Chapter 9: A Drive


It felt like an eternity before the next morning came. Doc had very little sleep. He spent a few hours in his garage, but it only made things worse. Finally, he saw daylight starting to shine on through the windows. No music played, no arguments were yelled. Doc slowly made his way to Harley's door and knocked softly.

"Harley…" He asked in a gentle voice, as gentle as he could muster up. No response. He sighed and was about to leave, but decided to opened the door instead. As the door came up, he saw that Harley was sound asleep. He watched her for a few seconds then shook his hood. "Har… I.. I'll be in the courthouse." he said and left. The door closed behind him and there was a pause. Harley's eyes slowly opened. She knew he was knocking. Slowly, she drove up to her window and saw Doc drive up to Flo's. He said a few words then left. Harley watched him drive off towards the courthouse and furrowed her eye rims with a frown.

"Stupid courthouse…" she thought. She then made her slow travel to the café. The town was quiet, but don't in its usual sense. The air was thick and heavy; the warm morning seemed chilled instead. Once she was in sight of the morning townsfolk, there conversations lowered to also nothing -not that there were many conversations to begin with.

Harley had her eyes on the pavement as she drove up and checked her mirrors every once and awhile to make sure Doc wasn't behind her. She drove away from everyone and parked herself in a gas station away from the other cars. They all watched her closely, but she paid no attention to them. She simply continued to find interest in the pavement. Flo looked around at the others and sighed. She then drove up slowly to Harley and sweetly spoke to her.

"Morning, sugar. You alright?" she asked, but got no response. "You hungry, honey?" a beat then Harley somewhat glanced up.

"Y-yeah…" she said in an almost whisper.

"Okay, what do you want to eat?" she asked gently.

"A…. A muffin?" she asked and Flo nodded.

"Alright. I can go get that for you, sugar." she then drove off, but not in her usual quick pace. Harley sunk low on her wheels and was so intent on the pavement that she didn't notice Sheriff drive up to her.

"Hey, Harley." he said and it snapped her out of it. She looked up and saw the black and white car who bore a small smile. "How you doing?" he asked and Harley looked back down.

"I'm fine…" she said and Sheriff nodded solemnly.

"Better than not fine, right?" he asked and Harley shrugged her tires.

"I guess…" Flo came back out with a muffin and slid it over to Harley.

"Here you go, sweetheart." she said and watched her for a moment. Really, the whole town watched her. She silently ate, and the others somewhat went back to their usual talks. She was about half way done with hee muffin when she stopped and look off to the road.

"I'm gonna go…" she said and little louder than she had been all morning. There was a beat then Sheriff drove up to her again.

"What do you mean 'go,' Harley?" He asked carefully. She inhaled deeply then drove towards the road.

"I'm going for a drive." she said and Sheriff seemed only slightly relieved.

"By yourself?" He asked and she looked back at him and nodded.

"Yeah." she said and began driving off, only to be stopped by Sheriff driving in front of her.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Harley was starting to get annoyed.

"Why?" she wined.

"Because something could happen and you'd be all by yourself." Sheriff explained and Harley slightly rolled her eyes. "I'll come with you." he said and Harley shook her hood.

"No, I wanna go by myself." Harley demanded and began to drive around him.

"Harley." Sheriff said in a warning tone.

"I'll don't want you to come with me. Don't you have to talk to Doc about some dumb court stuff?" Harley was starting to get mad, then it all made sense to everyone.

"Officer." Someone else's voice spoke up and a small 40s army jeep drove up. "I could take her." Everyone looked at Sarge with shocked and confused expressions.

"Uh… Sarge, I'm not sure if-"

"I'll assure you, Sheriff, there is no better car to keep an eye on a child than a vet." he cut him off and lifted himself a little higher with pride. Sheriff sighed, knowing that an argument with Sarge is one you can't win.

"Alright, fine." he said shaking him hood. "Harley, you'll go with Sarge. No ands, ifs, or buts about it." he said and Harley looked from Sarge to Sheriff.

"But-"

"I said no buts!" Sheriff strictly said. Harley opened her mouth to say something, but then sighed and turned around. Sarge gave a nod to Sheriff then drove after Harley.

"So, soldier, where are we going?" Harley glanced up at the veteran then looked to the road.

"Uh, Willy's Butte…" she said softly and Sarge nudged her.

"What was that?" he asked as they got to the one traffic light in town.

"Willy's Butte." she said and little louder and turned left.

"Willy's Butte, huh." he said and followed her. "Well that's the other way, is it not?" Harley continued driving in her direction.

"I like the trees this way." she said quietly and sadly and there was a pause. Sarge studied her then nodded.

"Trees. You know what trees are good for?" Harley shook her hood. "Hiding." He said and Harley looked up at him.

"Hiding?" she asked slightly confused.

"Yes, hiding. They used them a lot in the Vietnam War." he explained.

"Oh…" There was a pause then Harley looked up at him again.

"Did you fight in that war?" she asked, her voice gentle compared to his.

"No, no I was in World War II." he said and looked straight ahead. "They said I was too old to fight another war. That my make and model wouldn't survive the terrain."

"Oh…" Harley followed his gaze and was not quite sure what he was looking at. "So… World War… does that mean you went around the world?" she asked and Sarge nodded.

"Yes, in a sense." he said looking back to her.

"Was it fun?" Harley asked with more excitement.

"Well…" Sarge thought for a second then chuckled. "Sometimes."

"Do you have some stories!?" Harley asked, slightly jumping up as they drove. Neither one of them had realized that they were in the woods now.

"Actually I do." Sarge said with the smallest of smiles. "There was a car, we all called him Pops. He was a Brit soldier."

"Brit?" Harley asked and Sarge smiled with a nod.

"Meaning he was British."

"Why didn't you just say that then?" Sarge raised an eye lids at her and she drew back. "Sorry."

"It's alright. But never correct a sargent. Or a general. Or anyone with a high commanding title in that case." Harley nodded then rose up again.

"So who was Pops?" she asked.

"Pops was an old car. Well, actually he was not much older than myself." he chuckled and shook his hood. "He got himself into some trouble from time to time."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Well, there was this one time that he got caught in a crossfire. He hid in a trench and I was there with him. His tire was flat from a bullet and his entire left side was, well… hurt badly." he tried to explain in a simple and appropriate way. But as he remembered the event, his expression grew more solemn. "Almost lost him. But when the firing ceased, I drug him to safety. He got fixed up and thrown back into the battle. I was still right there beside him…" There was a pause.

"Wow…" Harley said, her eyes wide from listening to the story. "Pops sounds cool. Where is he now? At home?" Sarge looked sad but smiled anyways.

"Something like that…" He said and Harley couldn't figure out why he looked so sad. "Harley." He said and they began to slow down.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"There's something I want you to know, soldier." She slightly giggled.

"Why do you call me soldier?" she asked and Sarge looked at her without any hint of a smile.

"Because in this life, you have to be one." Harley's smile faded. "I want you to know an important lesson on learned from serving my country and from serving with Pops." Harley nodded and listened intently. "Hardship is never for no reason. If it's hard and hurts like he- hurts really bad, it's for a reason. And it builds who you are." He looked up and around; the trees were beginning to fade out as the woods ended. "Because just like these woods, hardship ends and reveal something better for you and better about you." the trees ended and the dessert area began again. Harley nodded but was confused. "Doc has a reason for what he's doing." Suddenly, Harley understood. "He's not leaving you in the woods." They looked and could see Willy's Butte once they were over the hill.

"How do you know?" Harley asked and Sarge looked down to her.

"Because… Doc's a soldier. And soldiers don't do anything that they know will cost them everything." Harley furrowed her eye lids.

"But… but he… he." she sighed in frustration.

"He's doing everything he can." Sarge said and came to a stop. They were right up to the butte.

"I… I guess you're right." she said and looked up at him with a small smile. He sailed back at her, his features uncharacteristically soft. Softer anyways. "This place is cool." She said and looked over to the track below them. "I wonder who raced down there?" Sarge shrugged house tours and looked in the same direction as her.

"Just some random racers that would come through town before Interstate 40 was built."

"Oh…" Harley said. "Interstate 40? What's that?" Sarge scoffed and shook his hood.

"A story for another time." He said and leaned onto one side. "You alright?" he asked and Harley gave a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah…" She gave one more long look at the butte and the track. She thought about everything Sarge had told her, a small frowned making its way to her face. She then reversed and began to head over to the road leading back to town. The long way back to town. "Can you tell me more stories about Pops?" she asked and began driving off. Sarge chuckled once and began to follow after her.

"Sure." he said and began to tell a long story of when they first met, leaving out anything the likes of a six year old shouldn't hear. By the time they made it back, the sun was low as the afternoon carried on. Harley was smiling and laughing while Sarge had a nostalgic glint in his eyes and in his small half smile. Once they were visible to the town, Sheriff quickly looked over and Flo saw them and laughed.

"Well would ya look at that? He didn't put her through boot camp!" Sheriff relaxed and smiled a half smile.

"Huh. Well, what do ya know," he said and shook his hood in disbelief. "he kept her in one piece after all." Harley looked over at the two of them and quickly drove over. Sarge found his spot beside Fillmore he softly chuckled and nudged him. Sarge now had his usual grumpy face on and moved slightly away from him as he said something. Flo smiled brightly and Harley matched it.

"Sarge told me some awesome stories! Did you know he knew a British car named Pops?" she asked and Sheriff quickly looked over at Sarge.

"You told her stories about you and Pops!?" Sarge rolled his eyes at him.

"Only what was appropriate." Sheriff shook ed his hood and turned back to Harley.

"So everything was okay?" He asked and Harley smiled brightly.

"Yeah! Pops sounds cool! Sarge says he's at home, so maybe we can go to London one day and meet him!" Sheriff again looked disapprovingly at Sarge who wasn't even paying attention anymore.

"Maybe one day. Not any time soon." he then added under his breath, "hopefully…"

"What?"

"Nothing Harley." she shrugged and turned back to Flo.

"So you had fun?" Flo asked and Harley nodded.

"Yeah, I feel better now " she said and Flo nudged her.

"That's what I like to hear, baby." she said and began to drive off. "How's a cream oil soda sound?" she asked and Harley jumped up.

"Sounds awesome!" she said and Flo nodded and went off to retrieve it. Sheriff then nudged her and she turned to face him.

"So.. are you really okay?" He asked, his face looking concerned.

"Yeah… why?" Harley asked then matched his expression.

"Because… because Doc wanted to talk to you." She sunk a little lower onto her tires.

"Oh…" she said and glanced quickly at the courthouse. "Okay…" she said then looked up at Sheriff. "Can I drink my soda first? She asked and Sheriff smiled kindly.

"I suppose so." He said and Harley smiled softly back at him.