"Hey Doc, I brought a patient who needs your help!" Mater shouted excitedly as he let go of me and headed for the entrance to the clinic.
"Ohh... wait a few minutes, I've just finished helping the Sheriff with something and I'll be right over." A slightly surprised and aged voice came from inside the clinic.
"Okay!" Mater said excitedly and looked back at me.
At that moment I was looking at myself curiously. The sensation of controlling such a strange body was very different from what I was used to, so it was basically like I was learning to walk again.
Unfortunately, this body didn't even have memories of these basic controls, so I had to fumble around to make it work.
Surprisingly, the sensation of driving "my body" was very much like a video game, so I was quickly getting the hang of it.
"Looks like your problem is serious..." Sally commented in surprise, looking at me even more worriedly.
This embarrassed me, making me realize that I looked like an idiot in front of her.
Mater obviously didn't think much of it and was just looking at me curiously, like a dog trying to understand what you're doing.
"Cough, Cough..." I coughed slightly to pull myself together. "My mind really is a bit of a mess, I think without Mater there it's possible I'd be stuck on the road for a few days."
"Hehe." Mater laughed proudly. "I was doing my routine rounds of the road to look for customers in need, you were lucky to have found the best Tow Truck in the region!"
"I really was lucky, Mater, thanks for the help, you just didn't tell me how much it would cost." I laughed at how he was acting, but spoke again about the value of his service, knowing that the city was bankrupt and that just like people, cars needed fuel to run, I didn't want to take advantage of his goodwill.
Hearing what I said, Sally turned to Mater with the tone of a mother scolding a child and said. "Mater, how many times have I told you to say the price before you squeal on someone?" Turning to me, she switched to an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry about that..."
"Harry." I said, realizing that until now I hadn't said my name.
"Harry, I'm sorry about that, Harry. As you can see, Mater is a bit carried away with helping out and occasionally forgets the important bits." She said as she looked me in the eye.
"So your name is Harry! Nice to meet you Harry, you're my new friend! So because of that I won't charge you anything!" Mater said excitedly, looking at me expectantly.
This made Sally widen her eyes slightly in astonishment, looking between Mater and me with curiosity, wondering why Mater was so interested in me, since he didn't do this for the other clients he brought in without mentioning the price.
The problem was that, like her, I had no idea why Mater acted like that. Unlike Lightning in the movie, who didn't understand how important a friend was to Mater, I knew that, which is why I was as surprised as she was.
But I shook my head in denial. "No Mater, you did your job and I have to pay you for it, that's fair enough."
Hearing this, his towrope drooped a little, like a dog's tail, and he said in a sullen tone of voice. "So you don't want to be my friend?"
"Of course I do, and that's why I insist even more on paying for your service, what kind of friend would I be if I took advantage of you just because of our friendship?" I said a little ruefully, feeling bad that my choice of words had left Mater like that.
Fortunately, he was thrilled to hear my explanation and cracked a big smile, swinging the tow cable from side to side happily.
"What a good friend! If you insist on paying me so much, I'll charge you $30 then!" He declared loudly, before coming over to my side and "whispering", but from Sally's expression she could hear everything. "The normal price I charge is $40, but since you're my friend, I have to give you a friend's discount, but don't tell anyone!"
Seeing this side of him in person touched something in me, and I smiled back, answering quietly. "You got it, buddy. I'll pay you the $30 then and afterwards we'll have a drink together, how's that?"
This proposal made Mater even more excited, and he literally started jumping up and down and running around the city while shouting. "I'm going out with my new friend!"
Sally had a smile on her face as she looked at Mater going off like that.
"It seems Mater has seen something in you in this short time that he doesn't see in other people, Harry, do you intend to stay in town to nurture this friendship with him?" She asked worriedly.
That was a question I had no doubt about answering, although I was curious about the world, the system sent me to Radiator Springs for a reason, so it's quite possible that I should avoid the "Bad Ending" of something happening here.
"Well, I don't even remember where I came from, I think it's safer for me to stay here where I've made a new friend than to go to another unknown place, right?" I answered her reassuringly.
Confirming my plans, Sally smiled with satisfaction and took the opportunity to do her marketing. "Since you won't have anywhere to stay, I run the town's Cozy Cone Motel, where each cone is a room! It's super cozy, charming, and... with a special discount if you pay in advance."
Feeling a deja-vu of that scene, remembering her convincing McQueen to spend the night there like that, I got excited. "That sounds interesting, how much for the night?"
"If you pay in advance I can charge you $30 a night." She said with a smile, walking back and forth in a familiar way, until she approached me and spoke in a 'whisper'. "The normal price I charge is $40, but since you're a friend of Mater's, I think I can give you a discount, but don't tell anyone!"
This made me widen my eyes for a second, surprised by this, before I started laughing at her joke.
My laughter made Sally jump in surprise, apparently realizing what she'd done and getting a little embarrassed, but controlling herself not to show it.
"Sure, I think this price is great. You can book a room for me for a week, when I get there I'll pay you in advance." I replied with a smile, which got even bigger when I realized how she was acting.
Sally smiled and waved at me as she turned around. "So I'll see you later, I think you know how to get to me." She said as she signaled with her eyes to the large cones that you could see even from a distance.
"See you later." I smiled and waved at her.
I had now been left alone outside Doc's clinic.
My biggest worry was that he would realize I was lying, so I took this time to plan everything I might need to talk to the man.
He was intelligent, very intelligent, if I wavered he might start to suspect me, and having the town's Doctor/Judge, the oldest and most respected man among the population suspecting me would not be good.
A few minutes later I heard the sound of a metal gate opening and from inside the clinic, a black and white 1949 Mercury Eight stepped out, eyeing me suspiciously.
Looking at where my bumper, side skirts and airfoil were, all customized by me in the other world, he stopped.
'I guess in this life I'm seen as the Usual Suspect that the police look out for?' I thought laughingly, not imagining that my white privilege from the other world would end and I would become a 'Usual Suspect' in a world of Cars!
"What's an import like you doing in these lands, kid?" he asked in an intimidating way. "Don't tell me you're part of that group of delinquents who gamble on the road at night?!"
Thinking about the group of Tuners who were the reason McQueen ended up in Radiator Springs in the movie, I had to stop myself from smiling at being compared to them.
Although they have a very exaggerated style, going so far as to enter the level of otherworldly Ricers, it was these dudes who sparked my first passion for cars, and if I had a chance to interact with them, I'd love to.
But answering the Sheriff in front of me, I quickly denied it in a polite way. "No sir, Mater found me on the road unconscious and brought me here to get help, as I don't remember anything, he brought me to see the town doctor and try to deal with my problem."
He was surprised by my attitude, clearly becoming less defensive with me, but still keeping a serious way of speaking. "You're lucky I've never seen a blue car like you among those kids, but know that if I catch you doing anything around town, you'll be behind bars for a long time, kid!"
Knowing that this was just his concern for the city and the friends who lived here that he loved so much, I didn't take this "threat" to heart and nodded at him to show that I understood. "Don't worry sir, I don't intend to 'do' anything."
He nodded happily at me and started to leave. "Very well, welcome to Radiator Springs then, enjoy your stay in town."
Looking at the man leaving, I smiled, until I heard the rumble of an old engine coming from inside the clinic and heading in my direction.
From inside came a legendary 1951 Navy Blue Hudson Hornet, looking at me as suspiciously as the Sheriff.
Seeing his suspicion, I knew that now was the moment that would define my stay in the city.