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SO FAR, SO GOOD, THOUGHT Ida Belle. Hot-wiring the Wienermobile had been easy, and Dolly seemed to be enjoying herself and hadn’t noticed that they had transitioned to Branley Road. The Wienermobile was actually a double-decker, with the driver’s and passenger seats located in the elevated hot dog that sat on top of the automobile.
Though Dolly had been nervous at first to climb the built-in ladder to be seated, the lure of riding in an official Wienermobile won the day. Apparently, the Martin Brothers rarely gave the locals rides unless the locals were young, female and available.
“I appreciate your taking it slow,” Dolly said to her from the back seat, where she sat next to Marge, whose mission it was to interrogate Dolly once Ida Belle put on the gas. “I must say, it feels a little reassuring to be above the other cars.”
Marge reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “We take your safety seriously.” She looked up at Ida Belle’s face reflected in the rear-view mirror. “Hey, Ida Belle, maybe you can get a job on the Wienerfleet.”
“Maybe I’ll apply,” said Ida Belle.
“Oh, I can’t imagine they’d let a female drive one of their cars,” Dolly said, looking into the rear-view mirror. “I know you two are woman’s liberationists, but even you have to admit a single woman driving across the country in a giant wiener is courting trouble.” She turned to Marge with a serious look on her face. “Gertie’s grandmother said you brought my brother’s baseball cap with you.”
“Yep,” Marge said. “It’s up front with Ida Belle. Weird that someone tried to steal it from the Hebert back porch.”
Dolly didn’t respond to the comment regarding the theft, focusing instead on a street sign they’d just driven past. “I think you made a mistake, Ida Belle. This is Branley Road. All the speeders take this road.”
A car sped past them from the opposing lane.
“Like that one,” Dolly said. “We need to turn around and go back to the highway.”
Ida Belle glanced up at the mirror. “Don’t worry, Miss Dolly, I’ll still take it slow. But it was no mistake. We noticed the last time we took the main highway that there was a big pothole. I didn’t want to put the Wienermobile at risk.”
Dolly frowned. “I guess that makes sense.”
A car going in their direction honked at their slow pace as it passed on the left.
“Don’t let them get to you, Miss Dolly,” Marge said. “Getting back to the attempted theft of your... brother’s baseball cap. Gertie mentioned that when she looked out the window and saw the thief, that he went right to the chair next to the porch swing, as if he knew it was waiting there for him. How do you think he knew that?”
“Well, how would I know?” she said with a nervous edge to her voice. Ida Belle could see the panic in Dolly’s face as it reflected through the rear-view mirror. “I didn’t call the thief and tell him it was there. I don’t even know him. Why would I do that?”
“I don’t know, you tell me,” Marge said calmly. Ida Belle had been on the other end of Marge’s “calm” interrogations during practice sessions. Marge’s ‘calm’ always spooked her. It was eerie.
“Well, I... I... I don’t know.”
Oh, yes you do, thought Ida Belle. It was time to take Dolly’s anxiety up a notch. Ida Belle heard Dolly yelp as she put a bit of pressure on the gas pedal and increased her speed to a still-slow 40 miles an hour. She was eager to really put her foot on the gas to see just how fast this wiener could go.
And how much Dolly would reveal.