"Whoa!" Dan woke with a start and shot up in bed, breathing heavily. He coughed and clutched his chest. The picture of Becca fell onto his bedsheet. "Aw, man! What the heck?" Dan asked. Why did he fall asleep when he had to consider that car? He sure hoped his father didn't walk in on him. And what the heck was that dream? It was like a combination of all the geologic periods in Earth's history. Dan must've gotten it from his story. He must've. Yet, he couldn't help but feel like an adventure was approaching. It started with the dream, followed by something scratching at his door.
It opened, and Claude, the family Golden Retriever, pranced into the room. The white fur around his wet nose said he was an older dog but full of spunk despite being twelve years old.
"Arf! Arf!" Claude approached Dan and set a tennis ball down in his palm. He wagged his feathery tail and chased it a few times.
Dan caught his ears once he stopped and scratched them. "Hey, Claude. I guess you're trying to drag my lazy bum downstairs to do the lawn, huh?"
"Arf! Arf!" Claude tugged Dan's pant leg. Letting go, he rushed for the door.
"All right, boy, lead the way." Dan attempted to ignore the dream and slid off the bed. "Achoo!" He scrunched his nose with the sneeze. "Whew, excuse me." There must've been some dust in his room, but Dan didn't fret. Colds only lasted a week, and he felt much better with man's best friend beside him.
"Let's go, Claude," he ordered. "To the car! I mean—to the lawn!"
***
In hindsight, Dan wasn't 100% sure if he got a car, but he kept telling himself he did. It was also rare for his dad to give him a birthday present. He hated to admit it, but he was closer to the dog than his father. That's why he was surprised to find Ben and Geico waiting for him when he and Claude reached the fenced-in backyard. Not only that, but Ben had the stupidest grin on his face. He looked like a little kid who cared too much about the presents on Christmas Day.
"Dad?" Dan searched the area. "What are you and Geico doing out here?"
"Dan the Man, close your eyes!" Ben exclaimed.
"What the heck, Dad?" Dan's eyes narrowed, and he grasped his hips. "What's with the 'Dan the Man'?" He was used to Danny Boy and Idiot for his nicknames. Idiot was the most common one, but Dan wasn't offended. He was a big oaf.
"No questions! Just close your eyes!" Ben yelled. Why was he so impatient? What happened after his and Dan's argument?
"Dad, I thought you wanted me to mow the lawn." Dan released one hip and patted Claude's head.
"Your room is enough for now." Ben's impatience exploded. "Son, we have not a minute to lose! Geico and I have meant to give you something for a while now."
The Sun tickled Dan's nostrils, and he sneezed again. A pinch of pain touched his temples, but he shook his head. "Uh, okay. You're not making any sense right now, Dad, but if you say so..." He closed his eyes, a wave of exhaustion cloaking his body simultaneously. Why, though? Hoverscooting wasn't that difficult, and he just woke from a nap.
Ben's voice interrupted his thoughts: "Follow my voice, Dan. Geico, could you help the kid out, please?"
"Of course, Master." Geico's whirling wheels went to him.
At his touch, Dan jumped slightly. "Seriously, Dad, what's going on?" he inquired, not knowing if he should push Geico away. He and Ben would most likely take him to the lawnmower and rub in his face, like Molly, that he was lazy. Whatever. At least Dan was finally spending a little time with his dad.
Because of that, he went with the flow, even though he wished his mother was leading him instead. His mother was gone, though, so he had to deal with his negligent father and the Housekeeping Android. However, Claude was there, so at least one family member loved him. It was no secret that Ben preferred his job over Dan. It usually didn't bother him, but it did that day, and he sniffed under a few tears.
I want Mother, Dan thought to himself, moving closer to Claude. Keeping his eyes closed, he let Geico drag him to whatever he and his father wanted to give him.
The walk was short, so Dan played a quick memory of his mom in his head. He saw her and him staring out the window of his room on a rainy day, waiting for Ben to come home, but it had been three weeks, and there had been no sign of him.
"Where is he, Mommy?" three-year-old Dan cried into her shoulder.
Becca held him close, but she didn't say a word.
Ben dragged Dan out of his daydream. "All right, Dan, on the count of three, I want you to open your eyes."
Nervousness replaced Dan's melancholy. He never liked the "counting to three" trick.
"One, two, three!" his father declared.
"Oh my gosh!" Dan smacked his hand over his mouth and stumbled into Geico.
"Happy birthday, Dan!" the android announced.
Claude howled like a werewolf under the full moon.
Dan could not believe what he was looking at! His birthday wish came true! Sitting in the back driveway was a white and black floating car with a red bow tied to it. With its pointy, nose-like front, it looked like a miniature spaceship.
Dan expected a car, but at the same time, he didn't. Maybe his father loved him after all?
"I-I don't know what-what to do say," he stammered, still stunned. "You got it." And he didn't even have to mow the lawn! Boy, Molly would be jeal!
Ben and Geico high-fived, and Claude started to chase his tail again.
What Dan did next shocked him just as much as Ben. His feet moved by themselves, and he tossed himself into his father's arms. "Thank you, Father! Thank you so much!" Was that his first time hugging him? He couldn't remember if he ever did.
Ben hesitated, but he eventually returned Dan's hug. "You're welcome, Dan the Man. Happy seventeenth birthday."
"Again with the Dan the Man?" Slightly embarrassed, Dan released himself.
"Dude, you need a nickname like that—especially with that sick ride." Hearing Ben talk like a teenage boy instead of an astronaut was strange, but Dan liked it. He wanted more moments like this. He always zoned out when Ben turned all astronauty, but he did the same when Dan talked about paleontology. They were so different; that's why they weren't close.
Dan trotted to the car. He circled it, patted it a few times, and peered inside to the golden seats and silver steering wheel. In big, black letters, the name Betsey decorated its side. "Dad, how do I—?" Dan started to ask.
"Betsey, unlock!" Ben said.
Click. Betsey's front door swung open.
"Wow, so cool," Dan squealed. He poked his head inside and inhaled. Ah, nothing beat the smell of a brand-new car.
Geico stretched his neck and tried to smell her, but Dan smacked him. "Oh no, you don't, Geico." No AI was going to mess up his car!
Coughing slightly, Dan ducked into Betsey. He sweated when he saw all the buttons in the cockpit. "Argh! How's this work?" He temporarily forgot how to start Betsey—he was too excited—and pressed random buttons (one closed her door). "Here, maybe? What about here, or—oh! Here?"
"Dan the Man!" Ben shouted when Betsey dropped onto the driveway and hopped into the sky again.
Vroom! Vroom! growled her engines.
"Don't worry, Dad. I've got it." Dan finally remembered his driving lessons and put his goggles over his eyes. He buckled up and danced in his seat. "I want to take her for a spin, so I'll mow the lawn when I return." He secretly hoped Ben would do it for him. Right now, he wanted to find Molly and show off Betsey. She most likely was still at Titanic Park.
Ben started to open his mouth, but Dan ignored him and backed out of the driveway. He almost hit the fence and extra mailbox but saved himself at the last second and turned onto the main road. It was parallel with the moving walkways.
Dan waved at Ben, Geico, and Claude and punched the gas. He tuned the radio to his favorite station and stuck his arm out Betsey's open window. "I am seventeen! I am seventeen!" he sang a second time as he whizzed down the road. "And when you're seventeen, you get a spaceship for your birthday!"
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