Wandering around the block under the broiling sun for a little he started to notice a pattern.
Glancing from home to home. Taking in the urban architecture he noticed something curious. It was a thought…a very simple one but one nonetheless.
His father had often gone on and on about old stories and experiences living in town. " 'Bout the old days" when his old man spent time moseying around in an old Buick or Ford with old rock blasting up the avenues and streets. He remembered how his father looked while he'd dive into the intricate bits of the stories, that gentle smile across his face as he retold the long lived adventures of his grandpa. It was always a delight and treat to drive around in the family station wagon delivering bouquets while the silly stories bounced inside the cabin — followed by the beat of laughter.
His father had always teased that the station wagon had been his mother's idea, but deep down he'd been hoping to get away with buying a muscle car. Course…the family nursery paid well but sometimes it seemed his mother wasn't too pleased to invest in a hunk of metal that wouldn't serve a direct purpose to hold the family together…Persistent — his father had gone looking under the radar of his thrifty mother, and so had he. The two had gotten thrilled over the idea of buying the neighbors old Chevrolet he'd been planning to sell soon…of course the plan had slowly slipped from their fingers as time went by and his father's strengths went dry little by little and fell silent one night.
It was no mystery that with the passing of his father that several things would go unfinished and that included the unsaid words that hung in the air like flies buzzing about in agony.
Doug sighed.
Wrinkling a brow as he caught sight of a sports car here and there in the driveway of a family. While a rare sight, it was nothing more than ordinary. Simply, some families were blessed with mothers who weren't too against the idea of bringing iron muscle to the home. Or maybe they were?
Doug scoffed as he tossed his bag over his shoulder, puffing his chest as he crossed paths with Gilbert Fidget waxing his all too frail sudan.
"Hey." He smirked as he slowly moved along the sidewalk.
Gilbert Fidget rolled his eyes as the young boy took a terrible amount of time to go on his merry way. Suddenly, if at all by instincts…
"Hey Doug! How you've been?" The older teen asked cheerfully. Recalling he'd heard close to nothing from his lonesome friend since his father's passing little more than a year ago. Very unordinary for Doug to talk to him all of a sudden. He wondered if his friend had turned for the better and if the light down the tunnel was starting to appear.
Doug's color flushed from his face, securing his cap and strolling quickly away sheepishly before breaking into a mad dash.
Gilbert watched pensively from a distance, going over the forgotten past…allowing the silence to settle once more…they'd been good friends but as of late Doug was indifferent. Gilbert was almost always busy anyway and it had seemed Doug had gone his separate way without looking back. It was a shame and Gilbert had to admit that amongst the folk gossiping bluntly about Doug's future…he didn't see himself taking much of a part in the young boy's life anymore as he'd done before. Not when Doug was constantly pushing him aside.
The older teen rubbed at his dark hair before shuffling on his feet and continuing to buff his car's fenders. Murmuring under his breath and hoping he was wrong.
"Anything exciting today?" His mother asked with a flickering smile.
He stared at his plate, poking around the edges with a fork before pushing his troops across the "no-beans" land and setting up an ambush against the enemy lines.
"Doug?" His mother nudged him as Jim gazed from a way noting the boy's lost eyes.
" — huh? No thanks…" Doug replied, assuming the bowl of fried rice was in question.
His mother nodded, brushing aside the matter of which Jim was not willing to leave untouched.
"Doug? Did you even listen to your mother?" The man grumbled.
Doug glared daggers across the table, smashing down over Cauliflower palace, scattering the innocent pea subjects in a quick succession. Why did he bother to come home in time for dinner anyways? He'd always find Jim 'round the place poking his nose into every crook and cranny. Prying into Doug's life constantly. He could only imagine that the situation would worsen if his mother dared marry the man.
"What's it for you?" Doug jabbed back, feeling his cheeks flush warm red.
Jim shook his head.
"You don't speak to me like that." The man firmly countered.
His mother cautiously approached Jim, squeezing the man's arm gingerly while letting out a faint hum.
"Boys, maybe —"
Doug leaped to his feet, letting the chair beneath him screech across the kitchen floor. He flung his arms in the air before scattering away to his room. He could hear the heavy murmurs of Jim echoing loudly below while the elegant sweeps of his mother's voice tried to soothe the man.
Doug made sure to slam the door before bursting his closet open and changing into his usual jacket and cap.
It was getting late but he figured he'd have a few hours of daylight to chat to the newest addition in his life.
Doug tossed his bike aside near the thickets
Kicking a few stones as he approached the cave entrance. The sun had lowered significantly in the sky as late evening began to arrive.
The moment he glanced over the dusty sheen of the black t-top, the car flashed its scanner in his direction. Doug tried to smile back as he rounded the car's hood and took a seat inside. The cabin was warm and welcoming. Though it looked as though Kitt was struggling to get the AC working. One of the many things the car had ultimately failed to remember.
"Hello, Doug." The car's smooth reply came. A hint of confusion seeping into the voice.
Doug crossed his arms, biting down on his lip while he adjusted his cap. Pensively nailing down his struggles and trying to come up with a plan which he'd been going over for the last weeks.
"Hey, Kitt." He remarked tiredly, taking a hold of the yoke gingerly.
The car whirred in response. Kitt was unsure if something was bothering the young human or not. Doug was so difficult to read at times and with the plus of having a faulty memory, Kitt was struggling to determine an appropriate response.
"Doug, is everything alright?" The computer asked nervously. Going over the noon hours in his electronic mind wondering if their joyride into the next town had anything to do with it.
Doug shrugged.
"Sure." The young boy sighed, letting his form sag.
Kitt wasn't convinced.
The two had been acquainted a few weeks ago, and from what Kitt barely remembered; Doug was an energetic child. Today it seemed the energy levels of the child had drained. To where? Kitt had no idea.
"Kitt?" The boy blurted tiredly cradling the yoke in hand.
"Yes?" The t-top asked a little dazed while he fidgeted with a daunting program he'd found in the bulk of threaded hardware surrounding his CPU. He poked at it, slowly backing away when the program spurted in utter excitement, startling the AI of its potential use. Backing away and setting the program to silence, Kitt took notice of Doug's low spirit.
"Maybe tomorrow we can go fishing?" Doug cocked his head while he ran his fingers over Kitt's idling dash.
"I thought you'd started to consider school?" The computer asked, aware that learning was important if his few intact data modules were anything to go by.
Doug rolled his eyes.
"They don't teach you important stuff in school." Doug hollered.
Kitt thought it over. Why was he insisting anyway? At first the comment of rejoining school got Doug excited for a few days but then — it seemed there was something amiss going round and round somewhere, bothering the young human.
Kitt had a suspicion that it had to do with this whole "home" place Doug went to every night when he had nowhere else to go. Though Kitt couldn't make odds or ends of it. It greatly seemed Doug liked being around the t-top and going for joy rides around town or anywhere really that Doug could cruise with Kitt leisurely; that this "home" place didn't seem necessary…but then — the computer acknowledged the existence of Doug's mother.
He figured this was the main reason Doug returned to "home" every evening and left regularly at a set time. Though Doug never dove into details, Kitt presumed it was to spend time with his mother. Whatever mothers and children did to strengthen bonds and relationships was beyond him especially since those bits of information were all just a blur.
"Doug, is it possible you could do me a favor?" The computer hummed its scanner intently.
Doug flipped through one of the books, laughing and chuckling while Kitt made ridiculous remarks about the information before him.
At the moment they were looking over a picture book that contained alphabetical ordered objects. Granted it was a first grader leveled book but Kitt's genuine amazement made it all that better.
" — and what's that!?" The car buzzed, catching Doug's attention before he could turn the page while he sat by the car's prow; rocking his legs from side to side.
" 'I' is for igloo." Doug grinned trying to suppress a laugh. Running his fingers across the image.
"An igloo?" Kitt remarked utterly confused.
Doug's laughter echoed a ways into the cave's depth as the two continued to flip through page after page.
Kitt, regretting slightly his ridiculous idea. Despite it all deeply relieved that, if anything, he was educating his friend just a smidge while getting vital data for himself. Frankly perhaps a first grader leveled book wasn't the best source of reliable information for a computer to look through especially when Kitt had determined he was meant to be a powerful one. What for? He still didn't know. Either way Doug was having a blast and seemed much relaxed then when he'd come back from uh…dinner? Was that what he called it? Speaking of which perhaps asking Doug what this whole shenanigans of "dinner" was would be helpful. Afterall, Kitt figured it was important if Doug always left at a specific time.
The evening kicked into high gear and dusk came into view. With the dark —- Doug left and Kitt settled to sleep under the diamond stars and amber moon awaiting a new sun and his friend to arrive.