Chapter 6
The next morning, Brian had gotten up at 8am to start work on his Eclipse. He had managed to roll the car from the parking lot, where he had left it, out in front of his garage. Next, he had placed the parts to be fitted and installed onto tables all around the car, making sure that no time was wasted in finding the parts. He had just finished this when six modified, street racing cars, pulled into the parking lot. Brian recognised them straight away and headed over to greet the guys. Once car doors had stopped banging shut, he realised that there wasn't 10 guys but 13. "Here's me thinkin' that I was gonna be working with 10 guys. You got about 13 here!" Brian exclaimed, glad for an extra three pairs of hands. "Yeah, homey. I managed to pull another couple a' guys together. Figured that 13 pairs of hands would be better dan 10 right!" "Hell yeah!" He slapped hands and spoke to each and every guy, thanking them for their help. When he got to Edwin, he noticed immediately that something was off. It looked like something was bothering him, and he wasn't smiling in that menacing way he usually did. "What's up Edwin? You O.K man?" Edwin looked around and waited until Hector and the gang had moved away to check out the new parts. "You got somewhere I can put these in?" he asked holding up a batch of Corona's. He was avoiding the question. "Yeah, sure. C'mon in", he answered slowly and very unsurely. Then he showed Edwin into his apartment, and once the beers were taken care of, Brian once again tried to find out what's wrong. "So what's wrong?" Edwin paused, for what seemed like hours, and looked everywhere, and at everything but Brian. But he couldn't put it off any longer. "I got some news yesterday from a racer". Brian laughed out loud. "C'mon, that's it. Well what news?" he stopped laughing for Edwin to go on, but a massive smile still spread across his face. "Well this racer." He paused once again. "Yeah?" "He knows where Toretto is", he said looking up at Brian. Brian pulled back, and the smile hit the floor like a ton of bricks. Not knowing if what he was heard was true, and he stumbled back, leaning against the worktop for support. After waiting many months to get news of Toretto, he finally had it. "I wont tell ya more if you don't want to know. I just thought that with Mia and Dom.Ya know!!" He waited, but when Brian didn't reply, he headed out of the kitchen. But just as he got to the door, Brian grabbed his arm. "Edwin. Wait". Having considered Tanner's advice about forgetting them and moving on, he realised that without Mia, life wasn't worth the hassle, and he missed Dom too. "Tell me where they are!" "You sure you want to know?" He enquired, hoping he wouldn't have to tell him. "TELL ME" Brian demanded. "Mexico" he said slowly. Brian paused, making sure he wouldn't forget. "Are they alright? Is everyone O.K?" Edwin, not knowing if Brian really wanted to hear this, said nothing. "Edwin" he warned. He was getting so fucking frustrated with the pauses. This was so important to him, he wanted to know everything that Edwin knew. "From what I've been told, Dom's in trouble with a gang down there. He's been throwin' down the pinks, and losin' his cars". He saw the worried look come over his face. Once the news of Dom's situation had sunk in he asked: "And what about Mia, and the other guys?"
"I honestly don't know. My guy never said anything about them." Edwin tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Who'd ave' thought huh? Toretto losing cars. Must have some pretty hot cars down there". Seeing it wasn't working, he left Brian and his thoughts alone, and headed out to the garage to do what he came to do.
About 10 minutes later, Brian appeared in front of his car. Hector slid out from under the engine bay, oblivious to the information Brian just received. "Took your time man. We've started already!" he exclaimed, obviously happy to be working on the car. "Sorry man. Needed to think some shit through." "Lame excuse" he said to himself. "That's cool. What you wanna do? I got Mike and Matt threading sleeves, Simon's seein' to the intercooler, and Cole over there's looking at Body Kits. You got anything in mind?" "Nah. I've been too busy concentrating on getting the car running. I'm open to ideas though." The truth was, his mind had already started to wonder about what he was goin to do, and he was findin' it extremely hard to focus on the job at hand. "I thought of another Robocar maybe, or a combat wing and body kit." "Sounds cool. I'll see to it later. I think I'll start on the bodywork. I was gonna leave it till after the car was runnin. But with the extra guys to cover the engine, I can make a start now. That means that some of everything has been done today." "Aight man!" Brian headed to the side of the car, noticing as he passed, how the guys moved around the parts, and worked the car with effortless expertise. "Your doin good guys" he praised them He stood in front of Edwin who looked up from unpacking the boxes. "You cool man?" "Yeah" he said looking around. He slung his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "What you gonna do man?" he asked. "Once the cars up and runnin and finished, I'm goin to Mexico". He sounded so definite that Edwin knew he had made up his made for good. "Well if your sure!" he said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder. "I am Edwin. After what you told me, he needs my help. I cant leave it knowing their in trouble." "Sure. Let's get this beast running then" he shouted as he slapped Brian's shoulder. "I'm gonna go to Harry's then and get the parts I need for the bodywork. You guys O.K. here while I'm away?" "We got it covered. Go spend another few thousand!" At that, the two guys headed in different directions to do separate jobs.
The next morning, Brian had gotten up at 8am to start work on his Eclipse. He had managed to roll the car from the parking lot, where he had left it, out in front of his garage. Next, he had placed the parts to be fitted and installed onto tables all around the car, making sure that no time was wasted in finding the parts. He had just finished this when six modified, street racing cars, pulled into the parking lot. Brian recognised them straight away and headed over to greet the guys. Once car doors had stopped banging shut, he realised that there wasn't 10 guys but 13. "Here's me thinkin' that I was gonna be working with 10 guys. You got about 13 here!" Brian exclaimed, glad for an extra three pairs of hands. "Yeah, homey. I managed to pull another couple a' guys together. Figured that 13 pairs of hands would be better dan 10 right!" "Hell yeah!" He slapped hands and spoke to each and every guy, thanking them for their help. When he got to Edwin, he noticed immediately that something was off. It looked like something was bothering him, and he wasn't smiling in that menacing way he usually did. "What's up Edwin? You O.K man?" Edwin looked around and waited until Hector and the gang had moved away to check out the new parts. "You got somewhere I can put these in?" he asked holding up a batch of Corona's. He was avoiding the question. "Yeah, sure. C'mon in", he answered slowly and very unsurely. Then he showed Edwin into his apartment, and once the beers were taken care of, Brian once again tried to find out what's wrong. "So what's wrong?" Edwin paused, for what seemed like hours, and looked everywhere, and at everything but Brian. But he couldn't put it off any longer. "I got some news yesterday from a racer". Brian laughed out loud. "C'mon, that's it. Well what news?" he stopped laughing for Edwin to go on, but a massive smile still spread across his face. "Well this racer." He paused once again. "Yeah?" "He knows where Toretto is", he said looking up at Brian. Brian pulled back, and the smile hit the floor like a ton of bricks. Not knowing if what he was heard was true, and he stumbled back, leaning against the worktop for support. After waiting many months to get news of Toretto, he finally had it. "I wont tell ya more if you don't want to know. I just thought that with Mia and Dom.Ya know!!" He waited, but when Brian didn't reply, he headed out of the kitchen. But just as he got to the door, Brian grabbed his arm. "Edwin. Wait". Having considered Tanner's advice about forgetting them and moving on, he realised that without Mia, life wasn't worth the hassle, and he missed Dom too. "Tell me where they are!" "You sure you want to know?" He enquired, hoping he wouldn't have to tell him. "TELL ME" Brian demanded. "Mexico" he said slowly. Brian paused, making sure he wouldn't forget. "Are they alright? Is everyone O.K?" Edwin, not knowing if Brian really wanted to hear this, said nothing. "Edwin" he warned. He was getting so fucking frustrated with the pauses. This was so important to him, he wanted to know everything that Edwin knew. "From what I've been told, Dom's in trouble with a gang down there. He's been throwin' down the pinks, and losin' his cars". He saw the worried look come over his face. Once the news of Dom's situation had sunk in he asked: "And what about Mia, and the other guys?"
"I honestly don't know. My guy never said anything about them." Edwin tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Who'd ave' thought huh? Toretto losing cars. Must have some pretty hot cars down there". Seeing it wasn't working, he left Brian and his thoughts alone, and headed out to the garage to do what he came to do.
About 10 minutes later, Brian appeared in front of his car. Hector slid out from under the engine bay, oblivious to the information Brian just received. "Took your time man. We've started already!" he exclaimed, obviously happy to be working on the car. "Sorry man. Needed to think some shit through." "Lame excuse" he said to himself. "That's cool. What you wanna do? I got Mike and Matt threading sleeves, Simon's seein' to the intercooler, and Cole over there's looking at Body Kits. You got anything in mind?" "Nah. I've been too busy concentrating on getting the car running. I'm open to ideas though." The truth was, his mind had already started to wonder about what he was goin to do, and he was findin' it extremely hard to focus on the job at hand. "I thought of another Robocar maybe, or a combat wing and body kit." "Sounds cool. I'll see to it later. I think I'll start on the bodywork. I was gonna leave it till after the car was runnin. But with the extra guys to cover the engine, I can make a start now. That means that some of everything has been done today." "Aight man!" Brian headed to the side of the car, noticing as he passed, how the guys moved around the parts, and worked the car with effortless expertise. "Your doin good guys" he praised them He stood in front of Edwin who looked up from unpacking the boxes. "You cool man?" "Yeah" he said looking around. He slung his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "What you gonna do man?" he asked. "Once the cars up and runnin and finished, I'm goin to Mexico". He sounded so definite that Edwin knew he had made up his made for good. "Well if your sure!" he said, placing a hand on Brian's shoulder. "I am Edwin. After what you told me, he needs my help. I cant leave it knowing their in trouble." "Sure. Let's get this beast running then" he shouted as he slapped Brian's shoulder. "I'm gonna go to Harry's then and get the parts I need for the bodywork. You guys O.K. here while I'm away?" "We got it covered. Go spend another few thousand!" At that, the two guys headed in different directions to do separate jobs.
