Читать книгу The Caged Ruby - Rodney Syler - Страница 3

Taylor considered not going to college and being a driver or mechanic but her dad would have no part of it. He appreciated her help and even her insight and expertise, but insisted she focus on her studies. He wanted her to spend more time dressing pretty and keeping an eye out for a young man with a future. He assured her she didn’t want to grow up with grease under her nails and “busted up bones” from hitting the wall.

High school became almost as much of a passion as racing. She took every course that would prepare her for college. Most boys were too frivolous, with posturing and big talk. One senior guy, not knowing her back ground, made the mistake of bragging that he had the fastest car in town.

Playing along, she acted impressed and let him continue to boast. After he detailed all the modifications that had been done to his Chevelle, she said, “My old Dodge is pretty fast. Does your car have one of those floor shifter things?”

He said, “I’ll bet you any amount of money my Chevelle is faster in the quarter mile than your Dodge.”

Taylor had been driving an older Dodge family car to school that he assumed was her’s. After classes she went home and pulled her Hemi Challenger out of the garage. Repainted flat black with gloss black highlights, it looked sinister. When they met later at the old road near the racetrack, Taylor pressed the stack of hundreds into the palm of a boy who had come along to witness the race. Turning to her opponent she said, “Give him your money to hold. Let’s see what that Chevelle can do.”

Taylor had watched him drive around town. The boy was a pretty good driver, and his car was fast. He was very upset that Taylor had let him believe that she would be driving the family car. He tried to back out on the race, but Taylor reminded him of his challenge.

Off the starting line they were close, but only until Taylor got traction and pulled ahead. Desperate not to get beaten by a girl, he overcorrected steering and almost hit Taylor’s fender. Sensing the danger, Taylor veered away near the shoulder and kept the gas to the floor. In her rear view mirror, she saw his car spin out. Headlight beams zig-zagged across the highway as he tried to regain control. Seeing she had won the race and his car was okay, she crossed the finish line, turned around and returned to where he paced by his car. She collected the money and checked his car over.

Taylor said, “Your car looks cool with the rear end jacked up, but it’s affected your stability. Bring it by the house some time and I’ll help you get it back safe again. Are you okay to drive home? You look a little shaken.”

“Shaken? We could have been killed. I went completely sideways. I almost hit you.”

“You need to get out in an open road or abandoned parking lot and learn to handle your car. Spin it around and see how it feels. That’s the only way you will know how to deal with it when it happens. I can get you on the track sometime and let you practice.” Holding out her hand to shake she said, “Friends?”

After that evening, everyone knew not to challenge Taylor. Her few run-ins with the law were always respectful. She made sure to keep her exhaust quiet unless she was about to race. One or two speeding tickets and she learned to do most of her racing on the track.

By the time she went to college, she drove a Corvette. Boys tripped over themselves to see her car. They soon forgot the car when they got to know the driver. She had a way of making everyone feel better.