Disclaimer: I don't own any of the guys, (Vin or Ezra, or Bo Duke) Melanie is mine. Thanks to Ace for being a sweet friend and Sandy for being the best lady I know.
Melanie walked to the track. The heat radiated off the track and from the sun in the sky. 108 degrees on the track near the burnout pit 90 degrees in the stands. Mel heaved a big sigh as she saw Vin pull up in his 'General Lee' remake of a drag car. She'd seen him in line minutes before and gave him a good luck kiss before planting one on the confederate flag on the hood of 'General Lee 2'. Vin waved to her in the stands. She whooped to him, "Give 'em Hell baby! Punch that pedal!" Ezra looked at her from his spot next to Ace."Why Melanie, if you shout any louder I think the aliens on the moon could hear you." he said with a groan.
"You think they can Ez?" she asked grinning from ear to ear. Ace looked at her and smiled. The girls had been friends forever, and so had the boys. They recently just decided to double date. The girls thought that Vin and Ezra's first races would be a great place to start. Ace squeezed Mel's hand as they watched the lights go form red to yellow, then from yellow to green.
The soothing rumble of the engines whizzed by them. The scores flashed on the board. Vin had gotten a time of 2:81. Beating plum loco by 35 seconds.
"YEAH BABY!!" Mel screamed as she ran down to the return ally to meet Vin. She climbed in the passenger seat and drove with Vin to the trailer. They parked and met Ace and Ezra inside. They were polishing the 'Black Stallion' Ezra's pride and joy. An old jag supped up just for drag racing. Vin and Ezra exchanged handshakes and a few words while the girls polished the jag and chatted about how good their boys were.
"Ezra, you're gonna beat Vin right?" Ace asked smirking.
"Of course Darlin'. Always." He said winking at the two girls. They shipped out as Ezra drove the stallion out of the "coral". They joined him in line and Vin and Mel watched as Ace performed her tradition. A hug for her man and the car, a quick polish and a long kiss for Ezra. Mel smiled as she watched the rest of the racers and girls whoop at Ace. Vin yelled to Ezra as he was at the starting line.
"Give 'em hell Ezra! Don't be afraid to kick some butt! Show 'em your stuff!"
Mel and Ace laughed, Vin got so wild watching the races and driving he was as calm as Daisy Duke making coffee. It was quite the site to behold. Ezra's hands were gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. His foot hit the gas so hard the jag jerked forward and the tires screamed as the light went green. Ezra's time flashed on the board, 2:75. Ezra sighed; he'd never break the 70's mark. It was time to seek out some help. Ezra drove back to the trailer and ignored everybody.
He went to the truck and called Melanie's cousin Jake.
"Mr. uh…. Jake. It's Ezra Standish."
"Yeah Ez. I know who you are. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I was hoping you could help me make the jag go faster, break the 2:70's mark. Could you do it?"
"Of course I could. Just bring that beauty, and your gorgeous girl and my cousin over to the shop and we'll see what we can do."
"Will do Jake, thank you."
"Nice run Ez." Vin said in an accepting tone.
"Ah, Mr. Tanner, will you tell the girls we are going to Jake's for a small party and to fix the jag."
"Sure, No problem." Vin went to get the girls as Ezra cleaned out the trailer to fit the cars in it. They loaded the truck and drove to Jake's shop. Mel was the first one out of the partially moving truck as they pulled in the driveway.
"Yeah Baby!!" she hollered and ran towards her dad's oldest friend, Mark Jonas.
"Hey! There's my girl!" Mark hollered back as he caught Mel running full speed towards him. He spun around to keep them from falling over.
"We've come to party!" Mel said moving along to hug all her family friends.
"Well Ms. Melanie, we've also come to have Jake see what he can do about my jag." Ezra told them all while he stood by the truck.
"C'mon Ezra, they won't bite. I promise." Ace said to coax him away from the truck..
"Yeah, but they'll try and dump you in the pool!" Vin laughed remembering last summer when Ezra was too worried about his clothes to take a swim. The boys threw him in the pool and ever since then Ezra still can't get the chlorine stains out of his good clothes.
"Can we not walk down memory lane tonight?" Ezra asked.
"Aww, lighten up honey. It was all in good fun." Ace said giving him a kiss sweet enough to knock the man right off his feet.
"Hey Ez. You know what you want to put on your car to speed it up?" "Do I? Well, of course I do!" Ezra said as he walked to the shop with Mark and Jake. While the guys and Ace were in the shop, Vin and Mel went to the house to catch up with 'Ma'. Mark's momma was 'Ma' to everybody, 'cept those who didn't know her for years or who weren't born into her family. Melanie had grown up in Mark's family along side his nephew who was three years younger than she. Melanie had more reign to be called 'family' than anybody who wasn't family by blood or marriage, except maybe her own father.
"Hey Ma, how you doing?"
"I'm fine honey. How's my girl?"
"Doing just fine, Vin and I just came in to say 'hi' and see how you were doing these days."
"Everybody's ok here. How's Vin?"
"I'm alright M'am."
"Now Vin, it's not M'am. Ma, mom, or Kari. NOT M'am." She smiled, Vin's face went blank and he just stood in front of her like a boy frozen to a bean pole.
"Ok" he stammered. Sometimes Ma could be a little scary.
"Mel, you sure picked a keeper." Ma said with a wink.
"Yeah, I hope to keep him for a long time." Mel replied staring at Vin who was looking out the kitchen window.
"He'd make a good addition to the family."
"Yeah, I know. Just tell him to hurry up and propose already!" Mel said with a laugh. Ezra came in the kitchen with grease up to his elbows and all over his pants.
"Well, it looks like the professor has discovered the art of being a normal man." Vin said laughing. Ace walked in and gave a stern look at Vin. "That's my dirty professor you're talking about. How'd you like it if I called Mel a dirty yella-hick?" Ace hissed at him.
"I'd have to beat you silly." Vin gave her a hug, the two never quarreled. Always just having fun.
After they finished putting on the last screw and kissed it for good luck, the jag was ready for the races.
"Well Bo, you think you're about ready to go home?" Mel asked Vin. Sometimes she called him 'Bo' just cause she knew he loved watching the Dukes just as much as she did. Melanie's favorite was Waylon Jennings; he was the most amazing man, besides Vin and her daddy and his friends that she'd ever seen. Ace had to agree, although she didn't like Jennings all that much, he was a cool guy.
"Hey guys, track's a closing soon. We better fly out of here."
"Yeah" They all loaded up the truck and trailer, wished all the family a good weekend and went on their way. On their way to the track Vin had found Melanie's favorite Cd. Waylon Jennings' greatest hits. He played track two and waited for the girl to sing along.
"Just some good ol' boys. Never meaning no harm. Been in trouble with the law since the day they was born." Vin laughed, Mel could sing that song in her sleep.
When they got to the track Ezra was so anxious to go first, he drove the jag off the trailer and was third in line to race. The rest of the group waited in the stands for Ezra to go. Ezra pulled up to the line and waited for the lights.
"C'mon Baby!!" Ace screamed jumping up and down like a three year old cheering on her daddy, not her boyfriend. The girls watched the light turn green and Ezra whiz by them.
All eyes hit the board; his time was 2:60. They all jumped down from the stands and screamed. Vin turn came up right after. Mel screamed for him and cheered him on. He blew the horn on General Lee. One long beep, meaning 'I Love you.' Two short beeps for 'Thanks Babe'. It was their secret code. Always would be. Vin took off like a shot and his time was 2:72, he beat his previous time and had won a hundred bucks. Mark and Jake bet on him to see if he could beat his time. Vin did and now he had to collect his money. The couples gathered at the trailer and sat.
"I think this calls for a celebration guys!" Vin yelled as he cranked the tunes in the truck. The theme for Dukes of Hazard came on and they raised the roof on the trailer and partied like a group of country folk.
End