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Description
Keep On Truckin'
(sequel to IMYOR62)

Chapter Nine:
Yvette and Benji

“Benji! Honey, where are you? Benjiiiiiii!”

Sheriff awoke with a snort. In the shade behind a billboard that welcomed travelers to Radiator Springs in faded and peeling paint, the squad car blinked groggily. “Nyeh - what? I’m awake!” he said with a yawn. Glancing around, he realized he was alone. “Coulda sworn I heard someone yellin’ just now,” he murmured. He settled low on his axles and closed his eyes. He’d just begun snoring again when a second voice spoke directly in front of him.

“Sheriff?” Vee waited for him to wake up, but all he did was mumble incoherently and continue to snore. She honked her horn. Sheriff jumped and let loose a string of (mostly) incomprehensible swears before he realized who was standing before him.

“What the flyin’ Ford?! Galldarnit, Vee! I swear to Dodge this is your last warning about that!”

Vee chuckled. Oh, if only she had a nickel for every time he declared a warning as his last. “Sorry,” she replied, both her tone and expression saying quite clearly that she was anything but. “I was just wondering if you’ve seen a white Corvette pass by, but since you were asleep, I’ll assume that’s a big N-O.”

Sheriff smirked at her. “I wasn’t sleepin,’ I was restin’ my eyes! S’not easy watchin’ the road with all that sun glare.”

Vee smirked back. “Right. Well, if you do see anyone who goes by that description, let me know, will you?”

“And uh, what description is that?” Sheriff asked with a faint blush. His brain was still foggy from sleep.

“A white Corvette with blue eyes and a beige canvas top.” Vee’s eyes strayed past the squad car and lit up suddenly. “Like that one there!”

Sheriff turned around. A young woman of that exact description was driving toward them just then. She looked upset until she spotted Vee, who rushed forward to meet her with a hug.

“Yvette! You made it! What a relief. I was starting to think you’d gotten lost or something.” Vee pulled back to look her over, then hugged her again. “Wow! Look at you! It’s so great to see you again! How are you? Did you have any trouble finding your way here?”

Pleasantly stunned by the Chrysler’s enthusiastic greeting, Yvette hugged her back. “Hey, Veronica. Good to see you too! I’m fine. No, I didn’t have any trouble at all, except… well, actually, I am having a little trouble finding my s -”

“YAAAHHH!” Sheriff shrieked and spun around. “Something bit me!”

The two women stared at him in shock. Yvette gasped. “Benji!” Quick as a flash, she rushed forward and shoved a tire under him. Sheriff’s eyes went wide as she felt around down there. A moment later she backed away, extracting a squealing orange bundle from its hiding place beneath the old cruiser.

“THERE you are! Oh Benji, you had me so worried!” Yvette exclaimed as she hugged the tiny car to her chest. “Don’t you ever wander off like that again, young man! Do you hear me? You scared Mommy half to death!”

Vee tilted her cab to look at the child, but it was too hard to see while Yvette was holding it so close. “Is that -?”

Yvette set the child down and turned to Vee with a smile. “Yes. This is my son, Benji.” With a tender tire she gently nudged him forward. Benji was a plump little hatchback with large hazel eyes and an orange/copper body. Vee assumed it was his natural color, as most parents did not have infants and toddlers painted because they quickly outgrew their paintjobs. The boy had a single, large tooth that stuck out from his upper jaw, giving him a very adorable and very Mater-ish look.

Vee gazed down at the little car, who stood almost as high as his mother’s tire. “Awww, he’s adorable!” she said as she rolled forward and lowered herself on her axles. “Hi, Benji. I’m Veronica.” She extended a tire in greeting. Benji stared at it, then her, before shying back against his mother’s tire.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Yvette crooned. “Veronica is a friend. Go say hi to her.” She nudged him forward again. Benji gazed fearfully up at the Chrysler.

Vee offered him her most reassuring smile. “Hey there, Benji. Can you say Veronica? Hm?” He blinked, but remained silent. Vee looked at Yvette. “Can he talk yet?”

“A little. Just simple words like ‘mama’ and ‘owie’ and ‘hungry.’”

“Hmmm. Hey Benji, can you say Vee?”

Benji tilted his cab, giving her a curious look. Then suddenly he smiled. A big, (mostly) toothless grin. “Bee!” he chirped, honking his tiny horn at the same time. “Beebeebeepeepeep!”

Vee laughed. She honked back at him, and her own deeper, much louder horn sent him dashing beneath his mother. “Awww, I’m sorry Benji. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She tried to look under Yvette, but could not see him. “Sorry about that,” she mumbled guiltily. “Hope he’s okay.”

Yvette chuckled. “He’s fine. See?” She tilted herself to one side, revealing the little hatchback nursing happily behind her left front wheel. Sheriff blushed and looked away. “Come on now, you’re getting too big for that,” she scolded, gently prying him free of her undercarriage. Benji squirmed and whimpered. “Oh no no no. Ssshhhhhhh. Mama will feed you when we get to town. We’re almost there now.”

But Benji could not be calmed. He continued to fuss until she finally let him go. Yvette sighed as he sprang free from her tire. “All right. Go ahead.” But instead of returning to his spot behind her wheel, he started chasing a small yellow beetle around.

“How old is he?” Vee asked.

“Fifteen months,” Yvette replied. Her eyes were full of pride as she looked upon her son. Vee noticed this and smiled.

“I guess having a kid makes a big difference in your life, huh?”

Yvette nodded. “Oh yes. It’s made things very difficult, but at the same time, I’ve never been happier. Or more complete.” Her eyes never left the little boy, whose attention had turned to Sheriff. He was currently trying to grab hold of one of the squad car’s curb feelers and put it in his mouth. Unsure how to handle a toddler, Sheriff merely stood there, now and then leaning away from him whenever a curb feeler was dangerously close to getting chewed on.

“Oh! No no, sweetie! You leave those alone,” Yvette said gently, hooking a tire around Benji and coaxing him back toward her. “You don’t put stuff in your mouth, remember? That’s yucky. You don’t know where those things have been.” She glanced at Sheriff and her white hood pinkened slightly. “No offense,” she added meekly.

Sheriff chuckled. “Aw, that’s all right. Heck, I don’t even know where they’ve been.” He rocked slightly, watching his curb feelers bounce. Benji giggled and reached for one again, but Yvette held onto him this time. “I’ve had ‘em for so long, it’s hard to remember.”

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Vee said suddenly. “Sheriff, this is my friend Yvette Glenn. Yvette, Sheriff Sterling. It’s been a couple years, but I assume you remember each other.”

Sheriff bowed slightly. “Of course,” he said, smiling as he recalled their first meeting two and a half years earlier. His recollections were mainly of a battered young woman, her entire frame covered with dents and scrapes, tears in her eyes as she bravely reported crimes against herself and a friend to a law officer like himself.

“Won’t you join us at Flo’s?” Vee asked the squad car, but Sheriff shook his hood.

“Sorry, ladies. I’d love to, but these roads ain’t gonna patrol themselves, you know. You go on now. I’ll see y’all at sundown for supper.”

* * *

Sundown had been a good two hours away when Yvette and Benji first rolled into town, but soon enough the entire community, plus two, were gathered at Flo’s for dinner. While nearly every man in town was besotted by the lovely young Corvette, all the women cooed over the adorable little boy she had brought with her. Yvette politely pretended not to notice the covetous looks she received from the male portion of the dinner crowd as she brought Vee and Mack up to date on the last two and a half years of her life.

“After Slade and Joey died, things definitely changed for the better,” she said over her half-eaten chef’s salad. “As soon as I got back to L.A. I moved out of that apartment and in with my mom. I never saw Darla again, thank Dodge. Not even while I was moving out. It looked like she’d moved out too, but who cares about her, right?” The young woman winced at the memory of the brutal beating she’d received from her former boss and his henchman, thanks to Darla. That ‘Scarlet Harlot,’ as she was known as back at Ford’s, had long been in love with Slade and would do anything for him.

When Vee had left Mack behind in order to protect him, she went back to L.A. and looked up Yvette, who had moved into a shabby apartment building after Ford’s Escorts had burned down. Darla, a fellow escort, moved into the same complex just two doors down from her. After Vee’s short-lived visit, the Mercedes contacted Slade who, with the added persuasion of Joey, managed to beat Vee’s whereabouts out of Yvette.

“With my uncle’s help I got a real job as a cashier at Longs Drugstore,” she went on, “though for a while there I was still seeing a couple of clients on the side. It was hard to do behind my mother’s back because I couldn’t possibly bring any of them home with her there. Plus it killed her to see me in that line of work. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I had to stop it and start living a more respectable life. If not for myself then for my baby.”

She looked over at Benji, who was surrounded by fawning women. Sally, Mia, and Tia waited their turn with him while Flo blew raspberries on his belly. The little boy squealed and giggled and beeped, delighted to be the center of so much attention. Yvette smiled as tears of joy sparkled in her eyes. “And I did.”

Mack and Vee watched the young woman watching the child, each imagining themselves in her place and wondering if they too would appear just as lovesick to an observer. Yvette finished her tea and held her glass out, hoping to get a refill, but both waitresses were being distracted by Benji. Lightning noticed her dilemma and darted toward her eagerly.

“I got it!” he declared, snatching her glass and disappearing inside of the café before Yvette could tell him what she wanted. The racecar returned seconds later with a full glass of ice-cold honey lemon tea, exactly what she had been drinking earlier. “Here ya go,” he said, setting it down in front of her. He was grinning like a schoolboy with a crush as he watched her take a sip, clearly awaiting her approval.

Yvette smacked her lips and smiled back. “It’s good. Even better than the last glass. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he replied with a bow. He quickly returned to his spot beside Sally who, miraculously, had been too smitten with the baby to notice his infatuation with Yvette.

Mack shook his hood. “McQueen’s gonna be crushed when he finds out he’s not my best man.”

“Why isn’t he?” Yvette asked.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s great and all, but - I dunno - it was really hard having to choose between him and Mater. Believe you me.”

“This’ll be the second time Mater’s been a best man,” Vee informed Yvette. “The first time was at Lightning and Sally’s wedding.”

“Wow. He’s pretty popular for a rusty tow truck,” the Corvette commented as she watched her son bat a tire at Mater’s tow hook, which he dangled teasingly just out of reach. Both wore goofy, toothy grins and the mischievous glint in their hazel eyes were a perfect mirror of each other. Despite their vastly different makes, they could easily have passed as father and son. Yvette laughed. “And I can see why. He seems really nice. Good choice, Mack.”

Mack smiled proudly. “Thanks.”

“But what about Lightning?” Vee asked him. “You gonna tell him already, or do I have to?”

“I think he already knows. No doubt Mater bragged to him about being the best man.”

Vee looked over at McQueen, who had finally stopped ogling Yvette long enough to cuddle with Sally. “He’s certainly taking it well.”

Mack looked at him too and smirked. “Eh, I think he was more interested in driving Yvette down the aisle than standing next to me during the ceremony.”

Yvette chuckled. “Nice as he is, I think I’d rather have Mater by my side.” Vee had chosen Yvette as her maid of honor, having found in her a kindred spirit during their employment at Ford’s Escorts. Ten years her junior, Yvette had come to work at Ford’s during Vee’s second year. Only twenty at the time, the timid little Corvette had been desperate for money yet terrified of this new life. Vee felt sorry for her and took her under her wing, defending her against Slade, Joey, and uncouth clients. From there on they had formed a close friendship, becoming almost like sisters to each other.

A loud horn sounded, startling the dinner crowd, as Mater and Benji fell into a honking match.

“Beep!”

“HONK!”

“Beep!”

“HONK!”

“Beep-beep!”

“HOOOONNNK!”

“Beep-beep-beeeeeeeeeep!”

“HOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNK-HONK-PPPppppppp!” Mater strained too hard and let loose a noise that sounded suspiciously like a tractor fart. Benji squealed with laughter as the tow truck turned bright red. “Oh Lord, Ah apologize fer that.”

Chapter Ten: [link]

Description
Keep On Truckin'
(sequel to IMYOR62)

Chapter Nine:
Yvette and Benji

“Benji! Honey, where are you? Benjiiiiiii!”

Sheriff awoke with a snort. In the shade behind a billboard that welcomed travelers to Radiator Springs in faded and peeling paint, the squad car blinked groggily. “Nyeh - what? I’m awake!” he said with a yawn. Glancing around, he realized he was alone. “Coulda sworn I heard someone yellin’ just now,” he murmured. He settled low on his axles and closed his eyes. He’d just begun snoring again when a second voice spoke directly in front of him.

“Sheriff?” Vee waited for him to wake up, but all he did was mumble incoherently and continue to snore. She honked her horn. Sheriff jumped and let loose a string of (mostly) incomprehensible swears before he realized who was standing before him.

“What the flyin’ Ford?! Galldarnit, Vee! I swear to Dodge this is your last warning about that!”

Vee chuckled. Oh, if only she had a nickel for every time he declared a warning as his last. “Sorry,” she replied, both her tone and expression saying quite clearly that she was anything but. “I was just wondering if you’ve seen a white Corvette pass by, but since you were asleep, I’ll assume that’s a big N-O.”

Sheriff smirked at her. “I wasn’t sleepin,’ I was restin’ my eyes! S’not easy watchin’ the road with all that sun glare.”

Vee smirked back. “Right. Well, if you do see anyone who goes by that description, let me know, will you?”

“And uh, what description is that?” Sheriff asked with a faint blush. His brain was still foggy from sleep.

“A white Corvette with blue eyes and a beige canvas top.” Vee’s eyes strayed past the squad car and lit up suddenly. “Like that one there!”

Sheriff turned around. A young woman of that exact description was driving toward them just then. She looked upset until she spotted Vee, who rushed forward to meet her with a hug.

“Yvette! You made it! What a relief. I was starting to think you’d gotten lost or something.” Vee pulled back to look her over, then hugged her again. “Wow! Look at you! It’s so great to see you again! How are you? Did you have any trouble finding your way here?”

Pleasantly stunned by the Chrysler’s enthusiastic greeting, Yvette hugged her back. “Hey, Veronica. Good to see you too! I’m fine. No, I didn’t have any trouble at all, except… well, actually, I am having a little trouble finding my s -”

“YAAAHHH!” Sheriff shrieked and spun around. “Something bit me!”

The two women stared at him in shock. Yvette gasped. “Benji!” Quick as a flash, she rushed forward and shoved a tire under him. Sheriff’s eyes went wide as she felt around down there. A moment later she backed away, extracting a squealing orange bundle from its hiding place beneath the old cruiser.

“THERE you are! Oh Benji, you had me so worried!” Yvette exclaimed as she hugged the tiny car to her chest. “Don’t you ever wander off like that again, young man! Do you hear me? You scared Mommy half to death!”

Vee tilted her cab to look at the child, but it was too hard to see while Yvette was holding it so close. “Is that -?”

Yvette set the child down and turned to Vee with a smile. “Yes. This is my son, Benji.” With a tender tire she gently nudged him forward. Benji was a plump little hatchback with large hazel eyes and an orange/copper body. Vee assumed it was his natural color, as most parents did not have infants and toddlers painted because they quickly outgrew their paintjobs. The boy had a single, large tooth that stuck out from his upper jaw, giving him a very adorable and very Mater-ish look.

Vee gazed down at the little car, who stood almost as high as his mother’s tire. “Awww, he’s adorable!” she said as she rolled forward and lowered herself on her axles. “Hi, Benji. I’m Veronica.” She extended a tire in greeting. Benji stared at it, then her, before shying back against his mother’s tire.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Yvette crooned. “Veronica is a friend. Go say hi to her.” She nudged him forward again. Benji gazed fearfully up at the Chrysler.

Vee offered him her most reassuring smile. “Hey there, Benji. Can you say Veronica? Hm?” He blinked, but remained silent. Vee looked at Yvette. “Can he talk yet?”

“A little. Just simple words like ‘mama’ and ‘owie’ and ‘hungry.’”

“Hmmm. Hey Benji, can you say Vee?”

Benji tilted his cab, giving her a curious look. Then suddenly he smiled. A big, (mostly) toothless grin. “Bee!” he chirped, honking his tiny horn at the same time. “Beebeebeepeepeep!”

Vee laughed. She honked back at him, and her own deeper, much louder horn sent him dashing beneath his mother. “Awww, I’m sorry Benji. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She tried to look under Yvette, but could not see him. “Sorry about that,” she mumbled guiltily. “Hope he’s okay.”

Yvette chuckled. “He’s fine. See?” She tilted herself to one side, revealing the little hatchback nursing happily behind her left front wheel. Sheriff blushed and looked away. “Come on now, you’re getting too big for that,” she scolded, gently prying him free of her undercarriage. Benji squirmed and whimpered. “Oh no no no. Ssshhhhhhh. Mama will feed you when we get to town. We’re almost there now.”

But Benji could not be calmed. He continued to fuss until she finally let him go. Yvette sighed as he sprang free from her tire. “All right. Go ahead.” But instead of returning to his spot behind her wheel, he started chasing a small yellow beetle around.

“How old is he?” Vee asked.

“Fifteen months,” Yvette replied. Her eyes were full of pride as she looked upon her son. Vee noticed this and smiled.

“I guess having a kid makes a big difference in your life, huh?”

Yvette nodded. “Oh yes. It’s made things very difficult, but at the same time, I’ve never been happier. Or more complete.” Her eyes never left the little boy, whose attention had turned to Sheriff. He was currently trying to grab hold of one of the squad car’s curb feelers and put it in his mouth. Unsure how to handle a toddler, Sheriff merely stood there, now and then leaning away from him whenever a curb feeler was dangerously close to getting chewed on.

“Oh! No no, sweetie! You leave those alone,” Yvette said gently, hooking a tire around Benji and coaxing him back toward her. “You don’t put stuff in your mouth, remember? That’s yucky. You don’t know where those things have been.” She glanced at Sheriff and her white hood pinkened slightly. “No offense,” she added meekly.

Sheriff chuckled. “Aw, that’s all right. Heck, I don’t even know where they’ve been.” He rocked slightly, watching his curb feelers bounce. Benji giggled and reached for one again, but Yvette held onto him this time. “I’ve had ‘em for so long, it’s hard to remember.”

“Oh! Where are my manners?” Vee said suddenly. “Sheriff, this is my friend Yvette Glenn. Yvette, Sheriff Sterling. It’s been a couple years, but I assume you remember each other.”

Sheriff bowed slightly. “Of course,” he said, smiling as he recalled their first meeting two and a half years earlier. His recollections were mainly of a battered young woman, her entire frame covered with dents and scrapes, tears in her eyes as she bravely reported crimes against herself and a friend to a law officer like himself.

“Won’t you join us at Flo’s?” Vee asked the squad car, but Sheriff shook his hood.

“Sorry, ladies. I’d love to, but these roads ain’t gonna patrol themselves, you know. You go on now. I’ll see y’all at sundown for supper.”

* * *

Sundown had been a good two hours away when Yvette and Benji first rolled into town, but soon enough the entire community, plus two, were gathered at Flo’s for dinner. While nearly every man in town was besotted by the lovely young Corvette, all the women cooed over the adorable little boy she had brought with her. Yvette politely pretended not to notice the covetous looks she received from the male portion of the dinner crowd as she brought Vee and Mack up to date on the last two and a half years of her life.

“After Slade and Joey died, things definitely changed for the better,” she said over her half-eaten chef’s salad. “As soon as I got back to L.A. I moved out of that apartment and in with my mom. I never saw Darla again, thank Dodge. Not even while I was moving out. It looked like she’d moved out too, but who cares about her, right?” The young woman winced at the memory of the brutal beating she’d received from her former boss and his henchman, thanks to Darla. That ‘Scarlet Harlot,’ as she was known as back at Ford’s, had long been in love with Slade and would do anything for him.

When Vee had left Mack behind in order to protect him, she went back to L.A. and looked up Yvette, who had moved into a shabby apartment building after Ford’s Escorts had burned down. Darla, a fellow escort, moved into the same complex just two doors down from her. After Vee’s short-lived visit, the Mercedes contacted Slade who, with the added persuasion of Joey, managed to beat Vee’s whereabouts out of Yvette.

“With my uncle’s help I got a real job as a cashier at Longs Drugstore,” she went on, “though for a while there I was still seeing a couple of clients on the side. It was hard to do behind my mother’s back because I couldn’t possibly bring any of them home with her there. Plus it killed her to see me in that line of work. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I had to stop it and start living a more respectable life. If not for myself then for my baby.”

She looked over at Benji, who was surrounded by fawning women. Sally, Mia, and Tia waited their turn with him while Flo blew raspberries on his belly. The little boy squealed and giggled and beeped, delighted to be the center of so much attention. Yvette smiled as tears of joy sparkled in her eyes. “And I did.”

Mack and Vee watched the young woman watching the child, each imagining themselves in her place and wondering if they too would appear just as lovesick to an observer. Yvette finished her tea and held her glass out, hoping to get a refill, but both waitresses were being distracted by Benji. Lightning noticed her dilemma and darted toward her eagerly.

“I got it!” he declared, snatching her glass and disappearing inside of the café before Yvette could tell him what she wanted. The racecar returned seconds later with a full glass of ice-cold honey lemon tea, exactly what she had been drinking earlier. “Here ya go,” he said, setting it down in front of her. He was grinning like a schoolboy with a crush as he watched her take a sip, clearly awaiting her approval.

Yvette smacked her lips and smiled back. “It’s good. Even better than the last glass. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he replied with a bow. He quickly returned to his spot beside Sally who, miraculously, had been too smitten with the baby to notice his infatuation with Yvette.

Mack shook his hood. “McQueen’s gonna be crushed when he finds out he’s not my best man.”

“Why isn’t he?” Yvette asked.

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s great and all, but - I dunno - it was really hard having to choose between him and Mater. Believe you me.”

“This’ll be the second time Mater’s been a best man,” Vee informed Yvette. “The first time was at Lightning and Sally’s wedding.”

“Wow. He’s pretty popular for a rusty tow truck,” the Corvette commented as she watched her son bat a tire at Mater’s tow hook, which he dangled teasingly just out of reach. Both wore goofy, toothy grins and the mischievous glint in their hazel eyes were a perfect mirror of each other. Despite their vastly different makes, they could easily have passed as father and son. Yvette laughed. “And I can see why. He seems really nice. Good choice, Mack.”

Mack smiled proudly. “Thanks.”

“But what about Lightning?” Vee asked him. “You gonna tell him already, or do I have to?”

“I think he already knows. No doubt Mater bragged to him about being the best man.”

Vee looked over at McQueen, who had finally stopped ogling Yvette long enough to cuddle with Sally. “He’s certainly taking it well.”

Mack looked at him too and smirked. “Eh, I think he was more interested in driving Yvette down the aisle than standing next to me during the ceremony.”

Yvette chuckled. “Nice as he is, I think I’d rather have Mater by my side.” Vee had chosen Yvette as her maid of honor, having found in her a kindred spirit during their employment at Ford’s Escorts. Ten years her junior, Yvette had come to work at Ford’s during Vee’s second year. Only twenty at the time, the timid little Corvette had been desperate for money yet terrified of this new life. Vee felt sorry for her and took her under her wing, defending her against Slade, Joey, and uncouth clients. From there on they had formed a close friendship, becoming almost like sisters to each other.

A loud horn sounded, startling the dinner crowd, as Mater and Benji fell into a honking match.

“Beep!”

“HONK!”

“Beep!”

“HONK!”

“Beep-beep!”

“HOOOONNNK!”

“Beep-beep-beeeeeeeeeep!”

“HOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNK-HONK-PPPppppppp!” Mater strained too hard and let loose a noise that sounded suspiciously like a tractor fart. Benji squealed with laughter as the tow truck turned bright red. “Oh Lord, Ah apologize fer that.”

Chapter Ten: [link]