About 7:00 am, that is when you want to arrive at the salt flats of Bonneville. Just as the sun is rising into the beautiful red sky, the clouds twirling and swirling at the whims of the autumn wind. It was beautiful, and we had made it just in the nick of time, having retrieved the Mustang from the impound lot after Star’s shenanigans the day before. Still, looking at this enormous, vast, flat land in which we stood, it was hard to believe we weren’t alone on the flats.
“It's like being on Mars.” I said looking both directions into the nothingness. I know it's called the salt flats, but it really truly is flat!
“No kidding, I kinda assumed there would at least be a building or something out here?” Star said and McClaire shook her head.
“Just tents.” She was standing up on the roof of the car with Binoculars, looking out for the red, winged, race car.
“Are you sure he'll even be coming this way?” I asked and McClaire pointed to the row of white poles embedded into the salt. They went as far as the eye could see.
“Route markers, one every quarter of a mile so you don't get lost. It's just a question of when they make the long distance runs.”
“Flying Mile, flying kilometer, and flying 5 miles right?” Star asked.
“Yeah, something like that. I think I can see him, waaay over there.” McClaire said, pointing off into the distance. Even squinting me and Star didn't have a chance of seeing whatever it was she was seeing. It would be several hours of waiting for anything to happen, and as the sun rose, Star and I were taking shelter inside the Mustang for relief. It may have been autumn, but we're still dead center in the middle of the desert and the temperatures were rising.
Star laid across the front seats, her cowgirl boots propped up and out the window as she read a book. I meanwhile was laying in the trunk with the lid up, falling half asleep at times thanks to our early start this morning. McClaire meanwhile paced back and forth, occasionally, climbing up on top of the car to use her Binoculars.
“Oh, here he comes!” McClaire said at last, probably somewhere between 10:00am and noon.
“Seriously? Sweet!” Star cheered. She climbed out the window on the driver's side as I sat up in the trunk. Looking out over the salt, you could just barely make out this little red wedge in the distance.
“So… how fast do you think he'll go?” I asked.
“215 miles per hour plus.” McClaire said, as if the result was already a matter of fact.
“Damn, that's moving, and people can just buy one of these cars?”
“Yep, McClaire has driven one before, when they first introduced the car at Talla… I mean Alabama Motor Speedway.” Star explained as she sat on the trunk's lip beside me. The car was getting bigger and bigger in the distance, the sound of the motor slowly teasing us in regards to the level of speed. 440 cubic inches of Hemi horsepower was flying across the salt, kicking up rooster tails of dust as it went. Getting larger and larger, growing louder and louder.
“Wow, he's coming…” I said, as McClaire walked out towards the guide post.
“What are you doing McClaire?” Star asked.
“Seeing if he's focused.” She replied with a smirk. Now standing behind one of the white poles, she stood there, watching, waiting for the car to go flying by.
“She's crazy.” I said, more to myself than to Star but she still answered me.
“Being immortal has its perks.” The larger the car got, the faster it looked and sounded. Covering a football field a second, it almost looked like a blur, this bright red lighting streak coming straight at us. McClaire leaned her back against the pole, looking as casual as she could be as the car approached. A massive smile on her face, Bobby Issac and the Daytona flew by in a flash, blowing her hair back like this was some sort of glamorous photoshoot. She stood there for a moment as the car raced away before turning around and waving.
“See ya.” She said, and then she turned to walk back towards us. A few steps later and looked down at her hand and then started laughing hysterically.
“Yep, he's concentrating alright!” She held up her left hand, which had a small gash on the back of her glove where the car had skimmed her.
“McClaire, you are nuts.” I said and even Star nodded.
“That was way too close.” She said, a genuine sense of caring in her voice.
“I've done that thousands of times and he's never hit me, calm down.” McClaire said gleefully, still laughing.
“Anyway, I would say that's that.”
“You came all the way out here just to get almost hit by a car?” I said, kind of stunned but also not totally surprised. She laughed and shrugged.
“What can I say, habits are hard to break? Anyway, Jack should be waiting on the other side of the salt pans.” Star shook her head but then stood up and turned around to close the trunk. Before she did though she smiled at me.
“I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss locking you in here!” She chirped, before slamming the trunk lid down. If I was honest, I was going to kinda miss it too. This last few minute drive would be all I had left on this crazy road trip, and that was genuinely sad to think about. When the trunk opened again, this was it, the final stop.
“Alright Roadkill, hop out.” Star said when she opened the trunk. As I pulled myself out, we were on the edge of the salt, beside a highway, although which one I'm not sure. Joe Jackson was carrying Luggage onto the plane as McClaire talked to Max Grayson and Jack Martin.
“Glad to have you girls back, we missed you.” Jack said.
“Yeah, happy to be back, but that was fun! We need to do more road trips in the future!” McClaire said smiling.
“Do you want us to load up that Mustang or what?” Max now asked and McClaire shook her head.
“Nah, I've got a better idea.” She said, before looking back at me.
“Hey Johnny, catch!” She said,tossing the keys at me. I almost didn't catch them, as I wasn't expecting it at all. Holding them in my hands, I almost felt like I was going to cry.
“You're just giving me this car?”
“Get your license and stay out of trouble. Star already signed the title and I'm a notary, so enjoy it.”
“Seriously?” I said looking over at Star in complete disbelief. Star looked away, almost blushing a little as she started walking over to the plane. However after only a few steps, she stopped and spoke over her shoulder.
“You can't stay in the trunk all your life…” She said and then continued towards the plane.
“Thank you, thank you!” I broke down and cried. This car is literally the thing that almost got me killed, and now it was mine…
“Don't mention it. Just when I need your help one day in the future, I expect you to be there.” McClaire replied.
“Of course, I'll be there!”
“Sweet! Anyway, let's get out of here!”
As I watched McClaire and her plane lift off into the sky, I stood there waving, looking like an idiot. I was so conflicted, amazed, overwhelmed, my emotions maxed out as I looked back at the glossy black Mustang that was now mine. As much as it meant to me, the memories it conjured and represented were even more important. I'll never forget my time Road tripping with a Road Racer, and after crying, and screaming out in joy, it was time to go… home. Wherever home might be in this new life I was given.
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