Cars

What Happened?

Ruby's POV:

As we walked out of the building, a question nagged at the back of my mind, "You know, I don't get you. How does someone like you wind up in a place like this?"

Sally sighed, "Well, it's really pretty simple. I was... an attorney in LA, livin' life in the fast lane, and..." She paused for a moment. "Oh, you were, were you? Were you rich?" I unintentionally interrupted.

"What?" She faced me with a questionable look. "Just... clues to the puzzle." I guessed.

"Yeah, okay. Well, that was my life. And you know what? It never felt... happy." Sally continued walking away towards the cliff. "Yeah. I mean... really?" I turned to her.

"Yeah. 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." She pointed out.

I trailed behind her, "Yeah. You know, I understand. You need a little R and R. Recharge the old batteries. But you know, after a while, why didn't you go back?" I stuffed my hands in my pocket and stood next to her.

Sally inhaled deeply, "I fell in love."

I frowned at her, confused, "Oh?"

"Yep. I fell in love with this." Sally points out at the horizon with a smile. My eyes followed her gaze to see a fantastic landscape before us, "Whoa. Look at that. Look, they're drivin' right by. They don't even know what they're missing!" I gasped, watching cars driving by on the highway.

"How can they not see this?!" I thought to myself.

"Well, it didn't use to be that way."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. Forty years ago, that Interstate down there didn't exist." Sally sighs.

Pulling my eyes away from the highway, I face Sally, "Really?"

"Yeah. Back then, cars came across the country a whole different way." Crossing her arms, Sally walked back to her car.

"How do you mean?" I asked, glancing back at the road.

"The road didn't cut through the land like that Interstate. It moved with the land, you know? It rose, it fell, it curved."

I imagined people back then, forty years ago, waving to each other as they drove past.

"Mornin'!"

"Nice day, huh?"

"People didn't drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time." Sally described what happened forty years ago. I walked away from the cliff and to Sally as she waited for me, "Well, what happened?" My curiosity peaked.

"The town got bypassed just to save ten minutes of driving." A sad look flashed in her eyes. I rested my hand on her shoulder and lightly squeezed it, "Well, maybe one day things will change for the town."

Sally gave me a small smile, "Let's go Ruby."

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"How great it would have been to see this place in its heyday!" I mentioned once we returned to town.

"Oh, 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." Sally vowed.

"Yeah. Hey, listen, thanks for the drive. I had a great time. It's kinda nice to slow down every once in a while." I thanked.

"You're welcome." Sally smiled and headed towards the motel.

I stood there and began thinking, " Maybe I should talk to Doc. I have to tell him-" Before finishing that thought, Mater snuck up behind me.