Pop Pop.
Sharon and Ray's Apartment building, about 7 months after Ray's Story.
Sharon rides the elevator down to the lobby. She is dressed fancy, wearing a long blue evening gown with matching handbag, ready for her double date with Ray, Toast and one of the nurses from her hospital that she set Toast up with. A chime from her phone alerts her to a text message from Ray.
'Out front. look for white car'
'On my way dwn' she replies.
Sharon ponders what he means by 'white car'. Ray's current car is bright yellow, and he always referred to the shops white station wagon as simply 'the wagon'. She gets her answer when the elevator doors open and she walks through the lobby. Ray, dressed in a grey button up shirt, black slacks and dark sunglasses, stands with arms open in front of pristine white classic Cat-illac.
"Eh? what do you think?" Ray asks as he opens the door for her.
"What is this?"
"Nineteen thirty seven Cat-illac Lasalle, all original. A beautiful car for a beautiful lady."
As she gets in she notices a slight musty smell and a hint of old cigar smoke.
"You borrow this just for our date?" She asks of Ray when he gets in.
"Nope, it's mine, I've had it for a while."
"You own it? How come I have never seen it before?"
"I don't take it out much. I store it in a garage out in Sahara Square to keep it from rusting." He says as he pulls away from the building, engine growling under the long hood.
"Where did you ever get something like this, it must have cost a fortune."
"Inherited it from my grandpa. It was his pride and joy. And yeah, current market value is about one fifty."
"One fifty?"
"Hundred and fifty thousand dollars with the factory options it has, only 30 of them were build in this configuration."
"Oh my. I'd be afraid to drive something that expensive." She says as she pulls her paws to her chest like she is afraid to touch the car.
"Don't worry, it's a driver, not a trailer queen. I just keep it polished up in case I feel like selling it."
"You would sell it even though it meant so much to your grandfather?"
"Sure, the old man told me before he died to sell it and buy something I want, he knew this wasn't exactly my style."
"And yet you still have it."
"Haven't needed the money, and there might be a bit of sentimental value, you know he taught me how to drive in this?"
"He taught you in this?"
"Yeah, remember it like it was yesterday. We went for a drive out to the farmlands and he just pulled over in the middle of nowhere, got out, and said 'Ok, your turn'. I wasn't even old enough to get my permit."
"He let an underaged, YOU, drive his prized car?"
"Yeah, I think he had an idea he was sick already, wanted to teach me as much as he could before he was gone, you know."
"I can see why you would not want to part with this car."
"Nah, the car will be sold someday. Hell, Pete keeps drooling over it every time he sees it, I can get him to empty his bank account in a heartbeat if I offered it up. Now Pop Pop's tools, I'll be taking those to my grave. He also taught me everything he knew about wrenching. Spent many a day and a lot of nights helping him with his race cars."
"Now I know were you get it from."
"Got a lot from him, even my fur, he was another Marble. When the two of us went out together, mom used to joke 'Oh no, I lost my marbles!'. Heh. That was a long time ago."
"Your mother didn't have marble fur?"
"It skipped her, she was a Grey Fox. Don't know what dad was, never knew him, so I have no clue about his fur, but Pop pop said having two Marbles in the same family was a real rarity."
"You never knew your dad? did he…?"
"Don't know. Mom never told me before she passed, and I never thought to ask grandpa."
"I'm so sorry."
"Don't be, I was loved growing up. And if mom didn't talk about my father, then I guess I don't really want to know. Speaking of parents, when are you gonna introduce me to yours?"
Sharon looks at her lap nervously.
"Ummm well…"
"What is it? They do know we are together, right?"
"Dad knows, but mom… well…she kinda hates foxes."
"Oh."
"Yeah so it might take some time before you are invited to family dinner."
"I could just dye my fur, say I'm a skunk or something."
"Ha, after what my sister did? I think skunks are off limits too."
"Which sister did what? This I gotta hear."
"I'll tell you that later, just drive."
Soon, they pull in to a lot in front of a downtown restaurant. Ray parks the car and finds Toast waiting out front with his date, a female weasel in a tight black dress.
"Hey Toast, and you must be Nurse Wendy, I'm Ray."
"Please, just Wendy, I'm not at work. Hi Sharon." The female weasel softly replies.
"Hi Wendy, shall we go in?" Sharon answers.
"Brought the Catty out huh?, was wondering what you would drive after you wrecked your Shadow last night." Toast says as Ray tries to wave him off.
"Wait! You wrecked? Raymond, why didn't you tell me you had an accident?" Sharon yells.
"Everything is fine. It was a minor fender bender. Nobody was hurt." Ray says ducking his head with his paws out in front of him. "Thanks a lot, Toast." he mumbles to his friend.