Life Could Be a Dream

Chapter 29- The Waiting Game

Okay. This is it, my friends. The moment of truth has arrived. It's all come down to this. Will Fudge stay or will she leave? Who will win this fight for Fudge- Mary or Radiator Springs? Does Mary have any more tricks up her non-existent sleeves? Will I keep asking you these annoying questions or will I shut up and let you read this chapter? Yeah. I think I'm gonna go with the latter.

Enjoy.

Chapter 29- The Waiting Game

"Hey, Luigi!" Lightning called out, entering the bathroom in the yellow Fiat's home (past the store area where they had the showroom, the storage room and Luigi's office was the home area of Casa Della Tires, where they had a living room, a kitchen/dining area, a bathroom and the three rooms in which the three occupants slept).

Luigi turned around at the sound of his name and Lightning was very embarrassed when he saw what was kneeling on his hood: one very naked Fudge. Luigi had been about to put Fudge in the bath.

"Hi, Lightning!" Fudge called cheerfully.

"Whoa!" Lightning exclaimed, embarrassed, reversing to drive back out. Wow! He really needed to learn to knock! First, right before he found Doc's Piston Cups, he ended up seeing more of Sheriff than he needed to see when he drove in on him getting examined by Doc. Now, this. "Sorry! I-"

"No, no, no, no!" Luigi assured him hurriedly, placing Fudge in the bath gently. "It is okay, right, Fudge?"

Fudge nodded.

"Okay..." Lightning came back in uncertainly.

"Why are you sorry?" Fudge quizzed Lightning. As a five-year-old, who'd been raised by cars and had never seen another human until recently, she didn't really understand why she always had to wear clothes and nobody else did.

"I will explain later", Luigi whispered to her.

"Okay", she agreed, having heard Luigi say that many a time.

"What did you want?" Luigi wanted to know.

"Thought you two could do with some company", Lightning replied, moving closer to them. "You know, after today..."

Luigi nodded and smiled at him gratefully. It was the day after the social workers had arrived and Amanda had spent the day observing Fudge.

"Just pretend I'm not here", she'd instructed the girl. "Just do what you normally do."

So, Fudge played soccer and hide-and-seek with Mater and Lightning, joined some of the human children in a game of hopscotch, played with her bubble machine, drew some pictures and, to show them that Fudge was receiving education, Luigi got Fudge to read a book out loud, write out her letters and some other words that she knew. Amanda had watched her. So did Helen with Mary and Kevin showing up at different times of the day to watch as well.

At the end of the day, Amanda asked Fudge some questions about how she felt about living in Radiator Springs and the type of life she was getting (by that point, even Amanda was calling her Fudge instead of Brittney). Then she informed the two Italians that she would have her decision in the morning. For now, it was just a matter of playing the waiting game. Still, it looked like Amanda and Helen liked what they saw that day.

Now, Luigi was playing with the child in question as she splashed happily in the bathtub. Most of the others, including Guido, were at Flo's, but Lightning had decided to go over to Casa Della Tires. Like he said, with everything going on, he felt like both Luigi and Fudge could do with the company.

Fudge scooped up some of the bubble bath, which she had been smearing all over her face and placed it gently on Luigi's hood. The Fiat was confused, but Fudge just laughed, so he laughed with her. Then Fudge splashed him.