Sally was very embarrassed that what she said could be misinterpreted, so she just turned towards the Cozy Cone and started driving.
Knowing that I would be in danger under the Sheriff's watch, I didn't think twice about following her and leaving it to interact with the rest of the town tomorrow.
Between a cute blue Porsche or being questioned by a suspicious policeman, only a fool would choose the second option.
"Wait for me or I might get lost in the city!" I said as I accelerated towards her, making a sporty sound come out of my engine and making me freeze thinking about the look the Sheriff would have on his face right now, so I tried to accelerate towards her while keeping my RPM low enough not to make so much noise.
Hearing the joke I'd made, Sally just turned slightly towards me and rolled her eyes, not even bothering to reply.
In a few seconds we arrived at Cone 01, the same cone that McQueen stood on in the original movie.
"As there's no one using the place, you can choose the cone you prefer, but I'd recommend taking 01, which for me, is the cone with the best decoration." She said as she touched the button that opened the cone's gate.
The place was slightly bigger than in the movie, with pastel yellow wallpaper, an air conditioner, a radio, a TV, and the place for me to sleep, which was in the center. On the walls of the cone there were some pictures of famous places neatly positioned between the triangular windows.
The only sad thing was that everything looked very new, making it clear to me that the place hadn't received many guests since it opened.
"It's cozier than I imagined." I said in surprise, feeling the tiredness come over me and realizing how tempting it was to lie down and sleep in that cone.
"Did you like it?" She asked excitedly, before coughing slightly to disguise her excitement and answering in a calmer tone. "I'm glad you liked it, I decorated all the cones, as this was the first one I decorated, so I ended up putting my favorite paintings on the wall."
Looking at the pictures of famous places, I asked, "Are they your favorites because you've visited them?"
Sally's eyes widened before she shook her head in denial. "No, I wish, those are just the places I still want to see..."
At this point, the atmosphere became a little heavy, Sally thought for a few seconds until she remembered me. "I'm sorry... I guess I'm tired, let's talk more tomorrow... Good night."
"Good night..." It was the only thing I could say when I saw her shaken like that.
Considering how young she seemed, thinking about the prospect of giving up a successful career in LA to open a motel in a small town like this was crazy, even more so with the town struggling to get customers...
I sighed and snuggled closer to the place I had to "lie down", closing my eyes and falling asleep in a few seconds.
---
When I woke up, the first strangeness I felt was in my body... it's hard to get used to something so different. During the night, all I had to do was relax the suspension, let the weight drop and "lie down" in the center of the room. The position was strange, but curiously reminded me of a cat from my old world, curled up on itself.
I could feel the ground under the tires, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Surprisingly, it was cozier than I had imagined.
Still, when I woke up, it was as if I had to learn all over again how to control every part of myself: adjust the shock absorbers, feel the steering, turn the wheels. This time, however, it took me much less time. In a matter of seconds I was ready to move.
That's when I saw my tires. Last night, in the dim light, I hadn't been able to assess the damage properly, but now, with the light coming through the cone's triangular windows, the problem was impossible to ignore. The wear was grotesque... deformed grooves, rubber scarred by heat and excessive effort.
I understood instantly why Sally and Guido had been alarmed to see me.
At least my mana had fully recovered... perhaps even increased compared to the day before. This was a relief and, at the same time, a reminder that I needed to start using this power wisely.
As I opened the door to the cone, I realized that Sally had already left. The courtyard was quiet, the sun beating down lightly on the orange facades. I didn't want to run into the Sheriff in that state, so I went straight to Casa Della Tires.
Luigi welcomed me with the enthusiasm of an Italian host on a Saturday. I'd barely finished explaining my situation and he was already gesturing as if he were presenting a work of art. "Ahhh, signore Harry! White stripe tires! Bellissimi, perfetti for you, they'll transform your style into pure elegance!"
I smiled dully. "I... really need something more functional. As you can see, I need something resistant to high speeds... I don't think tires like that are a good idea."
He didn't give up right away. He'd come back, show me catalogs, spin me around like an animated tailor. "Functional? Ma right! White belt is functional and elegant, eh! Everyone will look at you!"
The negotiation took longer than I expected, but in the end we reached a compromise: Pirelli tires that suited what I needed, with the logo painted in white, simulating the style that Luigi wanted so much.
When I finally took the first test lap, I could feel his satisfaction vibrating in the air.
And the feeling of putting on new tires was like someone wearing old, cheap running shoes and swapping them for the latest Nike model - it was like stepping into the clouds!
As I walked calmly out of the store, I noticed that the townspeople were still going about their morning routines, which left me at a loss.
Everyone had something to do, while I had nothing in this new world.
"Feeling lost, kid?" A deep, experienced voice said next to me.
Turning in the direction of the sound, I saw Doc, looking out over the city.
"A bit..." I replied.
"Memories come back when they want to, kid. Until then, there's no point in pushing it. If you have a road to follow back, it'll appear." He said.
"But what if I have nowhere to go back to?" I asked a little uncertainly, knowing that I had nowhere to go in this world, and that it wouldn't make sense to nurture that perception in them for long.
My question made Doc raise his eyebrows and look at me. "Do you remember having nowhere to go back to? Or are you just scared?"
Thinking back to the night's sleep I'd had, I started to get an idea of how to develop it. "I guess I really don't have anywhere to go back to... after a good night's sleep I was able to remember a few things... like that I had medical knowledge, maybe too good for my own good, and had run away from it."
That story made Doc look at me suspiciously. "And how are you sure your knowledge is that good?"
Thinking for a second, I had an idea.
"Because of this." I said as I extended one of my claws out from under me, gently stroking a flower beside the road we were on, before bringing it back under me.
Doc's eyes widened in shock at the sight of that claw. "Now isn't that something you see every day... did you manage to develop an arm like the forklift trucks?" I quickly explained.
I quickly explained. "I'm sure I did, but I still can't remember how I did it... maybe if I come into contact with the medical field again the memories of it will come back to me..."
Doc stared at me in confusion as he remembered the 'background' I had told him, before asking me. "Is that really what you want? To go back to medicine?"
I thought about it for a few seconds, even though I knew that this was the cause of my death in the other world, I knew that this was still my passion, there was no way I could just abandon what I loved like that, especially in a world like this with so many new things for me to learn.
So I nodded. "I'm sure that's what I love."
Then Doc turned back towards the city, looking at Flo and Ramone laughing at some joke Ramone had made while he was mowing the lawn.
After a minute in silence he replied. "You know what? If you're going to waste time, let it be at the clinic. An extra wheel won't get in the way. I won't pay you much, but it's enough to keep you in the city. There you can force your memories... and see if this is really your path."
Hearing his proposal, I was shocked.
That would be perfect!
Not only would I have access to the mechanical/medical side of the cars in this world, but I could earn money to support myself and maybe even open my own store in the future!
"Thanks Doc, I won't let you down." I said with an excited smile.
Doc huffed and started driving away. "Meet me at my office in two hours, and bring that claw of yours to help too, I want to see if it's any good."