Chapter 24: Finale - Pt. 1
"Friday, at last!" Speed exclaimed as he locked the door of the factory. "I tell ya, honey, I really busted my butt this week. I feel kinda good about it, though. I hate to admit it, but my old man is right, honest, hard work does a man good."
"Hmpf!" Dallas said. "While you were working hard, Ah was being ignored."
"Aw, babe, I didn't mean to. But, you know I have to do this, I made a deal with my father. And we did get to be together," he reminded her.
"Ah don't call mah sitting around bored stiff while you clean toilets as being together."
Speed shrugged. "Well, I told you that I'd be too busy working to spend time much with you. But, you insisted on coming with me anyway. Besides, you seemed to keep yourself entertained enough on Pops' computer. Heck, at times you acted as if I didn't even exist; you were so busy with whatever it is you were doing."
"Ah was just answering my email, darlin'," she explained, "Ah have a lot of fans, you know."
Speed pulled her close, grinning. "Including me. I'm your number one fan!"
"You'd better say that!"
"Always, honey."
As he leaned in for a kiss, she pushed him away. "Eww!" she exclaimed as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"What's wrong?"
"Might Ah remind you that you had pastrami for lunch? You need a breath mint."
"Oh yeah," he said, a blush slowly coming over his face, "I forgot. I'll brush my teeth and gargle with some minty mouthwash when we get home."
"You might want to take a shower, too. Ah swear, you have to be one of the sweatiest men Ah've ever known!"
"The AC in that factory isn't too good and I've been working really hard all day, so it's no surprise I'm all sweaty." He opened the door of the Mustang for her then walked around to the driver's side and got in. He started the car and was about take off when he remembered something. "Hey, how come when you first met me you said that you liked the scent of masculine sweat, that it was sexy?"
"Sweet pea, that was racin' sweat. Racin' sweat is totally different from manual labor sweat."
"It is?" Speed asked, wondering how Dallas had come to that bizarre conclusion. "No sense in even trying to figure her out..." he muttered as he shifted the car into gear and drove away.
They'd gotten half a mile when Speed first noticed the noise.
"You hear that?" he asked.
"Hmmm?" Dallas was too busy gazing at her reflection in her compact to pay much attention to anything he was saying.
"Something's not right with this car," he said. "There's a weird sound coming from the engine."
Dallas closed the compact. "Well, Ah just hope we get home before this pile of junk breaks down. The last thing Ah need is to be stuck on the side of the road with a man who smells like he was rolling around in horse manure all day!"
"Don't worry, princess," he couldn't keep the sarcastic tone from his voice, "I'll have you home long before you succumb to my toxic fumes."
She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "No reason to be rude!" He was getting just a little too cocky. "He'll get his later," she said to herself as she thought about the wealth of information she'd soon be uploading to her computer. "Ah just gotta bide mah time, then he'll be sorry!"
"I wasn't trying to be rude... Listen, I gotta go over to Sparky's and see if he can take a look at this car."
Dallas was about to protest, but decided that it would be to her advantage to have him out of the house for a while. "Sure, darlin'. But, would it be too much trouble to drop me home first, it's on the way, isn't it? Ah think it best that you go alone, bein' that his girlfriend hates me and all."
"She doesn't hate you. She treats everyone that way because she's a bitch."
Dallas laughed. "Oh, if Sparky heard you say that, Ah'm sure he'd be madder than hell!"
Speed smiled slyly. "Well, we won't tell him, will we?"
"Nope. She lowered her voice to a seductive purr, "Speedikins, Ah'm sorry about being angry with you. Ah think it must be hormones or something."
Speed squeezed her hand. "I'm sure in your condition I should expect mood swings." He leaned in for a kiss; she turned her cheek to him, avoiding his lips.
---
Speed peered over Sparky's shoulder. "Find anything yet?"
"No, and I won't be able to if you don't leave me alone and let me do my job," an annoyed Sparky said. "Why don't go find something to do while I check out the car, okay?
Speed nodded. "Sure. I guess I am kind of in the way."
"Yes, you are," the mechanic replied. "Go inside, have a cup of coffee or something and relax. I'll let you know if I find something."
---
On the sofa in Sparky's living room, Speed sipped a cup of black coffee and perused a copy of Racing World magazine while he waited for word on the Mustang.
Trixie stopped in her tracks when she saw him. He looked up from his magazine and smiled. Even in her annoyance at seeing him again, she couldn't help the attraction she felt. Damn him!
"Hi," he said pleasantly.
She quickly composed herself. "I... didn't know you were here. I didn't see the Mach Five outside."
"I don't drive it on the street anymore," he said. "The Mustang that Sparky's working on, that's my new... well, old actually, car. The engine was making a really weird sound, so I brought it over for him to look at. I'm waiting in here because he said I was making him nervous. I was staring over his shoulder and stuff."
"Oh."
"By the way, if you're looking for Janine, she's not here," Speed told her.
"Yeah, I know. Sparky said she was shopping, but wouldn't be gone long."
There was awkward silence. Speed went back to his magazine, though it was obvious that he wasn't really reading it.
Trixie watched him. She noted that his hair was styled a bit differently and that he wore cowboy boots under his blue jeans, obviously Dallas' influence. The thought of the new woman in Speed's life evoked strong feelings of anger in her. She broke the silence. "So, where's your girlfriend?"
"Home," he replied.
"Really?" Cold hatred crept into her voice. "I'm surprised she let you out of her sight. She usually keeps you on a rather short leash, doesn't she? How long did you have to beg for her to remove your collar?"
"What kind of crack was that?" Speed asked. "I'll have you know that it was her idea that I come here alone."
"Huh. She probably wanted you gone so she could make it with the pool boy."
Speed narrowed his eyes. "Keep talking that way about Dallas and you'll be sorry."
"Is that a threat?"
He shrugged. "Take it however you want. Just be real careful what you say about my girlfriend."
"Don't worry, I won't waste another breath on that controlling tart. One thing I will say is that I think it's kind of sad that you can't even see what a fool she's making of you."
Speed's voice rose. "You know, I'm getting sick and tired of you and your nasty remarks. You claimed to have once loved me. I'd think you of all people would be happy that I finally found my soul mate."
"Soul mate? Wouldn't she have to have a soul in order to be your soul mate?"
"Dallas has plenty of soul. And, she loves me with all her heart," he said.
"Hah! Dallas isn't capable of love any more than you are. Neither one of you has any idea of what love is," she spat. "You're both shallow, self-centered, phony, immature jerks!"
"Don't let your jealousy show too much, sweetheart!" Speed snapped back. "You know… maybe if you'd been willing to be more of a woman, like Dallas, I'd have had no reason to stray." He smirked as he lowered the boom. "No man likes a tease, Trixie. Leading me on, night after night, getting me all worked up… only to have you tell me you weren't ready… You know what that kind of crap does to a guy? You're nothing but a frigid tease!"
Having heard enough, Trixie finally exploded. "You rotten SOB! I can't believe what you just said!"
"What's the matter, babe? Facing the facts is too hard for you to handle?"
Trixie fought the tears that threatened to fall, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. But, Speed knew he was getting to her.
Sparky could hear their voices before he even walked through the door. "Looks like the summit talks broke down again." He stood in the hallway, not sure of whether to interfere as he listened to the furious exchange.
"Truth hurts," Speed said with contempt. "Maybe next time you meet a guy you should try to put out, just a little. It might be enough to make him stick around a bit longer."
"That's it!" she cried, no longer able to hold back the tears. "You can go to hell!" She quickly turned away from him and fled the room, bumping into Sparky in the process.
"Hey, Trix... Are you alright?"
She shook, nearly hysterical as he took hold of her. "T-t-that... bastard! The things he said to me... I hate him!"
"Shhh… Calm down," he said as he tried to soothe her. "How about I get some coffee and we talk this out?"
"Sparky, all I want to do is get the hell out of here and away from that creep," she said.
"You okay to drive?" he asked.
"I'll be fine once I get away from him," she motioned towards Speed who stood in the doorway glaring at them. "Tell Janine I'll call her later." She wiped her eyes and ran to her car.
After she drove off, Sparky turned to Speed. "Man, that was harsh."
"Harsh? Hell, I held back. You should only know what I really wanted to say to her."
"Speed, what did she ever do to you to deserve that kind of treatment? She never did anything to warrant the things you said. In fact, she helped saved your ass the other day; remember? She could have let you fry instead of trying to help clear your name with the Racing Commission."
"I didn't need her help," Speed said. "Besides, she only did it in a pathetic attempt to get me to dump Dallas and go back with her. Like that would ever have a snowball's chance in hell of happening."
Sparky felt nothing but disdain for Speed at the moment. "Buddy, you've changed since you got involved with Dallas. I didn't want to believe it, I told Janine she was imagining it, but she was right. You've changed, and not for the better. Dallas has really messed up your head."
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"
"I know enough to see that you've become nothing but a tool. Dallas owns you," Sparky said, waiting for the inevitable blow-up as the color in Speed's face darkened to a deep shade of crimson.
"Screw you, moron!" Speed growled as he violently pushed passed him and stormed out of the house, slamming the screen door as hard as he could.
"Saw that one coming," Sparky noted matter-of-factly before chasing after him. He grabbed hold of Speed's arm when he caught up. "Hey, wait!"
"You got a death wish or something?" Speed wrenched himself away from the mechanic's surprisingly powerful grip. "I've kicked the crap out of bigger guys than you for doing less than that."
"Dammit, Speed, calm down. I just came to give you these." He held the keys to the Mustang in his hand. "You won't get very far without them."
Speed snatched the keys from him and said nothing.
"Hey," Sparky said, "you could at least thank me for fixing your car."
Speed stopped and turned back to his friend. "Thanks," he said, chagrined.
"You're welcome." Sparky stood a moment and then thrust out his hand. "Friends?"
Speed rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly before shaking Sparky's hand. "Yeah, sure. Uh, I'm sorry 'bout blowing up like that. I don't know what happened. Kinda lost my mind for a minute there, ya know?"
"No problem. I should know better after all these years then to try to reason with you when you go all crazy like that. You'd think, too, that after working with Pops every day, I'd be used to the infamous Racer temper by now." He grinned. "Apple, tree and all that jazz."
"Yeah, Pops and I are alike that way, much as I hate to admit it. I'm really sorry, buddy."
"Forget about it, pal." Sparky slapped him on the back. "I'm just glad that nothing was majorly wrong with the Mustang. She's a damn fine car."
"That she is," Speed said. He closed his eyes for a moment before speaking again. "I really acted like a jerk before, didn't I?"
"Yeah. Actually, you've been acting like a jerk a lot lately," Sparky remarked knowing that Speed was now feeling too remorseful to lose his temper again.
"I don't know what's going on with me. It's like I go crazy whenever anybody says anything derogatory about Dallas. It's just a really sensitive subject with me, especially knowing that nobody likes her."
"I don't know her well enough to know whether I like her or not," Sparky said. "But, ya gotta admit, Speed, that's she's not very nice to people."
"She's shy. It's just a defense mechanism with her, that's all. Once you get to know her, she's the sweetest girl in the world. " Speed chuckled. "I'll tell you one thing, she's certainly not shy when we're alone, if you know what I mean!" He nudged his friend; both young men laughed.
---
"Trix, I'm so sorry I wasn't home before. I could have at least warned you that the king of idiots was gracing us with his presence," Janine said as she sipped a cup of tea in Trixie's kitchen.
"No, it's my fault for not calling first. I should've figured that the jerk would be there visiting his only friend. I'm just sorry that I lost my cool. But, I couldn't help it with the horrid things he said."
"Sparky told me. I swear, if I had been there, I'd have kicked him in the groin so hard that he wouldn't be able to jump Miss Congeniality for a month."
Trixie couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, but if you did kick him in his nether-regions it probably would've caused brain damage."
Now it was Janine's turn to laugh. "Good one, Trix. I'm glad you're finally seeing him for what he really is, nothing but a pathetic, over-sexed, simple-minded fool."
"Yeah..." Trixie said softly. "but, there's one problem."
"What's that?"
"I'm still in love with him."
"Oh. Well, don't worry, that'll soon pass. There'll come a time when you'll wonder what you ever even saw in him."
"I hope so, Janine. Because, right now, I feel as if my heart is breaking in half. It hurts so much." She burst into tears. "Dammit, why did this have to happen?"
"I know you don't want to hear this right now, Trixie, but it's all for the best. You deserve better than him, you always have. He's never treated you with respect. How many times did he take you for granted? Always assuming you'd be waiting for him like the dutiful little woman?"
Trixie sniffled. "I know... But, I can't help thinking that he was right. Maybe if I'd been more like the other girls... Like Dallas... We'd still be together."
"More like Dallas? By that do you mean if slept with him, he'd never have cheated on you?" Janine asked.
"Well, yeah. I mean, it's obvious that I didn't give enough of myself, physically. He's a man, and men expect certain things from a woman," she said.
"No, a man should not ever expect that a woman gives in to sex. If she wants to, sure, that's cool. But, to do it because you're afraid of losing him is so wrong," Janine said. She decided to ask a question that had been on her mind for some time. "Trix... Did Speed ever pressure you to have sex?"
She shook her head. "We talked about it, of course. But, decided to wait until we were both ready," Trixie explained.
"More like until you were ready. I'll be he was ready, wasn't he?"
"I guess so. I'm sure if I'd given the word, said yes, he wouldn't have turned me down."
Janine shook her head. "I'm not surprised. I always knew he was only out for one thing... You're well rid of him."
"He wasn't like that..." Trixie said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Janine, can we please change the subject?"
"Sure, honey. We've got better things to talk about, anyway. Like your move to New York. I'm so excited for you. Although, I'm also gonna miss you," Janine said.
"I'll miss you, too. But, I have to do this. I need a fresh start."
Janine nodded. "I know. Well, I guess if you're going to go into exile, what better place to do it than the Big Apple?"
"That's what I keep telling myself. I'll have plenty to do to keep my mind off of things. Museums, Central Park, Broadway, nightclubs..."
Janine chuckled. "Not to mention all the shopping! You're going to have a wardrobe to die for!"
"Yeah, and nobody I can show it off to," Trixie said glumly.
"You will before you know it, honey. You'll have tons of guys lined up waiting to meet you."
Trixie hugged her. "Thanks, I needed to hear that." She rose and removed the coffee mugs from the table. "I guess I'd better finish packing."
"Sparky put the boxes of stuff you don't need right now in his extra closet. Just let us know when you need it, and we'll send it out."
"Thanks for that, too." More tears started to fall. "I'm gonna miss you both so much."
"We'll both miss you, too." She and Trixie hugged again. "Call me when you get settled."
"The way I'm feeling, I'll probably call you from the plane. Janine, I'm scared."
Janine smiled. "Call me as many times as you want."
Trixie forced a smile. "I'm so glad you and Sparky were here for me."
"We'll always be here for you, honey." There was one last, long hug before Janine left.
"There's no turning back now," Trixie said as she watched her drive off.
Trixie sighed, thinking how hard it was to say goodbye. Her eyes welled up with tears as she thought back, a few hours ago, to when she turned in her resignation to Pops. He hadn't been surprised. In fact, he'd been expecting it.
She turned on the radio and listened to the oldies station as she continued packing. A half-smile crossed her face as Gloria Gaynor's voice boomed from the speakers. "Talk about timing..." Continuing to pack, she gathered strength from an old disco song. "I will survive," she said defiantly.
