Lightning just couldn’t keep news like that to himself. He knew that most of the townsfolk would be gathered at the café, so he zipped over there at top speed. “Oh my gosh!” he said as he drove into Flo’s. “Guys! Did you know Doc is a famous race car?”
For a moment, everyone was silent.
Then they burst out laughing.
“Doc?” Sheriff cried. “Our Doc?”
“Not Doc Hudson?” Sarge bellowed.
“Did you hear that one?” Ramone—radiant in new yellow paint—was laughing hysterically. “He’s saying Doc’s a—this guy cracks me up!”
“No, no, no,” Lightning insisted. He felt almost desperate. He had to convince them of who Doc was. “It’s true! He’s a real racing legend. He’s the Fabulous Hudson Hornet!”
“Fabulous?” Flo said doubtfully. “I’ve never seen Doc drive more than twenty miles an hour. I mean, have you ever seen him race?”
“No,” Lightning admitted, “but I wish I could’ve.” Lightning was dead serious. “They say he was amazing. He won three Piston Cups!”
Mater spat out the oil he’d been drinking. “He did what in his cup?”
Lightning tried to persuade them that Doc Hudson was the real deal, but the townsfolk didn’t buy it.
“I think the heat’s startin’ to get to the boy,” Sheriff said.
“Are you sick, buddy?” Mater asked.
Sally hit the gas lever with her tire. Ding ding ding! She filled up Lightning’s tank.
“Hey! Hey!” Sheriff protested. This could be dangerous. “What’re you doing?”
“It’s okay, Sheriff,” Sally said. “You can trust me, right?”
“I trust you, all right,” Sheriff said, narrowing his eyes at Lightning. “It’s him I’m worried about.”
“I trust him,” Sally said. “C’mon,” she told Lightning. “Let’s take a drive.”
Once his tank was full, Lightning considered taking off for the open road. Nothing was stopping him now.
Sally started toward a mountain in the distance. “Hey, Stickers,” she called. “You comin’ or what?” She drove away, letting Lightning decide for himself whether to make a run for it.
After hesitating for just a moment, he took off after Sally.
“Mmm-hmm,” Flo said knowingly to Sheriff. “And you thought he was gonna run.”
“Okay,” Lightning said as he caught up to Sally, “you got me out here. Where are we going?”
“I don’t know.” Sally zipped off.
Lightning was surprised by how fast Sally was as he chased her into a forest. Playfully, she splashed him with an icy puddle, and the shock took his breath away. Grinning, Sally tried to splash him again, but Lightning dodged the water—and ran into a puddle of mud.
Sally laughed as Lightning took off after her. He accidentally drove into a pile of leaves, which stuck to his muddy surface.
As they rounded a few turns, Lightning took the lead, but Sally shot past him again. The two cars passed through a rock tunnel as the road wound up the mountain. Lightning was starting to notice the natural beauty that surrounded him.
As he took a curve, Lightning caught sight of Sally passing a majestic waterfall up ahead. He was stunned by how beautiful she looked. He smiled at her and she laughed. His grill was covered in bugs! Lightning spit the bugs out and took off after her again, and soon he found himself at the top of the mountain. Sally was stopped in front of an old abandoned motel.
“Wow,” Lightning said as he looked around at the dusty motel. “What is this place?”
Sally sighed. “Wheel Well. Used to be the most popular stop on the Mother Road.” She was referring to the old Highway 66.
Lightning looked carefully at Sally and wondered. She was a brand-new Porsche. A fancy car. Why was she living in the little town of Radiator Springs in the middle of nowhere?
“How does a Porsche wind up in a place like this?” he asked, marveling.
“Well, it’s really pretty simple,” Sally told him. “I was an attorney in L.A., living life in the fast lane. And you know what? It never felt … happy.”
“Yeah … ,” Lightning said thoughtfully, then caught himself. “I mean, really?”
“Yeah.” Sally went on. “So I left California— just drove and drove and finally broke down right here. Doc fixed me up. Flo took me in. Well, they all did. And I never left.”
Lightning thought for a moment. He had to admit, his time in Radiator Springs hadn’t been all bad. Still, he couldn’t really imagine himself living there. “I understand you need to recharge the old batteries, but you know, after a while, why didn’t you go back?”
“I fell in love,” Sally said simply.
Lightning’s tires deflated a little. “Corvette?”
“No.” Sally drove to the edge of the cliff. “I fell in love … with this.”
Lightning followed her and looked down. “Whoa.” Below them, Radiator Springs was a glistening green oasis at the base of a towering mountain range. The setting sun made the breathtaking waterfall sparkle in the distance. Beyond Radiator Springs, cars zipped by on the Interstate, oblivious to the beautiful scene. “Look at that,” Lightning said to himself. “They’re driving right by. They don’t even know what they’re missing.”
“Forty years ago,” Sally said, “that Interstate down there didn’t exist. Back then, cars came across the country a whole different way.”
“How do you mean?” Lightning asked.
“Well, the road didn’t cut through the land like that Interstate,” Sally explained. “It moved with the land; you know it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn’t drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.”
Lightning was quiet. His whole life was about speed. The idea of driving slowly, for fun, was strange. “What happened?”
“The town got bypassed just to save ten minutes of driving,” Sally said.
Lightning imagined what the Wheel Well and Radiator Springs must have been like when they were thriving. “How great would it have been to see this place in its heyday?”
“Oh,” Sally said in a soft, sincere voice, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed of that. But one of these days we’ll find a way to get it back on the map.”
“Hey, listen,” Lightning said thoughtfully, “thanks for the drive. I had a great time. It’s kind of nice to slow down every once in a while.”
“You’re welcome,” Sally said, smiling.
The two cars headed back to town in silence, enjoying the view.
讓麥坤把這樣的消息藏在肚子里簡直太難了!他知道大部分居民會聚在咖啡店里,于是徑直朝咖啡店飛奔而去。剛到門口,麥坤便迫不及待了:“我的天啊!伙計(jì)們,你們知道嗎?藍(lán)天博士是一輛有名的賽車!”
片刻間,大伙一言不發(fā)。
接著,所有人哄堂大笑。
“藍(lán)天博士?”警長大叫一聲,“我們的藍(lán)天博士?”
“他不是藍(lán)天博士?”士官長驚呼。
剛刷了黃色新涂裝的雷蒙看上去光芒四射,他在一旁笑得前仰后合:“大家聽到麥坤的話嗎?他說藍(lán)天博士是——這小子逗死我了!”
“別別別,別笑!”麥坤執(zhí)意解釋。盡管幾近絕望,他必須向大伙說明博士的真實(shí)身份:“我說的都是真的!他是真正的賽車傳奇,他就是大名鼎鼎的哈德森·大黃蜂!”
“大名鼎鼎?”芙蓉疑惑地說,“我從來沒見過博士開過20碼以上的時(shí)速。我是說,你見他參加過比賽嗎?”
“沒有,”麥坤承認(rèn)?!暗蚁M铱吹竭^,”麥坤極度嚴(yán)肅地說,“別人都說他確實(shí)很了不起,他贏過三座活塞杯!”
板牙把喝到嘴里的汽油吐了出來,說:“他在杯子里放了什么?”
麥坤試圖說服大家相信藍(lán)天博士是一輛名副其實(shí)的賽車,然而大家都不買他的賬。
“這孩子一定是發(fā)燒說胡話了!”警長說。
“老兄,你吃錯(cuò)藥了吧?”板牙問。
莎莉用輪胎踩著油槍,叮叮叮!不一會兒,麥坤的油箱就加滿了。
“喂喂!”警長不同意莎莉的做法,他認(rèn)為這樣做過于危險(xiǎn),“你知道自己在做什么嗎?”
“警長,沒事兒,相信我,好嗎?”莎莉回答說。
“好吧,我相信你,”警長一邊說一邊瞇著眼睛看著麥坤,“我擔(dān)心的是他?!?
“我相信他?!鄙蛘f?!白甙桑彼龑溊ふf,“我們?nèi)ザ刀碉L(fēng)?!?
油箱加滿以后,麥坤就合計(jì)著沖到公路上一走了之。畢竟,現(xiàn)在什么都阻攔不了他。
莎莉面朝遠(yuǎn)山發(fā)動引擎。“喂,閃電俠,你要不要跟上來?”她叫了麥坤一聲后便先走了,讓麥坤自己決定要不要一走了之。
麥坤只猶豫了一會兒,便轉(zhuǎn)身朝莎莉追去。
“嗯哼,”芙蓉胸有成竹地對警長說,“你剛才還擔(dān)心他會一走了之呢?!?
“你帶我離開這里了,那我們現(xiàn)在去哪兒?”麥坤追上莎莉說。
“我不知道。”莎莉說著,加速把麥坤甩在身后。
麥坤沒想到莎莉的速度可以這么快,他緊追其后,兩人開進(jìn)了一片樹林。莎莉故意駛過冰坑,開玩笑地把冰坑里的水濺了麥坤一身。麥坤大吃一驚。她嬉笑著想再濺他一次,誰知麥坤躲開了這坑冰水,卻不小心陷入了另外一潭泥漿。
麥坤加速向她追來,莎莉樂得哈哈大笑。他不小心撞進(jìn)一堆樹葉里,沾滿泥的車身迅速被樹葉裹了起來。
倆人你追我趕了幾個(gè)來回,麥坤剛領(lǐng)先一步卻被莎莉如利箭一般反超。他們沿著蜿蜒的山路一直走,隨后穿過一條巖石隧道。麥坤開始留意周圍大自然的美景。
麥坤轉(zhuǎn)了個(gè)彎,他看到莎莉駛過一個(gè)巨大的瀑布。眼前的莎莉如此漂亮,麥坤沉醉了。他看著莎莉微笑,莎莉突然大笑了起來。麥坤的進(jìn)風(fēng)口爬滿了小蟲!他把小蟲吐了出來,然后朝莎莉追去。不一會兒,他不知不覺到達(dá)了山頂。莎莉被一座廢棄的舊旅館攔住了去路。
麥坤向周圍望了望,他看著落滿灰塵的汽車旅館說:“喔哦,這是什么地方?”
莎莉嘆了口氣。她指著曾經(jīng)的66號高速公路說:“輪井,這里曾經(jīng)是整條公路最繁忙的站點(diǎn)?!?
麥坤專心地看著莎莉,他納悶起來。莎莉是一輛嶄新的保時(shí)捷,是一輛豪華轎車。可是,為什么她要在前不著村后不著店的水箱溫泉鎮(zhèn)生活呢?
“一輛保時(shí)捷為什么要留在這個(gè)地方呢?”麥坤覺得不可 思議。
“好吧,說起來簡單,”莎莉?qū)溊ふf,“我以前在洛杉磯做律師,每天的生活節(jié)奏就像在快車道上飛馳一樣。可是你知道嗎?我從來感覺不到……快樂?!?
“呃……”麥坤若有所思地說。他欲言又止,轉(zhuǎn)而問道:“我的意思是,真的不快樂嗎?”
“是的?!鄙蚶^續(xù)說道,“所以我離開了加利福尼亞,一直走啊走……直到有一天,我在這里拋錨了。藍(lán)天博士把我修好,芙蓉收留了我。小鎮(zhèn)上的每個(gè)人都接納了我。我就再也沒有離開過小鎮(zhèn)?!?
麥坤沉思了一會兒。他必須承認(rèn),在水箱溫泉鎮(zhèn)的這段時(shí)光也不是糟糕透了。但盡管如此,他并沒有真正考慮過要留在這里生活?!拔依斫猓愦_實(shí)需要給自己充充電??墒沁^了一段時(shí)間,為什么不回去呢?”
“我戀愛了?!鄙蜉p輕地說。
麥坤覺得自己的輪胎癟了一些。“你是指雪佛蘭?”
“不是?!鄙騺淼窖卤谶?,“我愛上了——這里?!?
麥坤跟在莎莉身后,他順著莎莉說的方向望去?!巴邸丙溊檠矍暗拿谰绑@喜不已。原來,水箱溫泉鎮(zhèn)坐落在聳立的山脊上,它像一片閃亮的綠洲一樣,在陽光的照耀下美麗極了。夕陽下,遠(yuǎn)處的大瀑布晶瑩璀璨、美不勝收,令人驚嘆不已。而在小鎮(zhèn)旁邊的高地上,成群結(jié)隊(duì)的車輛從州際公路上飛馳而過,完全忽視了這里的美景?!澳憧纯茨切┸囕v,”麥坤自言自語道,“他們馬不停蹄地開過去,竟然不知道自己錯(cuò)過了什么?!?
“四十年前,”莎莉說道,“這條州際公路還不存在。那時(shí)候,車輛經(jīng)過這里走的是一條完全不一樣的路?!?
“你的意思是?”麥坤問。
“那條路并不像州際公路一樣筆直地穿過這片土地,”莎莉解釋道,“那時(shí)候的路隨地勢的起伏,一會兒上坡一會兒下坡,還有很多轉(zhuǎn)彎。那時(shí)候開車走這條路不是為了省時(shí)間,他們在這條路上開車是種享受?!?
麥坤一時(shí)不知道該說什么。他一生都在追求速度。在慢速行駛中享受快樂,這種想法讓麥坤覺得十分奇怪。“后來發(fā)生了什么?”
“就為了節(jié)省十分鐘的駕車時(shí)間,小鎮(zhèn)被繞開了?!鄙蛘f。
麥坤開始想象輪井和水箱溫泉鎮(zhèn)熱鬧時(shí)候的樣子?!叭绻芸吹竭@里重返當(dāng)初的熱鬧,該多好??!”
“是啊,”莎莉的噪音充滿了溫柔、真誠,“我已經(jīng)記不清自己做了多少回這樣的夢了。終有一天,我們會讓它重新回到地圖上?!?
“喂,你聽我說,”麥坤誠懇地看著莎莉,“謝謝你帶我出來兜風(fēng),我很開心。偶爾放慢腳步,感覺挺好的?!?
“不用客氣!”莎莉微笑著說。
回小鎮(zhèn)的路上,兩個(gè)人靜靜地欣賞著沿途的風(fēng)景,都沒有講話。
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