, in fact. Convincing, no? I had you fooled for a while there, yes? My parents never approved. They told me I was wasting my time playing Make Believe when I could be out saving lives. Yeah, fire and I just don't mix. It has always frightened me, to be honest. I know. A fire truck who is scared of fire? What is up with that? Well, as I got older, I decided to face my fears and try my tire at firefighting, at least until my miming career took off. What a terrible mistake it was. It was my first day on the job and all I could do was freeze as a building burned to the ground...I was fired immediately, by my own father. Yes, he was the fire chief. Embarrassed, I decided to leave Pasadena on a soul searching trip, to figure out my life…Maybe go to Florida or possibly New York. See if I could get my miming career off the ground at those places. I…Uh…Got a little lost along the way. I found myself in the middle of a desert. It was a nightmare to navigate, not to mention it was scary at night time. So many vehicles have disappeared crossing the desert at night, especially motorcycles. There were no towns or gas stations for miles, not even a hotel. I had no choice but to continue driving. About an hour later, I came across, you guessed, the town of Radiator Springs. Sheriff was the first one to greet me, followed by Mater and the rest of the town's folk. Everyone was so nice to me. They showed me the town, invited me to their game night, fed me, and gave me a place to stay. I had never seen so much history, so much hospitality, and so much beauty in one place. I just had to stay there for a more few days. It wasn't like I was in a hurry or anything, so why not. Well, those few days became a few months and those few months became a few years. Yep, I wound up moving there, but you already knew that. What did I do for work, you ask? I opened up a flower shop. What about my dream of becoming a mime? I am already living it. It is more of a full-time hobby, though. What about my parents? I still talk and visit with them from time to time. Yes, they apologized to me and I, in return, have forgiven them. What? Did you think that I never spoke to them again? That I shut them out of my life forever? They're not monsters, you silly humans. They were just doing what they thought was best for me. It was an honest mistake. Well, now you know my story. Uh-oh. I better go. My friends are giving me weird looks and whispering to each other.