So, now we've met Lynda Weathers before she was a Weathers, but was well on her way to becoming one. Next we're going to be learning about the middle Piston child, with a little on the eldest. Meet Bernard Alexander Piston, who's the most like his parents, and Stephen Edward Piston the oldest of the three.

He had never understood his siblings desire to always go with their aunt and uncle. He was quite happy just to be around his dad, their dad.

Uncle Jesse was not his father, and it always annoyed him when Uncle Jesse would call him Bernie, that was his dad's nickname for him. The only people other than his dad who he didn't mind calling him that, were his mom and Lynda, since when she was little she couldn't always say Bernard. Stephen could get away with it on occasion, but when he was 12, he had asked his aunt and uncle to only call him Bernard, Bernie was 'babyish'. So, really Bernie was only for immediate family and that mainly being his parents.

He couldn't ever understand why Lynda and Stephen were willing to be parented by people who weren't their parents. It didn't matter if they were related, they weren't his parents, they were his aunt and uncle. Aunts and uncles in his opinion, had about as much authority as a babysitter. You had to listen to them but they didn't have the final say.

Every so often, his dad would drop him off to meet up with his brother and sister at his aunt's and uncle's. His Uncle Jesse could be pretty neat at times; when he wasn't calling him Bernie. Not that he'd ever tell his dad that.

The one thing that they would always do when all three of them were visiting Radiator Springs at the same time, was go down to the track around Willie's Butte. Uncle Jesse would bring his Hudson Hornet out and show off for the three of them. That was always the best part of the trip, and his favourite thing about Uncle Jesse. Because even though his dad had raced, he'd never show them him going around a track.

He had been told that in public to always call Uncle Jesse, Uncle Aaron. When he asked his dad about that, why they had to call Uncle Jesse something different to what they called him in private, he was told that his uncle used to race too, before he crashed.

It was implied that his uncle wasn't the best racer and was too embarrassed by his crash to come back or want to be known about. He had believed that for a long time, making him think that his uncle showing off at the Butte was just a way for his uncle to get some glory.

Until he had a classmate do a project on the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and how he effected Piston Cup.

What his dad had implied was a bit off the mark. From his classmate's presentation he had learned his uncle had been leading the sport before crashing. He had won three cups, had the most wins in a single season ever, and had crashed so badly that people hadn't thought he'd live. His classmate, Strip Weathers, went on to say how after the crash, safety standards changed, to hopefully make racing safer so if a crash like that did happen again it hopefully wouldn't be so bad.

So, apparently his uncle didn't want his fame which he obviously still had and was content just showing off to him and his siblings. It was because of that, that he convinced Stephen to walk out to the Butte with him, leaving 12 year old Lynda behind. He wanted to know what his brother knew about their uncle, he didn't want Lynda to be there though, he didn't think she'd be ready to hear about the crash.

"Stephen, did you know what dad says about Uncle Jesse isn't true?" He asked after they left the confines of town.

"Bernie, most of what father says isn't true." Stephen replied with an eye roll, hands in his pockets.

"Don't call me Bernie. What do you mean?"

"You're my little brother Bernard, you'll always be Bernie to me."

"Not funny Stephen. What do you mean about dad?" He glared at his older brother.

"I haven't believed anything that father's told us in years before fact checking it. He's in the habit of spinning the truth his way, to what he wants to believe. He hates Uncle Jesse because he's the opposite of what he tells us about him. I never believed father about Uncle Jesse, it just never felt like Uncle Jesse to me. I've never talked to him about it though, he does know that I don't believe father, or agree with him. I've never understood Bernard your willingness just to believe whatever father says."

"He's dad, why should there have to be a reason. So you knew Uncle Jesse won three cups and how bad his crash was?"

"I did, because what father was saying didn't make sense to me, so I looked into it years ago. I found that Uncle Jesse has his cups hidden in the garage. I found them there with a ton of Piston Cup history and saw newspaper articles on how bad the crash was. I'll show you later if you want.

But look; Bernie, it's great that you're close to father and all, but I hated being shuffled around during mom and father's divorce. You always clung so tight to father, you didn't get as shuffled as much as Lyn and I did." Stephen waved to their uncle as he passed them in the Hornet, with Lynda sitting beside him not paying attention.

"Is that why you let Uncle Jesse and Aunt Emily parent you? And stop calling me Bernie." He got another eye roll at asking to stop being called Bernie.

"I've spent more time with them than I have with our own parents Bernard, they feel more like my parents. The last time I've spent any real time with father is at a racing event and he spent the entire time showing me off and gloating about how I'm working towards going to school to be a lawyer. He doesn't even care that the reason I want to be a lawyer is because of what Uncle Jesse did to help mom. Father plays favourites, and you're his, because you do look up to him so much. And I don't call you it often, I think you can let it slide."

"I don't like being called Bernie."

"Pout all you want, it's not going to get you out of being called by your nickname."

They had made it to the Butte shortly after that; where Lynda and Uncle Jesse were standing by the Hornet. The conversation done for the time, it definitely gave him a lot to think about. Stephen's reasons made sense, but his dad was still his dad and nothing would change that. Though, he was curious about what was hiding in his uncle's garage now. He would have to take Stephen up on that offer of being shown what was there.