Author's Note: Okay, that was much longer than two weeks! Thank you for being so patient. If you've been following my Instagram page, you would know my job offered me a full-time position (it was not expected) on top of having a couple of medical issues at home. I'm doing much better now, and it's just in time for my college graduation next week.
Just a quick note (I also mentioned this on my Instagram page), this chapter is an update for the characters in Carburetor County and does not include Jane and Murphy, but they are mentioned in passing. You'll see them again in the next chapter.
Also, your very sweet messages did not go unnoticed, and I would like to express my gratitude to you all. Your messages were encouraging, inspiring, and you made me cry a few times. I guess that's payback for the Springwheel chapter...heh. I had no idea this story meant so much to so many of you and while I can find words for the characters, I cannot find the words myself to express how much you all mean to me as well; and how thankful I am for each and every one of you.
As always, thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you've enjoyed this chapter or if you're enjoying the story so far! You don't have to, but it'd sure be cool if you did. c:
You should totally be part of the fun on my Instagram: artby0lemons0
I always post sneak peeks and extras!
(yes the title of the chapter is a Bohemian Rhapsody reference)
Chapter 39 - "Mama, Didn't Mean to Make You Cry"
Meanwhile, in Carburetor County...
Jane Taylor's absence brought faint memories back to Radiator Springs. Though they only formed a few years back, they remained as vivid as Mack's tires driving her away just the morning before.
"Red! Over here!" called a little porcelain white Porsche. Her height and width were only slightly larger than one of the Fire Engine's tires.
Mere years before the little Porsche, Radiator Springs began to hear the curious sounds of shopping cars rolling down Main Street again; a town just getting used to the new chatter and laughter of vehicles navigating through the desert to stop for a rest. Even at its busiest, the town's tourists tapped their tires to rock'n'roll coursing through gritty speakers set up near Flo's. During the off-season, however, the desert's hush served as a whispered reminder of the days before the hordes of customers; or a young car stirring up a ruckus in a town full of classics.
Jane leaned over one of his flower arrangements by the Court House. Each flower was meticulously planted in a tire pot packed with dirt, "I think there's a ladybug on this flower!"
But traveling ahead in time, between the cash registers' rings and happy horn beeps, the giggling of a vibrant young girl contrasted the hustle and bustle. Suddenly, the antique vehicles who stood rather mature and reserved in their older age became more playful and imaginative.
The old Fire Truck snickered and rolled over to her, "Mm?"
"In here! She looks so happy! See? Do you see her?"
The Fire Truck tilted his body, studying the ladybug, then he glanced back at Jane. He gestured his wheel toward her and smiled.
Jane's mirrors twitched. Growing up in Radiator Springs, the Porsche learned how painfully shy he could be. She knew Red's movements were his speaking voice, so she turned her attention from the ladybug to the Fire Truck, "What is it, Red?"
Red's smile grew a bit larger and he gestured toward her once more. Jane furrowed her eyelids. She, like everyone else in town, had to process his movements in order to understand him. Suddenly, she gasped with a grin.
"Oh! You mean she's like me!"
Red nodded quickly and pulled his horn twice in celebration of her understanding.
"She's happy like me! Oh! But-," Jane paused and looked back at the flower. She brought her voice down to a whisper and said, "-this critter is red...and quiet like you."
Red's smile faded enough for his bottom lip to quiver. He leaned his weight to one side while his engine purred softly from the Porsche's sweet words.
Jane's expression mirrored his when she finally looked back at her friend. That is, until she noticed his expression.
"Uh oh," she said, "Are you sad?"
Red shook his front end 'no', but despite the small smile upon his bumper and discret sniffles, a tear fell from his windshield.
Jane giggled, "Aww, Red! Those are happy tears!"
"Mmhm," the Fire Truck pulled forward and nuzzled his chin against her fender.
She tried to lean into his sparkling chrome some more, but no matter how much Jane tried, she seemed weightless compared to Red, "Then let's go find some more!"
Other memories….felt like they could happen again in the present day, and no car would be the wiser.
Down by Sarge's Surplus Hut, the veteran Army Jeep stood tall and proud by his front garage door while Lightning and Sally's daughter had her axles locked onto a push-mower in the middle of his lawn. The corrugated metal shell surrounding Sarge's shop reflected the hot sun onto Jane's white paint. Fortunately, the color of her paint reflected the sun's heat right back. Unfortunately, it only made the land inside Sarge's picket fence feel like driving through an oven.
"Now! Aboooout-face," the Army Jeep hollered, "Time for you to get the NEXT line of grass, Miss Jane Taylor."
The Porsche huffed, only making the warm air even steamier.
"This is too haaard!" Jane whined.
"Ex-CUSE ME."
"I don't wanna do this anymore!" she lifted one of her axles out of the mower's hooks.
Sarge pointed at her with a wheel, "You put yourself back on that mower and you PUSH."
"I already DID the entire lawn," she patted her wheel down two times for emphasis, "Twice!"
"PERFECTION Miss McQueen. We are looking for PERFECTION."
Jane's eyes rolled to the top of her windshield, "How much allowance am I getting for this again?"
Sarge's retinas wanted to fire canons at the young girl, "ALLOWANCE?"
"Yeah," Jane snuck her other axle out of the push-mower's hook while she spoke, "Mom and dad said you were gonna give me some money to mow your lawn so I can save up for 'em new glitter rims everyone is wearing."
Sarge zipped over with a locked jaw. He stomped his front wheel into the grass just to loosen it back up enough to scream, "DID I GET AN ALLOWANCE DEFENDING THIS COUNTRY?"
Jane flinched back and she turned her front wheels inward.
"NO," Sarge snarled, "And we ESPECIALLY didn't wear GLITTER on our wheels. Now get back on that mower before I make you drop and give me twenty laps in my boot camp."
To Jane, it was a promise. She hopped up on her axles, "Really!? If I stop you'll let me race?"
"MISS MCQUEEN."
Jane narrowed her eyes and she scoffed, "Tuh," then she faced the rusty old push-mower again. She reluctantly placed her axles back in its hooks and set her stare forward.
"...third time's a charm," she mumbled.
"What was THAT?" Sarge asked.
"UH-d-I said it's like workin' on a farm!"
The Army Jeep pursed his lips and raised an eyelid, "You're darn right it is," then turned his body back to his hut.
Jane breathed a sigh of relief when Sarge drove away. She shut her eyes tight, bit the bullet, and gave the mower another good push.
"I am so getting you back for this, dad."
But even the faster-than-fast, quicker-than-quick Piston Cup racer, who sped into town well before his daughter's treads met the earth, was becoming engraved into the town's rich history. The racer, who pulled around the corner down from Tailfin Pass that morning, drove onto the smooth paved road; still fresh from when he ripped it apart. He came to a stop in front of his lover's business: The Cozy Cone Motel.
While the memories for the townsfolk before McQueen highlight his arrival, the sight of The Cozy Cone brought out a different set of memories for Lightning. He highlights the first time his tires rolled up to the very same spot he idled on. He remembered the familiar melodies sung by the birds in the trees and the butterflies fluttering under his hood patiently waiting for his holy Porsche to cruise out with a smile. All those years later and McQueen still had trouble mustering up the courage to drive up to the front door of her lobby and say:
"Hey, Sal."
His Porsche, enrobed in paint reflecting the infinitely clear summer sky, glanced up from her stack of paperwork. She removed one sheet with a smile and carefully tucked it away into another pile.
"Mornin', Stickers," she said happily.
"You're up early," he drove to her desk, "You should be resting."
"I don't know what that means," Sally playfully rolled her eyes, "I don't think I have it in me to rest."
Lightning finally noticed the sight of her work and cringed, "Where did all of that come from?"
Even Sally had to take a moment to appreciate the build up of her own documents. She sighed, "Yeah, I...couldn't sleep too well last night."
"I can see that," Lightning nodded, "I was shifting around last night too."
"I know it's only been a day, but I miss her, Lightning."
"Yeah...," his expression fell further into a frown, "Me too."
"I haven't gotten used to the idea of Jane leaving," Sally admitted, "I came down here at the crack of dawn just to make myself busy. You know-," her gentle smile faded ever so slightly, "Going from seeing her everyday...to waking up without her even once is-...an odd feeling."
"...-different," McQueen finished for her, "But, hey, we couldn't have known we'd have to think about this kind of thing now."
"I figured we had at least until the end of her senior semester to worry about not seeing her around here," Sally paused. Her stare, still frozen in the sea of her work.
Her lack of response caused Lightning's teeth to pull in his left cheek. He rolled around her desk, moving closer to her, then met her fender with his grille.
"Listen," he said.
After another moment of silence, Sally brought her eyes to Lightning.
"We're going to be fine. You, me, Jane and her new-"
"Stickers," Sally shut her eyes, "I know how Los Angeles is."
When she broke eye contact, Lightning pulled away, "And so do I."
"But I've lived there," she opened her eyes again, "I know what it does to cars."
"Then we can both take solace in that she's not living there. She's only visiting," he shook his hood, "Barely even visiting. She's racing."
Sally's voice dropped to a more serious tone, "We need to have a talk."
"...what?" Lightning tilted his body.
Sally was right and McQueen knew it.
He tried to change her mind anyway, "Jane has always been different from her classmates. She's never followed the crowd and I don't think she's going to start when she has the literal start of her racing career on the line."
"I know Jane doesn't follow the crowd, but you remember how she acted after Murphy came to town," Sally's tire gestured toward the street outside, "Especially after he stayed here until dusk to watch the town to light up."
Lightning confirmed, "...and that girl Gianna came and rattled up Jane's chassis."
"So you're right. Jane's been different alright."
"I don't see where you're going with this."
"The day after, she started wearing heavier makeup around her eyes. Her taste in music changed. Her driving stance changed."
Lightning thought about it more, but after a long think with no resolution, he chuckled, "I thought I was supposed to be worried about her growing up. Not you."
"You don't think Murphy had any influence on her at all that night?"
"I think he's proven himself."
Sally didn't look very convinced, "I can tell you're comfortable with those two being around each other seeing as how you followed them into Doc's racing museum and kept your eye on him the entire time."
"Of course I did, Sal. I was making sure she was safe."
"That doesn't make any sense if you're so comfortable with him," Sally continued, "How about just yesterday when you didn't let Murphy ride in Mack's trailer with her."
McQueen narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't have let that happen either."
Sally went to speak, but Lightning interrupted her.
"And now that I know he's a good kid, I'm not going to worry about 'em anymore."
"I didn't say he was a bad kid. I wasn't implying that at all, but you see? Right there," the Porsche pointed as if Murphy was in the room with them, "If he can influence her, imagine what Los Angeles might do."
"Sally," Lightning laughed, "You're so worried for no reason. Are you listening to yourself?"
Sally growled under her breath, then looked back at her work.
"No, hang on," McQueen gestured toward her doors, "I think the baby is what's making you so worried about Jane."
She didn't answer.
"Hey-," he pushed the invoices out of her sight, then brought his wheel to hers.
She watched the invoices slide away, "...it's so much more than that."
"Then tell me."
"The town being all quiet, you driving by to check in on me...and…being pregnant again. It's as if we've gone back in time. It's unsettling."
McQueen could swear by her rambling words alone that his sweetheart's mind raced faster than himself.
"Unsettled is how I felt when I woke up and you weren't next to me."
Sally furrowed her eyelids in concern and finally looked back at him, "I hope I didn't frighten you."
"Me?" Lightning shook his hood, "Nope," he grinned and pointed to one of the many caution cones in her office, "I had a feeling I'd know where to find you."
A smile grew on Sally's front bumper, "Maybe these feelings really are only the hormones in my oil lines clouding my judgement and everything."
"Shhh, not so loud," Lightning lowered his voice and his eyes widened, "No one else knows yet."
"We really have to tell Jane soon. I'd like her to know before the rest of the town."
"We both know if we don't tell her today, everyone else is going to find out."
"And I know how," Sally snickered, "First of all, Flo will know before I open my mouth. But it's okay. If we don't get around to it, those little tires we sent with her birthday gifts are going to tip her off."
"Not just about the pregnancy. She'll know the baby is a-"
"Shhh," said Sally, mimicking her man, "No one else knows yet."
As Lightning went to answer, her stack of paperwork stole his attention again. He squinted and inched away from Sally to see better.
"These invoices," his eyes traveled up to the date of the first page, "They aren't recent at all. This one here is from three years ago."
The Porsche reversed, giving herself room to open a drawer and continue.
"Sally."
"I already told you. I wanted to make myself busy."
"Busy? Busy with customers from years ago? Customers that probably won't even be back in the state for another couple of years?"
"I wanted to brush up on their records," she reached her tire into the drawer and let her treads glide over random paper clips and markers, "I have to get back to it."
"Don't you lie to me."
Sally chose a bright yellow highlighter and nudged the drawer shut.
"Sally, you're not actually doing anything."
"I've been in this business a lot longer than you have, Lightning. I know you're trying to help, but these are guests from before you arrived," she popped the cap off of her highlighter and leaned toward the first invoice, "I need to organize these files again."
"I also know you've been in law a lot longer than you've been in this business and I've been through enough lawyers to know when I'm being manipulated," Lightning slapped his tire over the page, covering it with his treads so he had her full attention.
Sally flinched. The highlighter cap rolled off her desk and bounced onto the floor.
"Lightning!"
"What is your deal?"
"Now you're acting like a child," Sally pressed her highlighter across the date.
"Really?" he pulled the invoice away, causing her highlighter to drag through the entire document, "I'm worried about my wife. You haven't been straight with me since Jane left. Tell me how you'd expect me to act when my wife has been a GHOST."
Her upper lip curled inward and her bottom teeth brushed against it. She kept a firm grip on her highlighter.
"Please, Sal," he took her highlighter away with his wheel, "It's me."
She released her upper lip, "...I stayed up all night waiting to hear Jane get up and roll out of her room to drink some water, but it never happened."
Lightning frowned, "Sally, you should have woken me up. I would have-"
"I started thinking about her depression. How she's been improving," she blinked, "I don't know about you, but I thought about a lot more than Jane winning a race."
"We both called Mack and he said she was fine. He didn't let her out of his sight at all," he shrugged his axles, "Hell, we both spoke to her and saw she was fine for ourselves."
Sally scoffed, "I know she's fast. I know she can race, but-...if this all falls apart the way it did with her racing coach, I don't think I can handle seeing her depressed again."
Lightning breathed a sigh of relief, "Is that all?" and a smile returned to his bumper, "I thought it'd be something worse. You and I already talked about this."
"It's not that I don't believe in her. I just don't want to see her crying all day and all night again. I don't want her believing she can't do anything else if she can't win this race," she swallowed, "We never really emphasized college or even a trade school."
"W-...We," Lightning's eyes shifted left to right, "We didn't have to. She has raw talent."
"The others kids her age - Austin and Alyssa - I'm sure they're already starting some kind of Summer job. I'm sure they have their applications lined up for different schools they want to go to. Something they can put on a resume for later even if it isn't what they end up doing with their lives."
"Not to toot Jane's horn for her, but I'm pretty positive Piston Cup Racer looks a lot better than waitress at her age."
"Mia and Tia seem happy working for Flo."
"Jane isn't gonna drive around asking cars if they want milk and sugar in their coffee. She wasn't built for that," Lightning rolled his eyes, "Besides, Mia and Tia are only happy because they're working near me."
"Well, I had an idea for a plan 'B' last night," Sally looked back at her invoices and brushed Lightning's tire away from the top, "It would be wise to create a job for her just in case something happens."
"In case what happens, exactly?" he raised a lid, "You think she has a higher chance of losing than winning."
"That's not what I said!"
"You implied it. You've been implying a lot lately."
Sally put her wheel up, "Don't you dare."
"Since she was built you didn't think racing was a good idea for her. I know it and you know it."
"Yes, Lightning, I DID have a different view of what our daughter's life would become when she got older," she nodded quickly," You're right, but my views changed when I saw her potential and you know that too. Potential isn't a guarantee of anything. We got lucky with Jane. This race means everything to her and if that girl loses again, it'll break her heart."
McQueen didn't have an answer for her, but his fading smile spoke loud and clear.
"At the very least we'll have more to offer her than 'better luck next time'. It's something to think about, is all," she pointed at her television, "In the meantime, one tap of that T.V. remote and we'll know how she's doing."
"You know-," said McQueen, "The invoice behind this one is around the time Jane started to see Doctor Freudliner."
"…yeah?" Sally peeked over, "...look at that."
"Freudliner wanted her to have a real job too, but Doc convinced me not to listen to him."
"That's right," Sally remembered, "We followed Freudliner's orders for a little while and Doc couldn't handle not hearing her little engine."
The memory brought a full smile back onto McQueen's front bumper. Performing his best Doc Hudson impression, McQueen said, "Hotshot, if you don't let that little girl drive the way she was put on this earth to drive, you're caging a songbird, and I'm gonna let her out if you don't do it first!"
Sally giggled, "That was good!" but as Sally's laughing faded into softer breaths, she looked back at her husband, "We...can't cage her like that again."
"We're not gonna cage her again," Lightning promised, "And maybe, between races and school, teaching her how to enter in old invoices for her allowance is a great idea."
"Stickers, if she wins this race she'll never need an allowance again," Sally moved closer and leaned her side against his.
"And she won't have to mow Sarge's lawn ever again," McQueen pressed against her and lowered his eyelids, "It's all going to work out."
"You think there'll be another little race car coming to town soon?" she glanced at her doors in her mirrors. They were already starting to widen.
"Hmm…," Lightning hummed, "Only thing I know for sure is that there's gonna be another amazing little car coming to town."
The rest of the townsfolk gathered at Flo's V8 cafe for breakfast and to catch up with one another. Every morning, the cars of Radiator Springs loved to tell each other about their dreams the night before.
"There were seventeen of them," Fillmore explained, "All about this tall-," he gestured their height with his tire, "-and they spoke in reverse."
Sarge raised an eyelid, "What are you going on about now, hippie?"
"Little rolling spirits," Fillmore replied, "You know about 'em, man. They travel together in groups of seventeen."
"Sounds like you had too much of your organic fuel this morning," Ramone laughed, "Might want to have a drink of water, man."
"I'll get you an ice cold can, Fillmore," said Flo, as she rolled past the men.
"It was real!" the Volkswagen insisted.
"It was a dream!" the town yelled in unison.
"Whoa…," Fillmore's eyes widened, and he turned his front wheels inward, "I knew you could all read each other's minds…faaar out."
Before the town could continue talking over their warm cans of caffeinated motor oil, Fillmore added, "If it helps, they spoke forward when they drove in reverse!"
Though the crowd at Flo's was as busy as ever, there was still a missing piece. Lightning and Sally usually had breakfast with Jane up in the Wheel Well, so all but onecar joined that morning.
"Anyone seen the Sheriff?" asked Sarge, standing taller.
Flo and Ramone exchanged a glance.
"You're right," said the Lowrider, "He should have been here by now."
Flo nudged a can of oil toward her husband, eyeing the last bay at the end of the cafe, where Sheriff would park, "He's usually the last one to get his trunk over here, but for him to be this late..."
"...or not show up at all," Sarge continued.
Mater jumped forward and over his clanking metal, he exclaimed, "I got an idea!"
Luigi groaned, "Here-a we go..."
"How about we all stage an emergency?" he wagged his tow hook, "We could pretend we're in trouble and we need his help! That'll get 'em down 'ere!"
"That'll waste his time," said Sarge, narrowing his eyes, "We wouldn't want to waste the time of an officer of the law."
"Waste his time? Aw, c'mon now," Mater chuckled, "He's probably still asleep," the rusty tow truck pointed at the colorful Volkswagen bus parked beside Sarge, "Like Fillmore!"
Fillmore's eyes jolted open and he looked around, "Huh? What?"
"Never mind him," said the army Jeep. He nudged a gas pump out of his body and pulled forward, "Either way, we should go check on him. There's been too much going on around the county. A soldier can never be too careful when-"
The town collectively gasped.
Rolling down Route 66 came the familiar old Mercury police cruiser. His eyelids were low and his suspension frumpy. He stopped in front of the cafe, put on his blinker, and struggled up the small hill.
"Howdy," he grumbled with a hoarse voice.
The cars looked at each other with confused eyes. Not one of them said good morning. They remained awkwardly quiet until finally:
"You alright, man?" asked Ramone, leaning his front end down to the straw in his oil.
Instead of pulling into what has become Sheriff's unofficial spot in the cafe, he drove to the center with unfeeling eyes.
"Flo," said the officer, "Would you mind getting me one tea please?"
Flo turned her front end toward him, "Of course I wouldn't mind. I'll bring it right on over to your bay."
Sheriff shook his hood, "No, that won't be necessary," he told her, "I need it to-go, actually. I should have said that first."
Flo raised an eyelid, "You've never asked for anything to-go. Come to think of it, you've never asked for tea!"
"That's 'cause it ain't for me, Flo," sighed Sheriff, "It's for Brenda."
A trembling old Model T asked, "That lovely police officer you've been seeing?"
"That's her, Lizzie," Sheriff confirmed.
"How sweet of you," she replied, "But how come you look so down in the dumps? I'm sure she'll be happy to have some tea. She'll think you're the bee's knees."
"I'm not sad," Sheriff blinked his eyes open and closed a few times, "I've just been awake all night."
"That's no good," Flo frowned, "Let me get you some coffee too while you're here."
"No, no thank you," Sheriff sighed, "I'd rather nap."
Mater smirked and leaned toward Sarge, "Told you," then the tow truck turned his front wheels out with concern, "Gosh, Sheriff. Sounds like you and Brenda were up all night keeping Radiator Springs safe."
"Even though we both work for Carburetor County, Mater, I protect Radiator Springs, and Brenda protects her own town," he included the rest of the cars in their conversation, "But last night she wasn't around her town. She was out here with me...and she was very upset. Flooding the dirt all night in tears. I ain't ever thought they were gonna stop."
Flo gasped softly, "Does she need a place to stay?" she asked, "We can tell Sally she could use some rest. She won't hesitate to give her a nice comfortable cone to sleep in."
"I really think home might be the best place for Brenda to be right now since...well…," he exhaled a heavy breath, "...y'all know her son, Austin, right?"
"That kind young gentleman who always comes over to see Jane," Sarge nodded, "Sure."
"Mini police dude!" Fillmore added with a smile, "I haven't seen him since Jane took her long absence from school."
"Well, you probably won't see 'em for a little while, Fillmore," he paused, "None of us will."
"Is everything okay?" Flo brought a wheel over her mouth.
"Brenda gave this to me," Sheriff shuffled through his wheel wells, eventually revealing a piece of paper folded into a neat square. He put it down on the ground and messed with it until it unfolded, "Last night, she sped over yellin' 'I don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!'...and said that until she exhausted herself. She didn't say anything else all night. She collapsed and...just…had me read this. And she-...gosh, I'd never seen a woman cry so much."
Flo leaned down to read the note along with Mater, but Sheriff read it out loud for all to hear:
Ma,
You always tell me I'm your little man, but I haven't done much to prove it to you.
I stayed in school like you wanted me to, but the closer I get to senior semester, the more I think it's time for me to stop embarrassing you.
I have to continue our family line. We all know what I should be doing.
Dad was right.
All the fights and sleepless nights you both put in only for me to become some weird kid who sings to his friends in school plays, then runs in fear because baby it was cold outside.
But the whole time it was actually just cold inside of me.
All of that work...put into that boy instead of the officer you wanted me to be.
I should've matched the work you put into me back into myself. So I'm going to change that for the both of us.
Please don't think I'm leaving your side for dad. With all the things he's said to me, don't you ever think for a second I'm doing this for him. I'm doing this because I have to. I'm doing this for me. I'm doing this to make you and Alyssa proud. Whether I finish before senior semester starts, or whether I have to drop out of school for a semester to make up the time - you have my oath.
And you have my love forever.
I will be a police officer, but not an officer like dad. I'll be a warm, caring police officer just like you.
If you're reading this, I'm far gone. I'm already on the road. Don't you worry about me.
I love you from the bottom of my heart, Ma.
Sheriff finished the young man's letter, "...Austin."
Mater rolled forward with serious eyes, "Ain't his father that car you was tellin' us about? The one that was yellin' at him on the phone?"
Without taking his eye off of Austin's name, Sheriff nodded slowly.
Fillmore frowned, "Sheriff, we gotta stop Austin before it's-"
"-too late," Sheriff's stare fell to his hood, "It's already too late."
Down a mute stretch of the mother road, which had never been a witness to a rush hour, a group of short silver buildings made of concrete were surrounded by tall barbed wire fences. Security lights, meant to glare out toward the entrance gate and the front door of the facility, turned off for the brand new day. The gate opened to a long gravel road which came to its end at the kiss of sliding garage doors.
Though the world around the facility was only starting to wake up, a fresh bunch of new police cruisers and SUVs were already making their way toward the agility course outside.
Red and white poles awaited the vehicles to maneuver around them as quickly as they could. They would work on their abilities to drive with all four tires disabled on a trail of dirt raked with nails and screws. The rest of the course consisted of a full lap around the perimeter of the facility with scattered caution cones to practice advanced driving techniques.
The sun barely rose above the horizon when the young cadets of varying heights pulled up to a white line painted on the grass. They each stood proud, staring blankly ahead at a retired officer, a 1990 GMC Jimmy with dark brown eyes. He paced back and forth, painted in black with contrasting white doors. A bar of red and blue lights spun on top of his roof rack. On his left fender, he wore a small magnetic plate with the name Officer Tailgate etched into the gold.
"Gentlemen," he growled, "Yesterday was an embarrassment."
The trainees didn't make eye contact.
"Today better be different," he pulled up to one of the SUVs, "I want CHANGE."
"Yes, sir," muttered the SUV.
Officer Tailgate backed away with furrowed eyelids, "Did you just speak?"
The SUV blinked and looked left and right. He leaned forward with uncertainty, "Yes...sir?"
"...and did you just speak again?"
The SUV's lips parted and he coughed involuntarily.
Tailgate looked back at the rest of the cadets, "I told you all ALL. When you speak to me the first word out of your mouths will be SIR and the last word out of your mouths will be SIR," then he snapped back to the insubordinate SUV, "CLEARLY YOU CAN'T FOLLOW SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS. If you're feeling so anxious to chatter, then I suggest you move your trunk over THERE," the officer gestured behind him, toward a green hose wrapped in a perfect circle, "So GET your rear end over there."
"Yes, si-," the SUV paused, "S-Sir, yes, Si-"
"GET OVER THERE."
The SUV quickly shook his hood and hurried over.
"This is good," said Officer Tailgate, "Really good, actually. I can use you as my example for the day," he turned toward the rest of the trainees again, "Before anyone else gets any ideas about messing around my obstacle course or speaking without being spoken to, I want you to see what happens around here when you don't follow the rules."
The shaken SUV pulled next to the hose. The tip of the head had a jet attachment screwed on top. He swallowed hard, then regained his posture.
"And as you watch this joker, I want you to listen and UNDERSTAND what I want to see from you today," his tires rolled toward the rogue cadet and he continued to speak, "I want to see all of you at full power today. I do NOT want to feel like I'm driving toddlers through a jungle gym. I want to see decorum," he pounded a wheel after every demand, "I want to see strength. Honor. Integrity. I want to see OFFICERS," he stopped next to the cadet and reached for the hose, "I wan-...hang on…"
Tailgate's eyes locked with each trainee, one by one, without moving the threatening hose from being pointed at the SUV's face, "Something is wrong here," he scanned the trainees one more time before grumbling, "We're missing one of you."
The cadets didn't dare say a word.
The GMC dropped the hose, "Looks like you're gonna be spraying yourself."
The SUV gasped under his breath, "Wh-..what?"
"SPRAY YOURSELF."
"Aye, SIR," the SUV picked up the hose, aimed it at himself, and pressed its trigger. The jet sprayed directly into his grille, making him gargle and groan.
Meanwhile, Officer Tailgate drove down the line of cadets until his brakes screeched to a halt. In front of him lay the sight of a gap where one trainee was supposed to be.
"AH," he lifted his upper lip, "Where's that new boy?"
Meanwhile, the soft snores of a young Ford Police Interceptor filled the egg-white Training Academy's hallways. They led his body to gently rise and fall with each breath.
Bzzzz….
Bzzzz….
The Ford's eyes moved underneath his eyelids when an abrupt vibration interrupted his peace.
Bzzzz….
"Mmm..," he pushed his tires forward, knocking his bleached white pillow onto the cold floor slathered with a coating of gray paint.
Bzzzz….bzzz….
"NnnNN," he grit his teeth and his eyes shot open. They followed the sound of the vibrations all the way up to his phone on a metal desk which stood on the opposite end of his dorm room.
Bzzzzz…
Bzzzzz…
Finally, the Ford bucked the facility's thin blankets off his roof and he stepped off his mattress. He started his engine cold and jolted toward his desk without giving himself time to warm up. The cold start made him stumble in vertigo, but he lifted his tire and tapped his phone screen awake anyway. It took a moment for his eyes to focus on what he saw, but when he finally woke up a bit more, the tension in his axles melted away.
1 Missed Call: Alyssa
1 Unread Text: Alyssa
He swiped his tire across the screen to read the text message first.
Morning austin i hope you have an easy day today
I believe in you and you're gonna do great
Cant wait to see you when you get out of there...whenever that'll be
Miss you baby
Austin's front bumper bent into a frown and he swiped to his dialer. He wasted no time calling Alyssa back on speaker phone.
The phone rang three times before it cut to her feeble morning voice.
"Hello?"
"Allie...it's me."
"Austin…?" her tone shifted ever so slightly, "Hey."
Austin knew she must have smiled, "Hey there," he could hear it in her voice. He moved his tire to lower the volume.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"If you're askin' me how I feel after last night's disaster, then yeah. I'm alright. I'm doin' better. I'm-"
"What about now?"
"Now...? I'm...a little nervous. No idea what they're going to have me do today. Hopefully it's nothing too hard."
"You had me worried sick yesterday when you told me you couldn't feel your axles anymore."
Austin exhaled, "I've never done that many pushups in my life."
"Anything they throw at you, I know you can do it."
"I-...I hope so."
"I know you can."
"I don't know that I can."
"Of course you do," she paused, "You're...Officer Austin. Like Miss Relay said."
Austin thought for a moment, "Maybe you're right."
Soon, both of the cars ran out of words to say. They were barely speaking; until Alyssa changed that.
"Austin, I know why you're doing this."
He exhaled heavily.
"Austin."
The Ford's voice became hoarse and quiet, as if the walls could hear, "I need to protect my mother."
"But you can't run from your father forever."
Austin's eyes softened until his eyelids fell shut.
Alyssa continued, "And you can't run from him by running away from your mom to join the police academy."
His eyes shot open wide and his voice escalated, "I did NOT run. I LEFT. You knew exactly where I was going. I told you AND I told Jane. Don't act like you both don't know where I am."
"You did run!"
"NO."
"Austin, you ran away from home!"
"You KNOW where I am."
"Yeah. You told me where you were going, but you didn't give your mom a hoods up."
He growled, "Because she would have stopped me if I did."
"Yeah, that's running away, Austin."
"As much as you wanna believe you're a know-it-all, Allie, you're NOT."
A ruffled sound on the other line made it clear she nudged some furniture, "EXCUSE ME?"
"You and Jane think you know everything. Especially you."
"Has everyone in Carburetor County LOST their MINDS?"
"Yes, Alyssa. Everyone lost their minds except for YOU," but Austin's sarcasm faded, "You wouldn't last an hour in my treads."
"Between Caleb missing, YOU running away, and Jane making out with Murphy, maybe I AM the one going insane."
Austin's expression dropped and he gasped, "Jane kissed Murphy?"
Alyssa's voice rose to match his, "Jane has NO IDEA you left Carburetor County without announcing it. She thinks you had a real send off from your family and friends."
"JANE made out with MURPHY?"
"How DARE you. After everything your mother has done for you."
"When did she kiss him?"
"What are you going to say when Jane finds out? You KNOW she's gonna find out eventually."
Austin shook his hood, shaking himself out of the shock, "The only way Jane is going to know is if YOU tell her."
"Puh-lease," Alyssa scoffed, "I don't have to say a word because when you don't show up to watch her race in California and everyone else is talking about how AUSTIN left-"
Austin swiftly tapped his phone screen and hung up. He clenched his jaw and kicked one of the desk legs.
Alyssa's eyes widened in her bedroom. He's never done that to her before. She blinked fast, taken aback by his actions, but it morphed into anger as quickly as Austin ended the call.
"No freakin' way," she immediately tried to call him back.
Austin's phone buzzed once more, but he wasn't having it. He grabbed his phone and held a button on its side. After a few seconds, like suffocating the life out of the device, the screen shut off, and his dorm filled with silence again.
"Yeah, you reached Austin! Not driving around my phone right now! Leave a message!"
Beep
Alyssa leaned down to her phone, "I KNOW you did NOT just hang up on me, AUSTIN. I'm one of the ONLY cars who even believed you could make it in this field and you just HUNG UP ON ME? I see. You leave girls when they confront you. Looks like you're more like your FATHER after all. You're a JERK."
Austin brought his wheel to one of his desk drawers and pulled it open. He sifted through his belongings, feeling his treads around everything he'll need to start the day.
BANG
BANG
BANG
Austin flinched, yanking his tire back, and pulling the drawer out with it. It dropped onto the floor and everything exploded all over his room. A can of wax polisher rolled to his door while the loud noises repeated.
BANG
BANG
BANG
Austin gasped. He hurried up to unlock his door, but before he could even open it, the door slammed open, and knocked Austin backward.
A much larger vehicle, the veteran officer from the agility course, revealed himself in his doorframe.
"AUSTIN," Tailgate snapped. He invited himself in, "WHY IS YOUR TRUNK IN YOUR DORM ROOM AND NOT OUT ON THE FIELD?"
Austin's breath heaved as his axles frantically tried to sweep up everything on the floor, "O-Officer, I can explain."
"OFFICER?"
"I-I mean s-s-ir, sir."
Tailgate furrowed his stare, "WHAT?"
"SIR," Austin pushed everything away and stood up taller instead, "I M-MEANT SIR, SIR."
"WHY IS YOUR DORM A MESS?"
"Sir, I-I had an accident. I was about to-"
"WHY ARE YOU STUTTERING?"
"Sir, because, I had no idea y-you were-"
"Enough is ENOUGH," the officer reversed back into the hallway, "Yesterday you couldn't even get your scrawny hillbilly ass up a steep hill. I'M ALREADY TIRED OF YOU. You get this mess cleaned up SPOTLESS and you make your way down to the training field."
Tailgate went to return, but he stopped himself. He looked back at Austin, "If today is anything like yesterday you're gonna be OUT OF HERE in the next two days. I promise you that."
When the officer finally retreated, Austin's door slammed back shut. The young Ford's eyes softened from fear to sadness. He leaned forward and gathered up his belongings again. He stood up the cans, then lined up the pencils. He stacked up the loose paper and neatened them up. Finally, Austin picked up the drawer and aligned it into the desk where it came from.
He thought he finished, but when he turned around, he almost ran over his toothbrush. He scooped it up in his wheel to place it back into his drawer, but his duffel bag caught the corner of his eye. He looked over, then glanced at his cell phone.
Thoughts of Alyssa and his mother flooded into Austin's mind as he took his phone into his wheel well, only to be yanked away by the thought of his other best friend pressing her lips against one of his sworn enemies. He pursed his mouth and a great weight sighed off his fenders.
A police officer? The Ford must have been in way over his hood, so Austin slowly moved his toothbrush away from the drawer and dropped it back it into his duffel bag. He reversed toward his other belongings and packed them next to his toothbrush. Before he could shift back into reverse his bottom lip quivered.
No longer could he support himself against the haunting memories of Caleb and Murphy's taunts.
"Hey LOOK! It's Officer BONEhood!" a ghostly voice of the Kia Sorento called.
Murphy's voice followed Caleb's soon after, "There is no way I'm singing in the holiday show with Austin, Miss Relay. You can forget it," he growled, "-he's gonna be a puddle of gurgling oil on the tiles."
Austin scrambled backward toward the pillow on the floor, rowing the edges of his tires away from the bad thoughts. He grabbed the pillow and stuffed it over his front end.
Caleb cackled, "Officer Bonehood kissed Jane! Ahahaha!"
He shut his eyes tight.
"You can't run from your father forever."
Austin cringed at Alyssa's voice. He slipped his cellphone out of his wheel well and let it turn on again. Welcomed by a gentle ding, he blinked his eyes back open.
1 New Voicemail: Alyssa
The young police car's gas tank turned. He swiped the notification and let the message play.
"I KNOW you did NOT just hang up on me, AUSTIN."
"Mm…"
"I'm one of the ONLY cars who even believed you could make it in this field and you just HUNG UP ON ME?"
"..mm...I'm sorry," he said aloud.
"I see. You leave girls when they confront you. Looks like you're more like your FATHER after all. You're a JERK."
Austin froze.
How could she say that? After telling him he could do it?
How could an innocent young man be as demeaning as a bitter old officer afraid of his own family?
A fire rose from within Austin's chassis.
He never hurt a soul. He never insulted anyone.
Austin rolled back to his duffel bag.
He learned how to treat Alyssa by watching how his father treated his mother. Anything his father did, Austin did the exact opposite for that Prius.
"I'm not like him," he insisted to himself. He grabbed the edge of the bag.
And he did the exact opposite for his mother.
"I'm more of a man now than he's ever been - than he'll ever be."
With the flick of his axle, the bag flipped over, and his belongings rolled back onto the floor. He immediately opened his drawer and began to place each item back into their spots, "I'm not him," he said, "I am not."
He picked up the last item, a shimmering gold name plate, "I'm not a monster," and turned to a long vertical mirror in his dorm. He guided the name plate up to his left fender and let the magnet snap onto his metal.
He eyed his own reflection and idled proudly, "I'm Officer Austin."
Two hours later...
Rolling thunder clapped out in all directions of the arid county as the birth of a fast-moving storm announced its harrowing arrival.
The sporadic cacti swayed in the tenacious wind with every blow. Parched dirt swallowed the rain water with an unquenchable thirst while every car rushed to their garages for safety and comfort. Within each town in Carburetor County, the windows in every home were yanked down in a hurry before the rain became heavier and soaked the carpets in their living rooms.
Even the cars who did not live in towns - the hidden cars who lived between towns - were taking much needed cover.
...with…-eavy winds and a stable ra-….," hissed the staticky voice of a man coming from an old brown radio. It had one long antenna extending up from its base. The cloth under its speaker grill vibrated with every few words, "-all advised to stay indoors. INDOORS for saf-...-I repeat. All vehicles in Carburetor County...bzzz...a-...-though the western United States are advised to STAY indoors-...chhhhbzzz-"
"Turn that radio off," said a wanted red Mustang. Her appearance, much more disheveled than usual. Her deep red paint was muted and weathered from lack of care and the lingering worry of being caught. Years of caked on dust and dirt finally took a toll on the clear protective coating of her paint.
But that evening, her mood mixed with trace amounts acidity in the rain ate away at her vibrancy. She quietly idled next to a lump in her cabin covered by a tattered knit blanket.
"-next up the young Piston Cup racers of- bzzzzzzchh-...talking today about their arrival in-"
"Lilith," the Mustang repeated, "I told you to turn off that there radio."
"Vermella," said her distracted assistant. Usually, she kept herself attentive to any and all of Vermella's needs, but this time her gaze locked onto one of the thin warped windows. A thin lace curtain filtered her view of the outside world, but she could still see the cloudy gray sky becoming darker by the minute, "Can't I stay here a little longer?"
"I don't want to say it again," a weakened Vermella warned, "Turn off that radio."
But Lilith couldn't help herself. For one reason or another, the shadowy car pulled closer to the distorted pane. She lifted her axle, getting ready to brush the curtain away.
The Mustang furrowed her eyelids. Lilith always obeyed her. She glanced up from the mass cloaked under the blanket to see why the out-of-character coupe was not submitting. Suddenly, Vermella saw just how close Lilith rolled to the window.
The Mustang's pupils constricted and she mustered up the strength to call out, "HEY," she jerked away from the blanket, "Get your trunk away from there and TURN off the radio!"
"But the sky is crying again" said Lilith with a weak reply. Her voice softened even more, "I wish I was that pretty when I cry."
"Lilith, so help me Manufacturer, if you don't get your body away from there-"
The shadow coupe's voice rose with excitement, "I want to go out there and spin up some dirt!"
"Dammit," Vermella turned her wheels and sped over to her assistant. She hooked her tire underneath one of Lilith's rear wheel wells, "What did I SAY?"
"Eek!" Lilith squeaked.
"I done told you to MOVE," she began to drag the coupe in reverse.
Lilith pawed at the wooden floor and breathed heavily, "O-Okay! Okay!"
When she started to beg, Vermella let go of her and pulled her axle back. In mere seconds, she snapped her axle around and gave Lilith's rear bumper a slap.
"N-EEeeEE."
"Don't you EVER disobey me again."
bzzzchhh
"...with a little over twenty-four hours to go before the big race-"
The cars turned their attention to the radio. Vermella's mirrors perked up and she leaned away from the coupe to hear it better.
"-countless number of fans are wondering if the weather will-...bzzzchhh…-the possibility of postponing the race to another time."
"They're postponing the Piston Cup race?" Vermella glanced down at the knots in the wooden floor. She outlined her next moves in her mind.
"-waiting for the racers to arrive in Los Angeles before we-...bzzzchhh…"
The Mustang's voice quieted such that she could hear both her own thoughts and her voice aloud, "Mm...they haven't even gotten to California yet. That gives us more time to think about how we're going to move Caleb's body out of here…," she looked at Lilith, "...and since he's gone, we can't catch Leo before all the racers arrive," she paused, "It's okay…we'll need the time to figure out how we're gonna get her if she wins."
"I want to meet this girl," said Lilith. Her assistant's breathing calmed, "She seems nice."
"You will meet her, Lilith, and when you do you will finally have the little sister you've always wanted. The one I promised you if she wins," Vermella's eyes narrowed, "But she will win. I know she'll win. I trained her to race. I'm the one that let her run away. I'm the reason she even got to this point."
"You never told me where you met her," Lilith's axles dropped down to the floor and her body collapsed on her tires. They splayed out in all directions, "And all these years…Vermella, I'm gettin' tired of running."
"...bzzchh…"
The Mustang scoffed, "You ain't been on the run nearly as long as I have. You can't say that."
Another clap of thunder bellowed through the valley and rattled the weak cabin walls.
"Lilith, are you even listenin' to me over there?" Vermella snarled, "I'm down one assistant. I need you to cope," she tried to reason with her, "Do you expect me to do this all on my own?"
The more rain fell from the sky, the more water the wooden walls swelled up with, and the more rain water seeped out through.
A tiny cracking noise interrupted the cars. They both glanced up to the ceiling as water droplets began to form. One of them became so heavy, it dropped right into the middle of Lilith's hood.
"Ooo…," Lilith's eyes crossed trying to see it.
"I have to go out there...and I ain't leaving you in this cabin alone. I left you here with Caleb so he would watch you."
"But sometimes you left with Videl," Lilith pointed out.
"Stop callin' him that," Vermella's bottom lip stiffened up, "And I left with Caleb because we needed to protect each other. How would you feel if you lost me out there and had no one to come home and take care of you?"
"Y-You can't go without Videl."
"Lilith."
...bzzchh…
"Videl is your friend."
"His name was Caleb," she corrected, "I told you to call him that. I told you what his name was."
"So you need to go out there with him."
"I need to hide him, Lilith, and I need you to come with me."
"No more hiding," the shadow coupe carefully gathered herself back onto her wheels, "Kay-Leb has been leading the way to Leo."
"No," Vermella shook her hood, "I'm puttin' my treads down now. There ain't gonna be any traveling with Caleb anymore."
"How come?"
...bzzchh…
Vermella shifted into reverse, "Because, Lilith," she gestured to the lump beneath the blanket between them, "Caleb-"
"He's been sleeping under there for a really long time," Lilith tilted her body, "Let's wake him up."
"He ain't asleep, Lilith," Vermella shifted again, then coasted toward her and the Kia's still frame.
"Yeah, he is."
"No, Lilith. He's-"
"He is just very tired because you shot him."
...bzzchh…
Vermella's eyes boiled with anger and her engine roared with all of her horsepower. Her front wheels pressed into the flooring and she clenched her teeth, "STOP."
She raced toward the radio and grabbed it with her wheel. She threw it against the floor and the plastic battery cover flew off from the main body. Two batteries rolled away with each other.
Lilith gasped hard and lowered on her suspension.
When the tension in the room settled and as Vermella's jaw loosened, tears bubbled up from the bottom of her windshield frame.
Lilith watched in shock, as the Mustang in front of her seemed to lose all of the strength in her axles and slid down to the floor.
Vermella's gaze fixated on the blanket and she pushed her bottom jaw forward, "M-Mm-..."
Lilith pulled forward. The wood creaked underneath her weight as she rolled beside Vermella.
"H-Hey…"
Vermella lifted her wheel and tried to swat her away, "N-No…"
The shadow coupe took her tire and looked her in the eye, but Vermella shut her eyes, so she didn't have to look at her, and a tear rolled down her fenders.
"L-Lilith, I have to s-say-..."
"Yes, ma'am?"
As her throat opened to speak, another tear escaped down her hood, "I ain't mean t-...to kill him. R-Really."
Lilith turned her front wheels in, "Kill," she repeated, "Kill?"
Vermella sniffled hard, "Pl-Please stop sayin' that…"
Lilith nuzzled her nose by the Mustang's fender, "He isn't dead. It's like what you said about Grandpa Bubba. They're around. They're just hiding from us."
When Lilith mentioned Vermella's father, her pupils widened. They gazed at an empty space in the wall ahead and, like a projector, replayed a long-lost memory.
"Priscilla," said a burly orange tow truck. He was so large his hood looked like it was going to pop off his frame. His chassis, so heavy that his tires were bulging under the pressure.
"One day when you're big and strong like me, you're gonna have to protect your own family out here."
The red teenage Mustang tilted her frame in confusion, "I ain't got a man to have a family with."
"One day you will, Priscilla," he shook his hood and chuckled, "A big ol' family you made all on your own…you'll have to protect. Hell, a lot of stuff is gonna happen out here."
Priscilla gestured out in all directions of the desert with one of her tires, "There ain't anything out here to do. Nothing ever happens."
Bubba glared down at his daughter and snarled his scraggly teeth, "That's 'cause I've been out here protecting you. You're lucky you ain't seen anything around here," Bubba brought his wheel under her chin, "You're my baby girl."
Priscilla shut her eyes and let the weight of her front end settle into his treads, "Hmm..."
Bubba pulled his tire away fast.
Suddenly, Priscilla's eyelids threw themselves open and she gasped hard, "Aee!" she cocked her nose up to stop herself from knocking her front end into the dirt.
A hefty chortle bellowed out of Bubba's throat, "Thaaat's my girl."
"I could have knocked my teeth out, dad!"
Bubba frowned a bit and nodded, "Yeah, yeah. You could'a done that," he smiled, "But ya didn't. You thought fast. You protected yourself."
"ONE. TWO," chanted Officer Tailgate, "ONE. TWO. PUSH."
The sky broke open as the storm pounded the cadets' roofs like a stampede of bulldozers. The sheer volume alone made it nearly impossible for Officer Tailgate to call out orders, but it wasn't his first rodeo.
He prepared himself with a megaphone attached to his right side fender. He adjusted the extension for his mouth.
The cadets' breaths heaved through the rain water. They tried their best to chant with Tailgate, as they dipped their front ends down and immediately pushed their own weight back up.
Over. And over. And over.
"GET THOSE FRONT ENDS UP," he demanded.
Austin lowered his body with the others to meet the ground with every 'one' and pushed his body up as best as he could with every 'two'.
"LET'S GO. PUSH UP," Office Tailgate swung his tire through the rain, "UP. UP."
Austin's teeth cemented shut. Each time he pushed his weight up, his axles shot up with what felt like electricity.
But he couldn't stop. He tried to ignore the burning as much as he could.
"GENTLEMEN, MY GRANDMOTHER CAN LIFT BETTER," the GMC teased, "AND SHE'S BEEN RUSTED DEAD FOR TWENTY YEARS."
Water trailed down from Austin's roof, down the edges of his windshield, and rolled down his hood. He panted so heavily that every exhaled pushed the rain drops off of his lips.
Officer Tailgate raised an eyelid and pulled up next to Austin. He brought the megaphone to his hearing, "AUSTIN."
"A-AYE, SIR."
"Stop RIGHT there."
Austin froze in position, with his body pushed up. The weight of holding his body caused his treads to mush into the sticky mud.
"HOW TALL ARE YOU?"
Austin furrowed his eyelids at the odd question, "H-HUh?"
Th question took him out of his zone and distracted him. He could feel himself losing control. Austin curled his lips in and groaned, trying his hardest to hold himself up, but his body gave out underneath him. He slapped down into the mud like a tired pig. The mud splattered around his frame, except for his mouth, as he loosened his lips just in time.
"FROM TREAD TO ROOF," Officer Tailgate yelled into the megaphone even louder, "HOW TALL ARE YOU?"
"SiR," Austin replied with a choked scream, "F-FoUR FOOT, SEVEN INCHES, SIR!"
"HOLY METAL CRUNCHIN' CHRYSLER," Officer Tailgate's eyes widened, "FOUR FOOT SEVEN?" then he narrowed them back up, "I DIDN'T KNOW THEY STACKED BUCKETS OF RUST THAT HIGH."
Tailgate brought a wheel underneath Austin's fender and forced the young Ford up, "YOU NEED TO PUSH HARDER."
"S-SIR, I WILL, SIR."
"THEN WIPE THAT MUD OFF YOUR FACE AND GET YOUR TRUNK TO THE HILL."