One night at the drive-in, there was an advertisement for a big road rally race in a week. She was really excited, and I had to admit that the idea got my motor running, too. So we started training. She was already in pretty good shape, but she decided to change my diet. And I had to agree with her, it probably would be a good idea to start watching my carb.

Her friends thought she was crazy. “You’ve never raced before,” they would say. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking there’s always a first time.” She would pat my hood. “And I’ve got a great partner.” The times we bumped bumpers were definitely in the rearview; now our gears were meshing perfectly.

The day of the race dawned crystal clear, not a trace of smog in the sky. We all gathered around for one last run-through of the map, and then it was time to line up.

I was all revved up. Those other jalopies weren’t going to know what hit them.