Ch13 The Godmother

After all that, they finally have enough courage and manpower to arrive in Italy. They are currently in Turin, which is the hometown of the so called ‘Mafia’. It is a nice looking Italian city that keeps its refined architecture and tasty cuisine.

The boys are all in a restaurant eating pizza.

“Man those pizzas are tasty, I wish we had come earlier.” Seb exclaimed, “Hey Nekomi why the long face, it's Italy, it's time to have fun.”

“Do you guys have any idea what we are getting into here? 0-100 under 3 seconds in gravel. 550 hp, 800 if you try hard enough. Mid-engined. Turbo and supercharged. Four wheeled drive. Corner exit oversteer. Rumored to be as fast as an F1 car of that time. The only downside is safety and possibly reliability. Other than that, it’s perfect.” Nekomi worryingly said.

“Firstly, this is just the worst case scenario. It might not be like that when we meet it. Secondly, even if it is like that, when we somehow get it, you could even try to ride it. Imagine the fun that you can have with this thing, you had a fun time riding a 959 and 205 T16 before, that thing is going to be amazing. Thirdly, this is just the beginning. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present. Have a slice my friend.” Seb tries to cheer Nekomi up and gives him a slice of pizza.

Just as Seb finished talking, a classic old car parked outside the restaurant and a beautiful lady wearing a red dress came out of the car that took Seb’s attention. “Oh man, that girl looks fancy as hell.” as Seb talked to himself.

“Bro, this is like the seventeenth time in this trip when a random girl took away your attention, are you down this bad?” Mason asked.

Everyone at the table then laughed. “Man, this is why we can’t properly enjoy good things in life.” Seb then said to himself.

Later a small Mini Copper came into this restaurant and the little girl that they had met earlier got out of the car. As Mason noticed it he asked, “Do you guys remember why we are here in the first place?”

“Uhh… I think Mini said that we are staying here and wait for a signal or something.” Pierre then said.

“So I wonder what she will do next?” Mason wondered.

Immediately after Mini got into this restaurant, she sat next to the woman with the red dress.

“Oh you gotta be kidding me.” Mason then said.

Nekomi then took a quick glance at the classic old car and noticed what it was and said, “Oh I get it now.”

Meanwhile in the table where Mini is at, she managed to climb onto the chair and sat on it with feet dangling as she was being too short to touch the ground. “Oh, we meet again, old friend.” Mini then said.

“You look as cute and small as I remembered to be, but please our rivalry is long gone, please don’t take our old things into this. Besides, we are old now and we should just chill and start enjoying life. I am glad that you came because this is a good place to be in.” the lady said.

“I am not here for old beef, they have long expired. All I want to ask is, where are your daughters?”

“Oh, please they are all grown up now, how do I possibly know…”

“It isn’t clear for you huh? Well allow me to repeat myself. Where are your daughters?” as Mini raised her hand and snapped her fingers twice.

“I think that’s the signal.” Pierre then said and the boys all surround the table where Mini is in.

“Huh, why do you think that a bunch of young boys could make me speak up?” The lady then said.

“Alright then.” Mini then proceeds to clap her hands twice. Angeline, Quattro and Cossie broke out of their disguises from other tables and went over to them. “What about now?”

“Woah! Woah! Woah! Calm down here, I can’t believe everyone’s here, wait Angeline is that you?” the lady speaks as she starts to freak out.

“Oh so you remembered. I just wanted to say your oldest daughter does hurt. Now, where is she?” Angeline then asked.

“Why not just calm down for a moment, I’m a bit confused here. So who are they?”

“Those are some rally drivers that followed along.” Quattro explained.

“So who is this that we are talking about here?” Mason then suddenly asked.

“Well, have any of you guys heard of Lancia?” the lady asked.

Out of all the boys, they are all clueless except Nekomi who does somewhat know what’s going on.

“Oh my I can’t believe… alright, alright. Let me explain, my name is Fulvia. The start of our once famous Lancia family.” the lady then said.

“Wait, so you guys are real? I have only heard these stories from my cousin.” Cossie exclaimed.

“Yes, unfortunately our family has been left into obscurity over the years so it makes sense that nobody has heard of us since. And sorry, I genuinely have no idea where exactly my daughters are right now. All I know is that they are somewhere in Rome and that’s it.” Fulvia said, “Speaking of which, I kinda miss them sometimes. If you find them please bring them to me. Wait no, I should go with you.”

“Well thank you my old friend, I do believe it is best for you to come along as well. There is a ton to explain and you also have a ton of explaining to do as well. This is kind of a huge reunion at this point, and I am glad that people who do know how to properly drive a car can actually help us.” Mini then said

They all finally know where to go from now on and they start their trip to Rome.

While they were preparing to go, Nekomi stopped Fulvia in the middle and said, “Umm, is it fine if I talk with you for a moment?”

“What’s wrong my dear?” Fulvia then responded.

“Honestly as part of this huge operation since the start, I am so glad that this is going well so far. Since when I was young, I have always felt that cars are something special, potentially that they even have soul in them. This journey not only proves that I was right all along, it made me see some of my heroes as well, in person even. Alice the 959, Josephine the 205 T16, and even your entire family are ones that make me feel alive. Your family is one of my favorite cars that I have ever known, and knowing that I can meet them all just makes me feel excited. Before now, I was somewhat lost on what to do next, just an average rally driver that doesn’t know where to go, I even forgot why I was racing in the first place. But this just makes me want to keep doing what I love, so I just want to say it is a real honor to meet you.” Nekomi then said.

“Among all the young boys, I knew something special about you, you are the only one that isn’t confused when hearing our family name. I hope you can remember what you forget in the first place, or even find new meaning in this. It's nice to see someone who is passionate for once. How about you hop into my car and we will talk more during our trip.”

“Wait for real? The Fulvia?”

“Of course my dear, want to drive it as well? Don’t be shy, it’s Italy, it's time to enjoy yourself.”

Nekomi just excitedly nodded his head

“Alright then, come with me. I believe that we can get along pretty well together, and my daughters will certainly love to talk to you too. Especially the one who loves cute young boys.” Fulvia replied.

“Wait what?”

“Oh it's nothing, you will understand when you see her. You will soon get used to it.”