Route 62, Ch. 18

I'll Meet You On Route 62
(A Disney/Pixar Cars fanfic)

Chapter Eighteen:
Honk If You're WHAT?

“I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy…” Vee sang as she drove up the main street toward Flo’s Café, followed by a small crowd. Just in from completing her second lap on the obstacle course, her newly repaired body gleamed under a thin layer of dust. “Freedom came my way one day, and I started out of town. All of a sudden I see Sheriff John Brown, aiming to shoot me down. So I shot, I shot him down.” Sheriff’s bumper curled in a sneer as he drove alongside her.

On her other side, Mack was laughing and trying to sing along. Since he wasn’t as good a singer as Vee, and only knew the refrain of the song, he had little to contribute harmony-wise. This didn’t stop Mater from joining in, much to Sheriff’s displeasure. “Ah shot the sheriff, but Ah did not shoot the deputy, oh no!” he crooned as he drove along backwards, facing Vee and her entourage, which consisted of Mack, Doc, Fillmore, Ramone, Lightning, Luigi and Guido. Sheriff cruised along on the outskirts, keeping his distance, while a thoroughly disgruntled Sarge brought up the rear several car-lengths behind.

The rest of the town was already there when they arrived at Flo’s. Vee placed her order with one of the twins and was somewhat surprised when, a minute later, Flo returned with her drink. “This one’s on me, Sugar,” Flo said as she set it down in front of her. “After what you did to Sarge out there today, you’ve earned it.” A round of chuckles confirmed agreement from the crowd.

“Yeah man, that was awesome!” Ramone snickered. “Hey, you think you could teach me how to do that?”

“Oh I don’t know,” laughed Vee. “That was just luck more than anything. I mean, all I did was go up that mound and jump him. Anyone could do that.”

“And dump all that dirt on him at the same time?” Lightning argued. “No way!”

“Well, truthfully that ledge just gave in right under me. I sure as heck wasn’t planning to dump all that dirt on him,” Vee confessed. “It just happened to work out that way is all. When I went for it, I wasn’t even thinking that - HEY!” Vee shouted in surprise and spun around to find Guido right behind her. He backed away, holding his forks up in a surrendering gesture while babbling in Italian.

“Guido says he is-a only tightening a bolt,” Luigi translated. “He says-a it was-a knocked loose when you-a jumped Sarge.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Vee mumbled, smirking at the little forklift who was now grinning nervously at her.

“And-a while we are on-a the subject of tires, might we suggest-a finding you a proper replacement for-a that unsightly spare?”

“Yeah, sure,” Vee replied, sipping her drink. “Soon as I get a new paintjob.” Like THAT’S going to happen anytime soon, she thought.

“Hey man, no problem,” Ramone spoke up. “You wash that dust off and come by my place later. Ramone’ll paint you up good.”

“Thanks, but I can’t pay for it.”

“You know how to operate an airless paint sprayer?”

“No.”

“But you can learn, right? You help me repaint some of them buildings downtown, I’ll paint you. Deal?”

Vee only had to think about it for a second before she agreed. “Deal!”

After finishing her drink she headed over to the courthouse, where Red was watering his flowers. “Hey there, big boy!” she purred. Red startled and hastily tucked in his hose. She offered him a reassuring smile and he cringed like a frightened puppy before slowly returning her smile.

“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to spare, huh?” Vee teased him. The fire truck blushed and opened his mouth as though he were going to speak, but nothing came out.

“Nice flowers, by the way,” Vee said as she inspected the many bouquets surrounding the Stanley statue. She moved closer to smell them. “Grew them yourself?” Red smiled wide and nodded. “They’re very beautiful.” Red blushed again, but in spite of this he looked as proud as a small child showing off the drawing that had earned him a gold star.

“Listen, I’m getting a new paintjob, but as you can see I’m pretty dusty, so if you wouldn’t mind…?” Vee glanced over Red’s cab and nodded. Red stared at her for a moment, his lips forming a silent O as it dawned on him what she was hinting at. His hose sprang back up and he waited until Vee gave him the okay to turn the water on. Vee spun around under the heavy stream, making sure all the dust was washed away.

“Wooooooo! Yeah baby!” shouted a man’s voice, followed by several whistles and catcalls. Vee turned to see Mack and Lightning parked a short distance away. She glared at them and they cringed.

“Don’t look at me!” Lightning said, then nodded toward Mack. “It was him!” Vee looked at Mack, who shook his hood fervently. She’d recognized his voice, and was certain that McQueen had made some of those sounds, judging from the glare he received from Sally who was standing nearby. Vee smirked and turned back to Red.

“Looks like those two could use a cold shower,” she told him with a grin. “How ‘bout it?” Red mirrored her grin as he charged forward, dousing Mack and Lightning with a high-pressure stream. The two sped off yelling as the fire truck chased them down the street. Everyone in town laughed at the sight, except for Sheriff, who shouted at them to slow down. When his warning went unheeded, he sped after them with his siren wailing. On the edge of town Red made a sudden U-turn in the middle of the road. Sheriff slammed on his breaks to avoid a collision. The moment he stopped he found himself drenched as Red shot him with his hose. Stunned, the squad car turned sharply and headed back the way he had come, now being chased by a fire truck. His own siren was drowned out by Red’s much louder siren, so he resorted to screaming his way back to the courthouse, where he promptly sealed himself up inside his garage.

At Ramone’s House of Body Art, Vee watched as Ramone demonstrated how to operate an airless paint sprayer. Using himself as an example, he replaced his plum paintjob with a bold turquoise coating, complete with navy blue racing stripes along his sides.

“And that’s all there is to it!” declared Ramone when he had finished. Vee stared at him in surprise.

“Wow. I still can’t figure out how you managed to paint yourself - and I just watched you do it!”

“Me neither,” Mack said through the window.

“Just another trick of the trade, ese,” Ramone boasted with a grin. “Now what color you think you wanna be? You name it and Ramone’ll make it happen.”

“Well, anything’s better than hunter green,” Vee replied as she looked herself over in a full-length mirror. When her eyes met those of her mirror image, she froze, gazing into their blue-violet depths. Behind herself she glimpsed Mack looking in through the window. For a fleeting moment their eyes met, then in a blink Mack was looking away and (Vee was almost certain) blushing. She smiled and turned to Ramone.

“What I’d really like is to go back to my original color,” she told him.

“Sure thing!” Ramone replied. “You know it’s not many cars who like being their natural colors. Why I’ve changed colors so many times my own ma can’t remember what color I was born!”

Vee chuckled. “Oh, I didn’t mean my natural color. I was born white, but that’s not what I want. You can’t get any more boring than white. Before I got this fugly paintjob I was lavender, and that’s what I want to be again.” Though she wasn’t facing him, Vee caught a glimpse of Mack’s smile in the mirror.

“No problemo!” said Ramone. “You tell me what color code and I’ll make the paint.”

Vee’s face fell. “Oh. Well, I don’t remember the code.”

“You know the stock name?” Vee shook her hood. “Well… you got a picture of yourself when you was that color? A good picture? I can maybe match it if it’s clear enough.”

Again Vee shook her hood and sighed. Outside, Mack felt as disappointed as she looked. A sudden smile crossed his face and he knocked on the window. Vee turned to look at him. He nodded toward the door, then drove toward it. Vee met him at the threshold, watching curiously as he pulled his wallet out and opened it. Without a word he flipped through the plastic pages sporting photos of family and friends. And then there it was: their prom photo.

A slightly shorter teenage Mack grinned big for the camera, one tire wrapped around a slimmer and very violet Vee, who had somehow managed to talk him into wearing half of the ten corsages he’d given her for the photo.

Vee stared down at it for a long time, and when she finally looked up at the big rig standing before her, there was a glimmer in her eyes that he’d never seen before. Butterflies erupted in his tanks and he blushed crimson. “You kept it?” she whispered at last.

Mack smiled. “Of course.” He held the wallet out to her and she took it, sliding the picture out as carefully as though it were a priceless heirloom. She flipped it over and read the faded inscription she had written on the back several years before:

senior prom
May 18th, 1992
Mack Trucker & Vee Vroom
BFFs

Vee’s eyes were practically burning holes in it before she finally forced herself to hand the photo over to Ramone. The low rider looked from the photo to the two vehicles and back several times. He said nothing, but the devious grin he was wearing spoke volumes. Mack blushed so hotly he almost wished Red would come along and hose him down again.

Nothing was said during the several minutes it took to mix the paint and load the sprayer. Silence also prevailed during the painting process. It wasn’t until nearly an hour later when Vee exited the shop that one of them dared to speak.

“Didja have to get pinstripes?” Mack asked her as he followed her down the street.

Vee smirked. “You’re enjoying the view, aren’t you?” She looked back at him in her rearview mirror.

“Well, it’s - it’s not bad…” he mumbled, blushing.

“Oh shut up,” Vee teased. “You never could take your eyes off my back bumper and you know it.”

“Only because you keep braking all the time!” Mack retorted. “If I took my eyes off it I’d just end up crashing into you.”

“You’ve never complained about that before!”

“Neither have you!”

Vee laughed as she cruised the main street, her pearly new lavender paintjob dazzling in the sun.

“That reminds me, you need some bumper stickers!” Mack said as he pulled up beside her and gave her a nudge. “Come on, let’s go to Lizzie’s. She’s got lots of ‘em. Don’t worry, I’m buying.” Ignoring Vee’s protests, Mack pushed her in the direction of Lizzie’s curio shop, where the old Model T was dozing peacefully on the porch.

“Oh, I don’t wanna wake her,” Vee said as she backed down the ramp to the shop.

“If every tourist who came through this town said the same thing, she’d be out of business!” Mack argued. He drove up to the porch and gently nudged Lizzie with a tire. “Hey Lizzie, you’ve got a customer. Up and at ‘em!” Despite his attempt to wake her, the old woman continued to snore softly. He shook her harder, rattling her frame.

“Gently, Mack!” Vee warned. “She looks fragile.”

“I am being gentle!” Mack argued, all the while shaking the old car so hard her radiator cap was starting to come loose.

“Mm, not so rough, Stanley!” Lizzie murmured. Mack blushed and removed his tire from her side. A moment later she began to stir. “Nn - huh, what?” she mumbled, looking blearily up at the semi towering over her. “Oh, good morning Al!” she chirped as she stood up on wobbling axles. “You’re just in time for tea.”

Mack considered correcting her on his name, but decided against it. “No thanks,” he said, then turned to Vee. “You have a customer here.”

“So what’ll it be, honey?” Lizzie asked Vee as she guided her around the shop, showing off various Route 66 souvenirs and other knickknacks.

“Just some bumper stickers,” Vee replied. She parked in front of a rotating stand and turned it slowly, reading each and every sticker on it. She picked two out and laid them on the counter. Lizzie drove behind it to ring up the sale.

“Is that going be all for you, dear? You know, I’ve got more in the back if you want to see them.”

“Thanks, but these are good enough for now. Although…” Vee paused, thinking. “If you have one that says ‘Honk if your horn works,’ I’ll take it.”

Lizzie squinted at her. “Honk if you’re what?”

“Honk if your horn works,” Vee repeated loudly.

“Oh! Why yes, I think we do.” Lizzie chuckled. She drove into the back room and came out a minute later with her find, then dropped it on the counter with the other two and rang up the total. Mack handed Vee some money and she paid her. “Would you like some help with these?” Lizzie offered.

“Oh yeah. Thank you,” Vee replied, turning around so Lizzie could apply the stickers for her.

A minute later Vee rolled out of the shop and parked in front of Mack.

“So which ones did you get?” he asked, trying to look behind her. “Come on, let’s see!”

Vee chuckled. “Sorry, but you’re coming off a little too eager to see my back bumper again.” She kept turning toward him to keep him from looking. “I got ‘Watch out for the idiot behind me,’ ‘Honk if your horn works,’ and ‘I’m on Route 66, now where are my kicks?’”

“Nice!” Mack replied as the two started off down the street, side by side. As they passed by Flo’s, Lightning honked. Vee smiled. She didn’t notice him turning to Mater and Luigi and snickering as he whispered to them, but Mack did. He thought nothing of it until a moment later when they honked at her too. This time she didn’t fail to notice their enormous grins. Then Ramone came out of the café and honked repeatedly. Vee turned to look at him and he gave an impish laugh.

Now that her back was to him, Mack looked down at her stickers and gasped.

“What?” Vee asked, turning back to him. Mack blushed crimson and stammered.

“Uh, it - it’s your sticker. It says, um - well…” he leaned in close and whispered to her. Vee’s eyes widened in shock.

“Honk if you’re WHAT?!” she gasped, now blushing as red as Mack. “Wh - but - that’s not what I asked for! I said ‘Honk if your HORN WORKS,’ not - not that!” She glanced over at the café, where the four men who had honked at her were now laughing hysterically. Mack growled at them before realizing with a start that Vee was laughing too. Nearby the twins stood staring at her, their faces a mixture of astonishment and (Mack was sure as Tia flashed him a flirty look) jealousy.

“I take it this means you’re going to keep the sticker?” he asked, though he already knew the answer.

“Why not?” Vee replied, chuckling. “Seems to do wonders for morale around here.”

Mack sighed and shook his hood, though he couldn’t help but laugh a little himself. As Vee drove toward the café, he looked down at the sticker again. The words ‘Honk if you’re horny’ certainly tempted a response, whether one was or not. And even not, it took a great deal of willpower for Mack to resist honking his horn at her.


Chapter Nineteen: [link]