Race For Love

Chapter 1

Carmen took a deep breath as she stepped outside the airport. She could taste the air pollution as she breathed, but she didn't care. This was home. "Where can I take you?" the cab driver asked Carmen. "This address please." Carmen said as she handed him a folded piece of paper with her old home address written on it. "You got it," the driver replied as he pulled out of the airport.

After her parents divorced, Gloria, Carmen's mother, dragged her out of the country to live with her grandmother in Brazil. Gloria had cut off all contact with her husband's side of the family but Carmen kept in contact with her cousins. Ten years prior to her mother dying, Carmen had gotten word from her cousin that her Uncle Jack had died while racing on the speedway, and that her father had died going after the man who was responsible. After her father had failed, her cousin went after the man responsible and ended up in jail for five years. The only family Carmen had left were her cousins, Dominic and Mia Toretto.

"Are you sure this is the right address?" the cab driver asked Carmen as he pulled up to her old East L.A. house. "It looks like no one's lived here for years!" the cab driver added as Carmen slid out and grabbed her bags. "Yeah it's been a while" Carmen sighed as she recalled the last memory she had at this house.

Carmen had her earbuds in as she tried to drown out the noise of her parents screaming at each other. It was like this almost every night. Her mother, Gloria, had to go bail her father, Martin, out of jail after he attempted to forcefully and drunkenly make his way inside the speedway. Harsh words were being exchanged in the kitchen, Carmen jumped as she heard the sound of glass being shattered. Suddenly her bedroom door was ripped open. "Mom, what's going on?" Carmen asked as her mother threw some clothing in a bag and grabbed her arm. "Mom? Where are we going?" Carmen asked as her father was still screaming at Gloria while they packed themselves into the car. "We're leaving" was all her mother said.

"It's getting dark soon. If you need a place to stay, my sister in law runs this hotel." the cab driver said as he handed Carmen a business card for the hotel. "Thanks" Carmen said as she gave him a smile. Pushing her way inside the house, Carmen sighed at all the empty beer bottles that littered the floor. Well I see that dad was productive in his time alone, she sarcastically thought as she set her bags down. The house looked as old and ruined on the inside as it did on the outside. There were holes in the wall, family pictures were shattered, and furniture was tossed around. "Oh my god!!" Carmen exclaimed as she stepped into the kitchen. The stench of old take out food made her gag. Carmen could feel her breakfast rising back up as she saw bugs sitting in the sink, eating the crusty food that was left behind.

Stumbling outside the back door, Carmen gasped for fresh air. God that was disgusting, she thought as she shuddered. Looking up, Carmen saw the old car garage her dad would work in before he was kicked out of the speedway. Like the house, it was covered in vines, the metal was rusted all the way and the wood was moldy. Using a bobby pin, Carmen unlocked the lock and pushed the old garage door up. Coughing, Carmen waved her hand in front of her to try and fan the dust away. Turning on the small light, Carmen was blinded by the shine of her father's joy and pride. There it sat in all its glory was the red 1968 dodge charger that her dad worked to restore. The car he promised one day would be hers, and now it was. "Of course this is the one thing that's not molded or rusted" she muttered aloud. 

Grabbing the keys from the mirror flap, Carmen turned over the engine. The rumble of the car sent chills down her spine as she slowly wrapped her fingers around the leather steering wheel. Oh yeah baby... this is home