Chapter 4: The Word 'Indigenous'
Toting the radio on his hood, Doc went over to the V8 Café where Flo and Ramone were darting everywhere in a frantic hurry.
"Ramone, that's not how you spell her name! Who spells it 'H-A-R-L-Y!?' Come on, baby!" Ramone was painting a sign on a piece of scrapped tin from Mater's junk yard. Doc scoffed at the sight of Ramone dropping his paint sprayer and picking up another. He began to cover the entire sign in a coat of white while muttering something about restarting and paint being low. Guido and Luigi then came speeding across the diner causing doc to jump back in reverse.
"So sorry, Doc!" Luigi called followed by a line of Italian from Guido. Doc then chuckled and called back.
"It's fine!" He said and they dashed into the diner. Doc then looked around and saw that Flo was with Mater.
"And don't forget!" she barked, "Blue and purple! She loves blue and purple! Come back quick! Fillmore might have something. Oh, and Lizzie too!" Mater held his chassis high.
"Yes, ma'am!" he shouted then sped off.
"Don't tell Harley!" Flo called out.
"Alrighty!" Mater hollered back. Flo rolled her eyes but smiled and laughed to herself. She then began speeding back towards Ramone and Doc followed close behind.
"Well, Flo, you seem to be good at being in charge." He said as he looked around. Red was setting up a sign in the front of the building that read in blue and purple letters that read 'Happy Birthday!' Guido and Luigi were setting up a bar of food and snacks while Sarge was directing where things should be placed.
"Huh? Oh, you bet your tail lights I am!" she said as she continued to Ramone. "That's better! H-A-R-L-E- Y. Good!" Ramone gave a satisfied smile and nodded. He then glanced up and noticed that Doc was there.
"Ey, Doc! Way to bring the tunes!" Ramone said once he paused and looked up from his work.
"Actually, no, I had an idea for a gift." he said and Flo jumped up.
"Oh! Gifts! Don't you worry; I called up my old group! They'll be here later, but they'll be here! That's my gift! A live concert! Open to request, of course." Ramone laughed.
"You called up your old Motarama girls?" He asked and Flo nodded.
"Mhm! I get things taken care of!" she proudly said, "Which reminds me…" she began to speed off into the diner. "Luigi!" she yelled as she disappeared through the doors. Doc watched her then looked to Ramone.
"She's busy." Ramone justified and they both chuckled. "What was your idea?"
"Right. I found this old radio." Doc said and let it slide off his hood. "I thought maybe we all could take part in fixing it and it be a gift from the town."
"Oohhh. That's a great idea!" Ramone and scooted the radio closer to him. "While I have my tools out, I'll go ahead and paint it up and fix the outside of it. Shouldn't take too long." he said as he eyed it then looked back at Doc. "I'll get to work after I finish this sign!" Doc smiled.
"Thank you, Ramone." he said and began to drive off. He paused and looked around at all the work that was going on. He warmed his engine at how much the town cared about this one small event. But it wasn't all that small was it? Doc's smile slightly faded as he thought that this could very well be her first good birthday party. He sat there for a minute then began to drive to Lizzie's shop. Once there, he saw that Lizzie and Harley were inside, both completely clueless as to what was going on down the road. Harley seemed enthralled by a little snow globe.
"Oh, well that!" Lizzie said and drove over to her, "That would be a collector's item! It's very old, but still in pristine condition." she explained. It had a miniature Willy's Butte- race track and all- inside. Harley nudged it with her tire and watched the faux snow flurry around it.
"Ha! It's so cool!" Harley exclaimed. Doc drove over to Lizzie and told her something in a hushed voice.
"Well why'd no one tell me!" She shouted and Doc lowered his eyes rims put of slight annoyance. "Harley, you can keep that it you want! Free of charge." Harley turned around to her with bright, wide eyes.
"Really!?" she asked and Doc laughed along with Lizzie.
"I said it, didn't I?" Lizzie said and jumping with a smile, Harley thanked her.
"Oh, that's so awesome! Thanks, Lizzie!" She then noticed Doc there. "Oh! Hi Doc! Are you still busy?" she asked then brightened up. "Oh, look what Lizzie gave me!" she said and turned back around. Doc followed her and looked at the tiny snow globe.
"I see, well, that's a wonderful little gift." he said ands Harley beamed. "Harley, if you could-" just then, Mater came bursting in.
"Hey, Lizzie! You got one a dem- oh hey Doc! Hey Harley!" they both looked back. One smiled at him, the other simply blinked with the smallest of half smiles. He eyed the tow truck, fearing that he would say something that would ruin the surprise. "Lizzie, I need a few a dem funny bumper stickers you got. It's for, uh, somethin' at Flo's!" Lizzie then eyed him.
"Something at Flo's? Huh, well, she'll have to come get 'em herself." she's said and Mater huffed.
"But Lizzie, she sent me to git 'em!" he whined.
"Alright, alright! Take ya pick! But hurry, it's almost time for my afternoon nap!" Mater scurried to a rack and picked out a few.
"Thanks Lizzie!" he said and darted out of the shop.
"Wonder why he needed all those." Harley asked and Doc cleared his throat.
"Well, Mater is Mater. Who knows why he would need them." he said then began to leave. "Harley, I need you to stay with Lizzie for a little while longer, okay?"
"Aw, but she's gonna take a nap!" she cried and Lizzie nodded.
"Yes I am! Why not take her to her new snow globe!" Lizzie offered, making Doc confused.
"Her snow globe?" He asked and looked over at it. He then realized what she meant before her even explaining.
"Yeah, she hasn't seen Willy's Butte yet!" Doc looked from Lizzie to Harley. "It's better late than never!"
There was a beat before Harley whined.
"Please, Doc! I wanna see Willy's Butte!" she looked ball at the trinket. "It looks so cool…" Doc watched her for a moment then sighed.
"Alright, fine. But just this once." Harley's eyes brightened up and she jumped.
"Yay!" Doc then tried to figure out how to get to the old track without her seeing the café…
"Hey, Harley," he said looking down at her. She beamed back up with excitement. "We're going to take a back road? It's longer, but I think you'd like it."
"A back road?" Harley looked up questionably at Doc.
"Yeah, it'll be fun." He said and began driving off. He blocked her view of the café as they drove to the light. "Now, we would usually turn right, but we're going to go left instead." Harley tried to look over Doc, but just wasn't big enough to.
"What's going right?" she asked.
"That's, uh, a dangerous short cut. We're not going that way. This way is better, come on." he spoke loud enough so that she wouldn't be able to hear the commotion at Flo's, but she heard some of it regardless.
"What's going on over there?" she asked and Doc Egan to drive faster.
"Oh, just Flo being her usual busy self. Nothing to worry about." he said as Harley sped up.
"Oh, okay. She likes being busy I think." Doc chuckled and unconsciously slowed.
"I guess you're right." he said and looked back with his mirrors to make sure they were far enough away. Once her saw that they were he exhaled in relief.
"You like being busy too, right?" Harley looked up at him with innocent eyes.
"Well…" he thought about it for a second then looked down to her. "I like helping everyone and making sure everything going is okay. I want what's best for everyone." Harley smiled and got closer to him.
"You're awesome, Doc." she said and it warmed Doc's engine.
"You are too, kid." He softly said as they began to drive up to a few trees. "Hey look, the woods." he said and Harley looked with her usual wide eyes.
"Oh!" She looked around and giggled. "I've never seen these kinds of trees before!" Doc chuckled and looked around as well.
"Their indigenous to this part of Arizona." he explained and Harley looked back up at Doc, her eye rims furrowed.
"What's 'igenous' mean?" she asked and again Doc chuckled.
"It's pronounced in-di-gen-ous," he said slowly for her to learn jowls to say it. "And it means something like… like that's where it's from."
"Ooohhh…" Harley replied as she raised her eye rims in understanding. "So, you're in-di-gen-ous to Radiator Springs, right?" Doc smiled softly at her.
"I wish. But no, actually. I moved here a long time ago." Harley furrowed her eye rims, again confused.
"Why?" a one word question that seemed to haunt Doc, and he didn't hide it, not much at least. His featured changed as he looked forward. He had the slightest frown and his own eye rims furrowed.
"... Many reasons…" a beat past and Harley looked sad for him, but remained quiet. "...but I guess it was mainly…. Chance." A beat. No one spoke. Harley wasn't sure what to say now.
"So... um… where would you be 'indigenous' to then?" she asked in a sort of joking tone. Doc thought about it for a second, even though he didn't need to think about it at all.
"Thomasville." he said and Harley nodded. She decided not to press the question, but Doc did. Only, to her this time.
"Harley, where are you from?" He asked. Of course, he knew the answer, but Harley never did talk to him about it.
"Um… well. Not here." she said and looked away.
"I know that. But could you be specific?" Doc looked at her, studying her body language.
"Uhm… Yeah…" she paused, still looking away. "Auburn… Auburn, California." she said at last and Doc nodded.
"Ah, okay. I've been there before. Nice little town." he then scoffed. "Not as little as Radiator Springs, but little." Harley awkwardly chuckled.
"Heh, yeah." she said. They continued driving and she didn't say much after that.
"Harley, why did you come here? How did you get here?" Harley frowned and her eye rims where low and furrowed.
"I don't know…" she lied. Doc slowed.
"Harley… yes you do." she was quiet. No answer. She moved away from him. "Harley?" Doc stopped and Harley followed his lead, stopping as well, but was still quiet. "Harley, what happened to you?" he said a little stricter this time. Her eyes began to water. Doc stared her down for a few seconds, and then gave in. He sighed and looked around again. "These trees have been here for a long time." another beat past then Harley glanced up.
"How… how long?" she timidly asked. Doc smiled softly at her.
"Many, many years." he answered.
"More years than Lizzie?" Doc chuckled softly.
"Many more than Lizzie." Harley slightly raised her eye rims.
"That's a really long time." she said and Doc laughed quietly. Harley joined him and they continued their trip.
"We're almost there." Doc said after a while of driving and talking about the time you town and what else was 'indigenous' to the town and Arizona. "Stay close to me, and be very careful. It's pretty rough over here." he said and slowed down. Harley nodded and they continued on. "Now, there is a big incline, stay away from it."
"Why?" She asked and Doc thought for a moment.
"Because you could fall and you do not want to end up at the bottom." They drove closer and closer over a hill, and once at the top, Harley's eyes widened with amazement.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed as she saw the huge land mass protruding from the ground. "That's so cool!" she shouted and quickly drove down the hill and closer the warned incline.
"Harley! Harley, stop!" she looked at where she was in relation to the inclined and slammed on her brakes. She skidded to a halt and looked around. "Harley!" Doc scolded as he sped to meet up with her. Harley shrunk her chassis low. "That was too close!"
"It's okay, kid, just don't let it happen again." Harley nodded her hood and they both looked around.
"This is really cool…" She said trying to take every last detail in. Drifting to the bottom of Willy's Butte, Harley's eyes laded on a road covered in old and dusty tire track that went around it. "Why's there a circle road around it?" She asked as she continued to stare. Doc followed her gaze and found the track. He looked at it with reverence but also with a sort of sadness and anger.
"That's… that's a track." He calmly said. Harley looked up at him with questioning eyes.
"A track?" She asked and doc nodded. He waited a beat before continuing on.
"… A, uh… a race track." She looked back at the track and Doc looked down to her. He studied her face, but couldn't read it. Confusion, yet understanding. Wonder, but sadness.
"Oh…" Doc could tell she wanted to say something, so he waited for her, not making a sound. "My… my mom said that… that there was a race car in my family." Doc raised his eye rims.
"Really?" He was slightly shocked, slightly worried.
"Yeah.." There was a pause then Harley frowned.
"What… what was his name?" Doc cautiously asked. Harley seemed to shrug and continued to frown.
"I don't know… I never met him." Doc nodded silently. "Mama didn't talk about him a lot." Two beats passed. Doc then nudged Harley softly.
"Hey... it's been a long day." Harley looked back up and nodded. "We should head back to town before it gets too dark." He began to reverse and turned around. Harley did the same and followed him. "We can take the short cut this time."
"But I thought you said it was dangerous?" Harley continued to frown.
"Well, it's actually not that dangerous." He said and Harley looked into the direction they came.
"I think I want to go the other way." She quietly said and began to slow down. Doc turned to see that she had stopped and did the same.
"The other way?" He asked and she looked up and smiled.
"Yeah," She looked at Doc, her eyes shiny, "I like the in-in-uh."
"Indigenous?" Doc helped out and Harley smiled warmly.
"Yeah, the indigenous trees." Doc smiled warmly back and began to drive over to her.
"Yeah... I like them too."
