Chapter 37 University and First Car

As soon as I woke up, I see Paige still sleeping. It seems that after I went to bed, she was playing with the gadgets I brought for her yesterday. I get up, put on appropriate clothes, and head straight to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, I see George talking with Mary about Sheldon's college. "You know he's ready. High school is a waste of Sheldon's time. Look at Connor; he's smart and aiming for college. He's just figuring out where he'll get in."

Mary looks at her husband and then at Sheldon, who was watching Professor Proton on TV, completely engrossed, and says, "But he's still a child. Look at him; he doesn't know how to do much on his own. I have to do laundry, iron clothes, cook for him. He depends entirely on me," Mary says.

"It's okay, Mary, we can go with him. Either you or I can take care of the house, and he doesn't really need to stay home. There are student dorms in Maryland," I intervene at this moment.

"Wait, folks, Paige and I have a plan. We want to go to Princeton, and Princeton is close to Washington, where Maryland is. We can get an apartment in Washington, and Paige and I can take care of Sheldon and take a taxi to Princeton. I just need to settle things with Paige's family because it's already decided, and you can visit where we'll be staying every weekend. As a family, you'll be more than welcome," I say.

"I think that's great, Connor," says George, taking a sip of coffee and raising an eyebrow at Mary, who was scowling.

"Mary, you can't hold Sheldon back forever. He still needs to grow, especially with his special needs. He has to learn to fend for himself even earlier than others because he has difficulty communicating," I say.

Mary lets out a long sigh, puts her hand on her forehead, and says, "Okay, I need to think about this."

At that moment, Missy, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, enters and looks directly at me. "When were you planning on telling me?!" Missy says, her eyes already red with tears before she runs to her room.

"Missy," Mary exclaims, getting up and reaching out in the direction Missy ran, but I raise my hand to stop her.

"Don't worry, Mary, I'll talk to her. It'll be more appropriate to clarify these things," she nods and grunts in agreement.

Arriving in Missy's room, I see Paige already comforting Missy, stroking her hair and saying, "Missy, you knew this day would come. We'll still come here occasionally to visit you, and you can also come to Washington to stay with us for a few days. Didn't you want to see what a big city was like? New York is very close to Washington. The only problem would be that Sheldon would be with us."

Missy, being hugged by Paige, had red eyes and tears streaming down her face, stammering, "But... But, I didn't know it was so soon. There are still... so many things I wanted to do with you guys. We've been having so much fun these last few days. I don't think I'm ready to be separated."

I sit on the bed at that moment and hug Missy along with Paige, saying, "It's okay to cry, Missy. We'll still be with you. It's not like we're disappearing. You're my friend, my cousin, and I consider you my sister. These last few years I've spent with you, Missy, have been some of the best years of my life. Your energy, your contagious joy, your sarcasm with Sheldon, all of that made me love you, Missy. I'm proud of what you've become, and I hope you continue to be the kind-hearted girl you are."

At that moment, Missy bursts into tears, and we comfort her until she stops crying and says to us, "Really? You think so much of me. You don't think I'm just an immature child like my mom?"

"Of course not, sweetheart, you're the most sensible one in this house. The little time I've spent here, I've noticed," Paige says softly to Missy.

At that moment, Missy says, "I'll only let you guys go if you promise to buy me a car of my choice when I turn 16," Missy says, pouting while wiping away tears with red eyes.

I look at Paige, who at that moment was looking at me with the same helpless look, and I say, "Okay, sweetheart, I promise, but with one condition: you have to work hard to get into a college that isn't a community college. So I want you to think carefully about what you want to be in the future," I say, waiting a few seconds of silence and then adding, "You still have time to think, no need to rush, but it's good to start thinking now."

"I'm still scared of all this, it was... so sudden," she says as she looks into my eyes, those penetrating green eyes like those of a puppy being abandoned, breaks my heart, but it's what I have to do for my own good.

"Let's have breakfast, Missy. Mary made scrambled eggs and bacon," Paige says before kissing Missy's forehead and leading her by the hand to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Sheldon arrives and is talking to his mother about college and about what I had talked to Mary and George about.

"I think it's a good idea, I've always wanted to go to Washington to study. I researched and saw that there's a library next to the college. I'd love to spend some time there, and there's also the Library of Congress, they say it's the largest in the Americas. I'd be very happy if I went there to absorb more knowledge for a while," Sheldon says to Mary as he eats the scrambled eggs.

Mary, worried about Sheldon and his special needs, says, "And who will take care of you, Sheldon?"

"I admit I'm a little scared, but Paige and Connor will be with me. Though I don't really like Paige lately, I find her presence tolerable as long as she doesn't provoke me," says Sheldon.

Mary, with a frown, sees that there is no other choice that prevents him from going, sighs, and says, "Alright, but I want to visit the place you guys will be staying and choose a safe location."

At that moment, Missy arrives, murmuring to Paige, "she would never be this worried about me to this extent, as I thought, Connor is the only one who cares about me... maybe dad too."

At that moment, I see in George's newspaper, which was on the table, there was an article:

  [McLaren Launches Futuristic-Looking Sports Car]

 The model from the McLaren brand that was launched, McLaren F1...

At that moment, I remember McLaren created the F1 model, but sales weren't the best because the car was too expensive. Therefore, only 100 units were made. This car was a rarity in the future. I remember that in 1984 there was a grand prize from McLaren in Dallas, a neighboring city of Texas at the time, the pound was worth 1.24 dollars, and this car was worth 1 million pounds, which is approximately 1 million 240 thousand dollars. I'm not stupid; I'm going to buy this car.

Quickly I look for the phone number of the McLaren dealership in Dallas. It wasn't difficult due to my memory. Reading a book is as easy as reading a bedtime story. Quickly I get in touch with my lawyer who helped me draft the contract with the publisher and ask him to be the mediator to buy the car for me.

He said he would manage it and had to speak to some contacts to contact the owner of the dealership for me. I specified the color for him and if I wanted any modifications they could make, I said no since the car would be worth more being completely original.