Page 57 of Drive Me Wild
She’s right. She’s the person who always makes me feel like it’s okay to be myself—my true self.
“Okay. When I work on something, I feel like I become part of it. Like I…fuse with it. Not like I’m a cyborg or anything. I mean, there is a connection.”
I glance at her again, and she’s smiling—not in a condescending way, but with a warm, open look. She is listening to me, giving me all her attention, and it opens something up in me. Like that balloon that’s been expanding in my chest blew up even bigger, and now it’s popped, and there’s just space.
“The connection is similar to a friendship. Do you know what I mean? Take my robots, for instance, or the kinetic sculptures. It’s almost as if I’ve created life. And the plants in my apartment? When my brother Cody gave me my first last spring, I swear it was as if it responded when I talked to it. I’m not saying it talked back. I just mean, I felt like it was…”
“Sentient?”
“Is that the word?”
“Yeah. It means they are able to perceive you. There’s some books about that.” She leans forward, kisses my cheek, and whispers in my ear. “If Mabel doesn’t already carry them in the bookstore, I will.”
“I can’t talk about this with anyone.”
“I’m someone.”
“I know. I mean I can’t talk about it with anyone but you.”
“Not Cody?”
“Maybe about the plants. But…don’t get me wrong, Cody and I are thick as thieves. But when it comes to things like plants, he gets very scientific. I think he might not be able to see past his training to talk about plants in that way.”
“Or maybe he’d love to have someone else to talk to about it. You should give it a try.”
“Here we are.”
I pull down the dusty dirt road leading to the race track. The brown grass edging the road and parking lots is cut short, making it look like a desert landscape.
Cars and trucks fill the first four rows on both sides of the entrance, so I find a spot near the edge and park. A few people arrive after us, pulling out blankets and coolers. I walk around and open the door for Zoe, helping her out of the truck. Though she’s perfectly capable, it’s an opportunity to wrap my arms around her. I’ll take any chance I can to touch her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Zoe
Caleb guides me toward the bleachers after we buy some hotdogs and beer. I stuffed the dog down before we were seated, not realizing how hungry I was until I smelled the sweet aroma of grilled meat.
He lays out the blanket for us to sit on, a comforting barrier between the metal of the bleachers and our butts. Then he wraps the blanket around my legs before sitting next to me and wrapping the other side around himself.
“If the top half of you gets cold, I have another blanket I can grab. I just thought you’d be warm enough with the sun hitting the bleachers and the hat, scarf, and three layers of clothes you put on.”
“You can never have enough layers.”
“Never?” He bumps my shoulder, teasing.
Caleb looks around and catches the eye of several people, offering a nod or a wave. He knows a lot of people here.
There’s a guy announcing the next race, and Caleb starts to break it all down for me.
“Alright, the next race is a drag race. See those cars lined up over there? They’re driving a short distance at top speeds. The design of the car allows them to go very fast, very quickly. It’s also pretty loud.”
The announcer keeps talking, and suddenly, the cars are moving. Smoke is coming from the back tires, and they rip down the track in a few seconds before stopping.
“That’s it? They don’t go around the curves?”
“Nope. Imagine you’re in a car like Renée’s and at a stop light. Some guy pulls up in the lane next to you and revs his engine. There’s no one in front of you, so you decide to race. When the light turns green, both cars floor it, and whoever gets to the next light first wins. Drag racing started out as illegal street racing. Still happens in some places.”
“Okay, what’s next.”
“There are different classes of cars that are going to do this same race.”
