The Dash to Victory | A Cars Story

Chapter 25: Radiator Springs for Life

Dash arrived at the Wheel Well – a place that had become wholly familiar to him now. It began to feel like a second home. Tears rained down his fenders, unlike anything he had felt for a while. Reality itself had come crashing to a halt. Demetria arrived shortly after – watching in suspense as Dash stared into the panoramic valley view once again. Before she could even say a word...

"I don't know how this could've happened..." Dash finally spoke, knowing he wasn't alone.

"...how could I have been taken away so easily? They seemed to be so obsessed with ensuring my success in life. How could this just fall to the wayside?" he began to question.

Demetria finally drove up to him – closer than they had ever been.

"Dash – it was never your fault." she began to comfort him.

"Who am I to blame? Who can I even trust?" Dash observed, crashing down to reality.

"Everyone here." Demetria confided.

"But I've been here for just over a month. A month..." Dash began to back away from Demetria.

"It doesn't matter about the amount of time you've known someone. If you've made a connection – it's a connection nonetheless." Demetria inched closer once again – though Dash stayed away reluctantly.

"I just... I've had the time of my life here." Dash reconciled. "I really have – but, the way that my past just came back all of the sudden... why didn't this happen sooner?"

"Because they were trying to protect you." Demetria defended. "Dash – you're young. Heck – they were, too. It's those mistakes we make in life that make us the people we are in the future."

"You can't sit around and wait for change. You have to insight change from within yourself. People who don't change themselves never experience life to the fullest extent." Demetria comforted.

"What does this have to do with my parents abandoning me?" Dash questioned.

"It was all in the past. They looked to the ends of the world for you. They still cared – they grew from their mistake. You should too – and listen to them." Demetria recommended.

"Tell me about your parents, I want to know. What was it like to have them with you every step of the way?" Dash asked.

Demetria backed away slightly herself – taken aback by the question at hand. Dash knew that he may have overstepped his boundaries. They both looked at the ground in silence for a few tense seconds.

"Demetria – I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." Dash finally spoke up.

"No, no... it's okay. I'm comfortable to share – if you don't mind hearing." Demetria began to loosen herself.

"If you trust me – I'll gladly listen." Dash confided.

Demetria sighed and looked into Dash's eyes. She had never been so comfortable sharing anything so personal in her entire life. She took another deep breath.

"I was always a born-and-raised Radiator Springs citizen. I had the best upbringing I could've hoped for in the earliest part of my life. My Dad was the top doctor in Carburetor County – let alone Radiator Springs... until he passed..." Demetria shut her eyes tightly, shedding a few tears.

"Oh, Demetria. I'm so sorry – I'm so very sorry." Dash began to shed a few tears himself, before continuing to listen.

"I was very young – about 1 or 2 years old. My parents had just got hitched when the town was starting to reach a peak in its popularity. Lightning was still the most popular racer the scene had ever seen. He made my Dad so very proud..." Demetria confessed.