Chapter 5: Betsey

"Achoo!" Geez, that sunshine was annoying! It was only five hours later. Forget it! I wasn't going to get up eight in the morning! I turned onto my front and put my pillow over my head. Something, a speck of dust perhaps, tickled my throat. I coughed into my bedsheets. I tried to go back to sleep, but Dada didn't let me.

He threw open the door of my room only a few minutes later and shouted, "Rise and shine, Dan! It's a beautiful day!"

Ugh. I ignored him, but Dada snatched the covers off my bed.

"Up and at 'em!" he added. "Come on, Dan! I've been meaning to give you something for a long time now, but we're not going to get to it if you just lie in bed."

Finally, I took my pillow off my head and sat up. My bangs hung in front of my big, brown eyes. "What, Dada?" I asked. "What's so important that you had to wake me up eight in the morning? I need my eight hours of sleep!"

Like Ernest, Dada was beyond excited. "Daniel, close your eyes!" he hollered.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!" Dad impatiently stomped his foot.

Even though I had no idea what was going on, I shut my eyes.

"Perfect! Now, follow my voice," Dad ordered. "We're going downstairs, all right?"

"Why?"

"It's best you don't ask questions. Just listen." Dada's excitement did not cease. I assumed his behavior was a result of the so-called PPMC Project.

Keeping my eyes closed, I hopped out of bed. I took five steps forward... and crashed into the wall.

Crash!

"Ow!" Oh, my poor nose. I grabbed it, expecting to feel blood, but I didn't.

"That's a wall!" Dad said. "Geico, help the kid out, please."

Dada, seriously? What is your problem? I mentally asked.

The whirling of wheels told me that Geico had just entered the room. There was also prancing, so that meant Claude had followed him. Geico grabbed hold of my wrists with his robotic hands and led me forward. "That's it, Dan. Nice, easy steps."

I could hear the dog walking next to me. Seriously, what was so important that I had to close my eyes?

Dada, Geico, Claude, and I took the elevator downstairs. I had to keep my eyes closed the entire time. We made our way over to the front door, and Dad opened it. A gush of warm, summer air washed over us.

Geico gave me a gentle push onto the porch.

"Dada, why are we outside?" I asked Dada.

Dada did not speak. Instead, he and Geico helped me down the steps. They led me to the driveway and let me go. "Thank you, Geico," Dada said. "All right, Dan, on the count of three, I want you to open your eyes. One, two, three."

My eyes fluttered opened. They widened at what I saw. "Oh my gosh!"

"Happy birthday, Dan!" Dada and Geico shouted.

Claude howled.

I could not believe what I was looking at! My birthday wish... It came true! Sitting directly in front of me on the driveway was a floating car that had a red bow tied to it. It looked like a miniature spaceship. It was white with black outlines and had a pointy, nose-like front.

I literally froze with shock. Dada never got me a birthday gift. "I-I don't know wha-what to say," I stammered. "You-you got one." Oh man! I could not wait until Molly saw it! She was going to be so jealous! Only the child of an astronaut got a spaceship for his birthday.

Dad and Geico high-fived one another.

Claude started to chase his tail. All of them were excited that day, and I was now part of the crowd.

Still in shock, I stumbled over to the car. She had a name–Betsey. It was written in black letters on her side. I knocked on her hood and peered inside through the front window. Betsey had golden chairs, a silver steering wheel, and many different buttons. I felt like I was going to cry, but not tears of despair. Sprinting to Dada, I threw my arms around him. "Thank you, Dada! Thank you!"

Dad returned my hug. "No problem, Daniel. Happy seventeenth birthday."

We hugged for a long time. It was one of the best feelings in the world. It had been forever since Dada and I shared a hug like that. Eventually, we let go, and Dada grabbed hold of my shoulders.

"Say, Dan, why don't you try her out?"

"Seriously? You want me to drive her?" I asked.

Dada winked. "Of course. After all, she's your car, right? Oh, but I was wondering if you could run an errand for me?"

"Sure. As long as I get to try out Betsey, I'm cool," I replied.

Dada held an iPhone 5-sized tablet out to me, as well as his debit card. "Do you think you can run to the grocery store? We need a few things for this weekend."

I gave him a funny look. "What's going on this weekend?"

"Let's just say we're going to bond a little bit as father and son," was Dad's reply. "Now, chop, chop. Let's not wait for the black holes to grow. Oh, but before you get too excited, Daniel, perhaps you should change out of your jammies?"

"Oh." My eyes moved down to my tank top and pants. I was a little perplexed by Dad's response, but I was still beyond excited to try my new car. Therefore, it didn't bother me too much. I scooted past him, Geico, and Claude and sprinted into the house.

I hurried back up to my room and dove into my closet. M-34 helped me change into my "casual teenage boy" outfit: a dark blue shirt, which was tucked into brown pants and had a lightweight red jacket over it, and brown sneakers. He put some sunglasses in my hair and a red Apple watch on my wrist.

I stumbled out of the closet, since I was still working on tightening my belt, and grabbed a leather satchel from under my bed. I put Dad's tablet, his debit card, and my wallet in it. The last thing I grabbed was my hoverscooter. I never went anywhere without it. It charged all night, so it was just as ready as I was.

Dada and Geico were chilling on the hood of Betsey when I made it back out to the driveway. At the sight of them, my eyes widened. Nobody sat on my Betsey!

"What are you doing?" I shouted at Dad and Geico. "Get off the hood before you bend it! Who knows where you and Geico have been!" I think I scared them.

Dada and Geico quickly hopped down and surrendered to me. Dada held the keys to her in his left hand.

I sauntered on over to him, taking them away, and said, "Thank you." I carefully opened the driver's side of Betsey and poked my head inside. Ah, nothing beat the smell of a brand-new car. Betsey smelled like lavender detergent.

Geico also wanted to smell her, and he approached me from the side. He stretched his neck, moving it towards the steering wheel, but I pushed him away.

"Oh, no you don't, Geico," I said.

I could not wait to get out of there. I was a bird let loose from its cage. I was free. I tossed my hoverscooter and bag onto the passenger seat and ducked into Betsey. I set the keys down in front of her on button and pushed it. She booted up beautifully.

Vroom!

Vroom!

I buckled up and put my sunglasses over my eyes. I prepared to punch it, but Dada knocked on my window. Glancing at him, I rolled it down. "Yes, Dada?"

"Now, Dan, I spent half my savings to buy you this car, so I expect you to take good care of it. If something happens to it, it is your responsibility to pay for it."

"Yes, Dada." I did not have time for his parental lectures. I wanted to play with my new toy. Saluting, I said, "I'd love to continue this conversation, Dad, but I'm wanted at the grocery store."

"Oh, right, the kid wants to play with his new car." Dada backed away from me, along with Geico and Claude.

One last military salute, and I was on my way. I backed Betsey out of the driveway and into the street, tuning the radio to my favorite radio station. Whizzing down the road, I let my arm dangle out of the window and cheered, "Oh yeah! Look at this baby go, go, go!"

Now that was the seventeenth birthday I was asking for. Who cared about the PPMC Project when you had Betsey? However, I didn't know something on that very exciting morning. Dad had pulled me into a trap.