by Kathy Bosman
“It’s my fault.” He saw some crinkled radiator grills of confusion and mirrors jerked straight upwards in anger. “I broke a rule of Motoland.” There were gasps all over. His radiator was sure to overheat now.
“I told a human in the human world about your secret city. Mannie, the principal of the school is a wicked man and not one of the humans who have taken the vow of secrecy. His sole intention in starting the school was to kidnap children and sell them in the human world.” More gasps and murmuring. “I didn’t know that. I trusted him. I thought he would help Motoland. I should have known better. Latty was going to be sold in the human world. But with the help of our beloved messenger, Evity Long, and her uncle Duke, we rescued her. Before Mannie can kidnap more, the police have guarded all entrances to Motoland and we are closing the school. The building will belong to the city.” Buggy looked at the distressed and angry windscreens.
“I honestly did not know he would do this. I should not have got involved with him. I’m sorry.”
There was silence. He was unable to look at them any longer.
He drove back into the school and parked in the end classroom. I’ve got to leave Motoland. I don’t belong here. I’m an outsider really. They all grew up here. Now I’ve let them down. I’ve risked the lives of their children. Next moment, he saw Curvy’s pink paintwork through the window. She drove into the room. Was she coming to criticize him? He deserved it.
“Are you okay?” Buggy read the concern in her lights.
“No, I’ve let you all down. The security of Motoland will never be the same. I shouldn’t have come here from the human world. I don’t belong here.”
Curvy parked next to Buggy and for a long time just looked ahead.
“You know, Buggy, we’ve all done bad things. You know some of the things I’ve done and there are many more that you don’t know about. I’ve come to know how much God forgives us. Our greatest enemy isn’t Mannie, it’s the devil, and one of his strategies is to condemn us and make us feel guilty and useless. I think God has a plan for you here. That’s why he brought you to Motoland.”
Buggy’s lights lit up and shone on her. “You’re right. It’s just they hate me now, the parents and maybe some of my kids. I don’t even know what my friends think. Tonca was in the school.”
“You did rescue Latty. You risked your own life for her. Besides, you all can’t be popular like me.” She winked.
“I like being popular.” Buggy sighed.
Curvy laughed. “That’s true.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” he flipped up his visors.
Curvy patted him on the mirror. “Now that’s the Buggy I know.” She drove away with a mischievous sparkle in her light. “Can I send them home?” she asked casually.
Buggy started up his engine to go out with her. “Go ahead.”
Tina and Harvey drove up to him from the back. Tonca followed. The kid still looked at him with bright lights.
“Hey, Buggy, you were so brave out there,” Tonca said.
“Yes, my friend,” Tina said. “I’m so glad you caught the man before he did any real harm.”
Buggy’s radiator cooled quickly. Of course. Nothing really bad had happened. Motoland was safe. For now. And his friends were still … friends. That’s all that mattered.
***
Buggy spent a couple more weeks in Motoland, cleaning out the school and building some shelves in his new shop. He felt a new freedom in God’s unconditional love and forgiveness but also felt he was no longer idolised by the Motoland cars. At times it bothered him but he had his friends. They all worked together to get the shop up and running, and Fiata happily took over running the shop for him. The police had worked hard in guarding the entrances to Motoland. Mannie hadn’t even tried to return.
On Buggy’s last day in Motoland, before he was to go back to Mrs. Scrag’s garage, he gathered his friends together for petrol-tea. He hated saying goodbye. He so wished this was his last time. Maybe it would be. Although he wasn’t so popular in Motoland anymore, and even didn’t really care about his new business because of how it came into being, he didn’t want to leave.
“I’m going to find a way of coming back to stay,” he said to his friends Harvey, Luca, Tina, Pelly, Curvy, and Fiata. “I don’t know what I’ll do here. I’m giving you my shop, Fiata, and Tonca, you can have my garage when you grow up.”
“But Buggy, what if you come back?” Curvy asked. “You won’t have anywhere to stay.”
Her bonnet was particularly pink today and she kept on looking at Buggy, her lights oddly dim yet sparkly. He couldn’t stop looking at her either—part of the reason he wanted to stay in Motoland permanently.
“I will come back. I can rent out again. I’ll think up a job I can do while I’m away.” He sighed, his lights dimming. It was getting harder and harder to leave.
“I have to go. Mrs. Scrag drives back from the airport tonight.”
Everyone came to him and patted him goodbye. He drove toward the exit of Motoland, the stars in the sky blinking at him. He should feel like a failure but he felt glad that he’d grown as a car. He was different, humbler, and more perceptive to things. He could smell a criminal a mile away. He already planned to investigate Mannie Pulator’s activities in the human world. The man was sure to be up to some criminal activities there, too. Maybe he could get him sent to jail. Then he could never get into Motoland again.
He always left the magic city with some new wisdom about life.
“Wait.” He heard Curvy’s voice behind him. He turned to face her, wishing he didn’t have to say goodbye again.
“Thanks, Buggy.”
“For what?”
“For helping me learn the right way. You’re the best.”
“Me?” He smiled and placed his mirror on his roof in mock shock.
She pressed her grill against him. Her metal was warm against his grill and her closeness made him happy. “You know what, Curvy. When I come back, I would love to marry you.”
“I think I’d like that. I can’t wait. Keep safe.”
Buggy waved goodbye and drove out. That pink, curvy car had got his pistons going like crazy. He was in love. He hoped that feeling would last during the long few months away from Motoland.