Go With the Flo
2009
"Well, Flo already stole mine, so I'm gonna go with my other favourite memory from Radiator Springs!" Ramone announced.
"What's that?" Fudge wondered.
The Chevrolet grinned. "Well..."
1960
Ramone had never been so excited or nervous in his life. This was something he'd wanted to do for three years. Even now, he couldn't believe just how lucky he was. Flo was the perfect woman for him and he couldn't believe his luck that she was with him of all people.
Ramone had grown up in California and was raised by his parents, Mexican immigrants. When he finished school, he wanted to pursue a career in art, so he headed to Radiator Springs since he'd heard from a friend of a friend that it was a good place to start a business at the time (that friend of a friend had been Sheriff). So, that's what he did. Ramone's House of Body Art was a huge success. The Lowrider had great friends, who were more like a close-knit family. However, he could never have imagined meeting someone as perfect for him as Flo...
"So, tonight's the big night?" Sheriff asked.
"Yep", Ramone confirmed.
"You nervous?"
"No", the Lowrider lied.
"You sure about that?"
"What if she says no?"
"Why would she say no?" Sheriff laughed, making the idea sound much more ridiculous than Ramone thought it was.
"I dunno, but she might. She might not be ready to get married or-"
"Look, Ramone", Sheriff cut him off, "I don't know much about marriage or relationships, but I do know Flo loves you. If you ask her, I'm sure she'll say yes."
"But what if she doesn't?" Ramone questioned worriedly again.
"What's goin' on?" Lizzie questioned. She was strolling past with Alice.
"Ramone is proposin' to Flo tonight", Sheriff explained.
"Shh!" the Lowrider hissed. "I don't want everyone to know." The only reason Sheriff knew was because he found him looking at lug nuts.
"Really?" Alice was amazed.
"Yeah."
"Well, that's wonderful!" Lizzie declared. "She did say the other week that she was wonderin' when you'd propose!"
Ramone was surprised. "She did?"
"She sure did", the Model T confirmed.
"Oh, she's gonna be so happy!" Alice exclaimed.
"But don't tell her! Or anyone else!" Ramone instructed hurriedly. "It's gotta be a surprise! The more people who know, the more suspicious she'll get!"
"Our lips are sealed", Lizzie promised.
"You can count on us, Ramone", Alice added with a wink.
"Thanks!" he sighed with relief. Then he checked the time and made a shocked exclamation in Spanish. "I gotta go! I still got a million things to do!" He sped off.
"Lizzie! Alice!" a familiar voice called out.
The Model T and the human woman in her sixties approached the former show car, who had just called them.
"What were y'all just talkin' to Ramone about?" Flo wanted to know.
Alice hesitated. She knew she couldn't tell Flo, but lying was a sin; Alice was a very religious woman and always worried about things like that.
"He was just telling us about his plans for tonight", Lizzie jumped in, which was true.
"Hmmm..." Flo didn't sound convinced.
"Is something wrong?" Alice questioned.
Flo shook her hood. "It's nothin'."
"No, it's not!" Alice insisted. "Talk to us!"
"It's just... lately, Ramone has been so secretive."
"How so?" Lizzie prompted.
"He's makin' lots of trips to Ashgrove and Velo City", Flo explained. "Won't let me come or even tell me why he's goin'. He's been makin' a lot of secret phone calls too... I think he's hidin' somethin' from me."
"Are you sure about this?" Lizzie asked.
"Pretty sure", Flo insisted.
"He could have a very good reason for it", Lizzie tried to reason.
"Well, whatever this is, I don't like it!" She took a deep breath. "I think I'm gonna have to break up with Ramone."
"What?!" the two older women gasped.
"He's keepin' secrets from me! Whatever the reason is, why can't he just be honest? If he's in some kind of trouble, he should just talk to me about it! Maybe I could help him!" She shook her hood again. "I gotta get back to work. If Ramone says anythin' to you, let me know." She drove off towards the café, which she had only just recently taken ownership of.
Lizzie and Alice just stared after her.
"I don't like this one bit!" Alice declared.
"Neither do I", Lizzie agreed.
By the time Flo finished work that evening, Ramone was ready. The lug nut was there, shining brighter than ever. His paint job looked awesome, if he said so himself. He'd replicated the red and yellow paint job he'd had when he first met Flo. The final piece to his plan was ready as well. Now, he just needed to find Flo and-
"Ramone!"
"Flo!"
"I need to talk to you!"
"Well, I need to talk to you first."
"Sure", Ramone agreed, almost grateful for this stalling. He was still nervous. "What's up?"
"I just have to know why you're hiding somethin' from me", Flo replied bluntly.
Ramone laughed nervously. "What makes you think I'm hidin' somethin' from you?"
"Well, there's the fact that you're goin' into Ashgrove or Velo City nearly every day!" She explained everything else she'd told Lizzie and Alice. "And I don't see you denyin' this!" She took another suspicious look at him. "And what is that in your tyre?"
"Nothin'!" he answered hurriedly. He tried to hide it from her view.
"That doesn't look like nothin' to me!" Flo countered. "You are hidin' somethin' from me! We're done!"
A shocked and hurt look took over the Lowrider's face. "What?"
"You heard me!"
"But, baby-"
"I don't wanna hear it!" the former show car cut him off.
"You don't have to hear anythin'!" Ramone informed her. "I just want you to see somethin'. I promise it'll make you feel better." Even if she didn't want to marry him, Ramone tried to convince himself that she'd be relieved to know that he wasn't hiding something horrible from her.
Flo doubted that, but reluctantly agreed. "Fine."
So, Ramone led her into his shop. He'd been working very hard and now, the moment had come. Every cent he'd spent, every hour he'd worked, every fear or doubt he'd had had all come down to this.
And it was all worth it to see Flo's reaction.
"Ramone!" she exclaimed, unable to get another word out.
Staring back at her was a large painting that took up almost the entire wall. The painting was of her, of course, and she thought Ramone had made her look way more beautiful than she really was.
Underneath the painting, in twinkling golden letters were the words WILL YOU MARRY ME?
Finally, Flo managed to drag her eyes away from the painting and look at Ramone, who was smiling nervously, holding out a sparkling lug nut. "Yes!" she replied, rolling forward to give him the best kiss he'd ever had.
It was everything Ramone could have ever hoped for.
For the rest of the night, they stayed together inside their home, just the two of them. Ramone was sure that the others were eager to know what happened and Flo was excited to tell the whole world that they were engaged, but for the time being, they just wanted to be alone. And they definitely took advantage of it.
It truly was the most incredible, most unforgettable night for both of them.
The following morning, the happy couple arrived at Flo's very happy. Of course, since Flo was the owner of the café, they were always the first ones to show up. So, they had to wait to give their friends the good news. Within an hour, every last resident of the small town was there.
"He did it, didn't he?" Lizzie asked Flo right away.
Flo smiled excitedly. "Mmmhmm."
Immediately, both Lizzie and Alice started squealing and hugging Flo.
"Wait!" Sarge called out. "What's going on?"
Wordlessly, Flo showed off her sparkling lug nut.
"We're engaged!" Ramone added excitedly.
For a period of about half a second, the entire population of Radiator Springs was just in stunned silence. Then, everyone began shouting, cheering and hugging.
"This is amazing!"
"Congratulations!"
"I'm so happy for you two!"
"When's the wedding gonna be?!"
"Can I be a bridesmaid?!"
"It's been a long time since we had a wedding around here! This is fantastic!"
"Thanks!" Flo and Ramone grinned. "We think so too!"
For the next few months, the wedding was practically the only thing the residents of Radiator Springs could talk about. The ceremony was going to take place on their four-year anniversary under the neon lights of Radiator Springs. After all, cruising under those lights was one of the many wonderful things that Flo had done, thanks to Ramone.
Sheriff would be officiating. Lizzie and Alice were going to be Flo's bridesmaids. Ramone had asked Fillmore, an old friend of his from before his time in Radiator Springs, to be his best man. The Warszawski twins would be singing. Irene Donovan was going to be the flower girl and two of the little boys in town, Frankie Donovan and Tow Mater, were going to be the lug nut bearers.
Needless to say, everyone was excited, but nobody was more excited than Flo.
"Only four more months till I get married!" she kept shouting.
Ramone smiled whenever she did this. Anybody could see how much this meant to Flo. If only he could think of a way to make the day even more special for her.
"It already is special for me!" Flo insisted. "Because I'm gonna be marryin' you!"
Still, Ramone wanted to do something. Something that would make Flo feel as special as he did... But what?
An idea came to him about three weeks before the wedding. He'd been taking a break from writing his vows (it was a lot harder than he thought it would be; he knew he loved Flo, but how the hell was he supposed to put those feelings into words?) and so, he was browsing through some wedding magazines, trying to find the right paint job for this wedding. He wanted to create something spectacular. After all, he knew that this was going to be the best day of his life, so he wanted to look his best. So far, none of the paint jobs he'd seen had been right, but he wasn't about to give up.
He just wanted a paint job that not only looked awesome, but he wanted Flo to see just how much he loved her... What kind of paint job would say that?
The answer seemed to hit Ramone out of nowhere. That was it! He knew just what to do! It would be both the perfect paint job for his wedding and something special he could do for Flo, which (he hoped) would make Flo feel as special as she made him feel.
This was going to be the best day ever! Ramone could hardly wait before, but now, every single second between now and then was like torture.
Finally, the big day arrived! Or, rather, the big night. The townsfolk were going to explode with excitement. Of course, none more so than Flo and Ramone. The former was inside Lizzie's shop, getting ready.
"You look beautiful, sweetheart!" Alice exclaimed.
"Absolutely gorgeous!" Lizzie agreed.
She really did, too. Her paint looked shiny and glossy and the veil she borrowed from Lizzie was simply stunning.
"Ramone is one lucky man!" Lizzie went on.
"No." Flo shook her hood. "I'm the lucky one!"
Meanwhile, Ramone was in his paint shop, making sure his paint job was absolutely perfect. Well, he didn't think it was perfect, but it was as good as he thought he would ever get.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Ramone!" Sheriff called out as he entered with Fillmore. "You ready? We're just about ready for you."
All of a sudden, the police car and hippie van's eyes widened in amazement when they saw Ramone's paint job.
"Whoa!" Fillmore exclaimed softly. "Far out, man!"
Ramone grinned sheepishly. "You like it?"
"It's amazin'!" Sheriff declared.
"Flo's gonna love it, man!" Fillmore added.
"You sure?"
Fillmore grinned. "Only one way to find out, man."
Ramone's grin expanded. "Let's do this!"
The children looked so adorable coming down the aisle, Ramone observed as he parked there, waiting in the glow of the neon lights. Five-year-old Irene Donovan in her fairy princess costume was slow, shy and serious as she scattered flowers in front of her as she walked. Four-year-old Mater and Frankie Donovan weren't shy in the least. They jumped around, grinning and waving to everyone. Everyone laughed and the boys were loving the attention. They were going to lose the lug nuts if they weren't careful, but they made it without any major incidents. Once he could see the lug nuts safe and sound, Ramone could barely contain his excitement. In a few moments, he and Flo would each be wearing one and they'd be together forever.
Finally, the moment he'd been waiting for arrived: Stanley was escorting Flo down the aisle and Ramone swore that she had never looked so beautiful. Her paint was beautiful. Her eyes were beautiful. Her curves were beautiful. Most of all, her smile was beautiful. She had the biggest smile on her face right then. He could tell that she was amazed by his paint job and so she should be. It looked exactly like hers and the Lowrider thought it was beautiful. Maybe now she would finally stop denying it when he told her just how beautiful she was.
2009
"You got a paint job matching Flo's for your wedding day?!" Sally exclaimed in astonishment. "That is so sweet!"
Flo nodded in agreement. "Mmmhmm. It sure was. I was so surprised! And he looked very handsome!"
Flo and Ramone kissed.
Fudge made a face. "Ew! Don't make it gross!"
Everyone laughed.
"All right!" Ramone chuckled. "I better get back to the story."
1961
Neither Flo nor Ramone were paying any attention to Sheriff as he started with the "We gather here today" stuff. They were just gazing into each other's eyes, smiling and giggling.
Flo almost missed her cue to start reading her vows.
"Ramone, when I first came to Radiator Springs, I thought I was in for a night of fun. Well, that was true, but I never would've thought I'd find the one I was meant to spend my life with. But I did. And now, I can't believe my luck that I'm finally marrying you. I love you."
Then it was Ramone's turn.
"Flo, I think I am the lucky one here, to be able to call you my wife. The day you came to Radiator Springs is the day my life changed for the better. You have made me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I wanna spend the rest of my life makin' you feel the same way."
After the "Do you take each other?" part, the two exchanged lug nuts and then came the best part.
"By the power invested in me", Sheriff announced, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Neither one of them hesitated to do just that. As they began their best kiss yet, everyone began clapping, cheering and honking. For about half a second, the two were slightly surprised, having completely forgotten that they were the centre of attention. They had done it! Finally, they were married. Finally, they were going to be together forever!
The party lasted for hours. There was food, including cake, and several residents of the small town made speeches. That was followed by dancing while Anna and Rachel Warszawski sang. Flo and Ramone did not look at anybody but each other the entire time. It truly was the best night of their lives. They were almost sorry to see it come to an end. Almost.
At least they had their honeymoon to look forward to. Two weeks completely alone, just the two of them.
One Year Later:
Ramone stared at Flo in amazement. "Is this real?!"
Flo nodded. "Mmmhmm... Well? What do you think?"
Ramone took a deep breath. "I think... it's a lot! Wow! This is... This is amazin'!"
He gave Flo a big kiss and hug. He was nervous, but so excited. Their marriage had been wonderful, but now, it was time for their relationship to grow to the next level. Ramone always knew that life with Flo would be an adventure, so now that they were expecting, he knew that he was ready for this.
I used the word expecting to avoid getting into the whole "born or built" debate. I'm kind of on the fence with it. I really don't like the idea of them being built. To me, that makes the cars seem more like robots than the sentient beings they are. On the other hand, I don't know how they could be born, so...
I really didn't have many ideas for this one and I don't know much about weddings. I've only ever been to one, when I was, like, five or six. Besides, romance isn't really my forte. Yeah, so this one's not my favourite. And I'm sorry to say, the next one is even worse. You have all been warned.
