Maggie, Before
‘What errands?’ Maggie asked Anna, who perked up as soon as they left the school building.
‘Can we go to the Land Rover dealership, please? Just for fun? It’s only fifteen minutes away.’
‘How do you know that? You’ve only lived here a day.’ Maggie smiled, surprised. She reached for her keys and chirped the Subaru unlocked.
‘I Google-mapped it.’ They climbed into the car, shutting the doors behind them.
‘You can’t really want a Land Rover, can you?’ Maggie reversed out of the space. ‘My first car was an old Mazda, bought used. It was bright orange. I named it Tangerine. I figured I’d rather be a tangerine than a meatball.’
Anna smiled crookedly. ‘But I like Land Rovers. Dad drove one and so did my grandparents. They say they’re the safest cars, like a tank.’
‘But they’re so expensive. How much is a Land Rover?’
‘The Range Rover is $75,000, not that expensive.’
‘Honey, that’s expensive, in my book.’ Maggie spared Anna the Value of Money lecture because she was about to deliver the Meeting New People lecture.
‘But can’t we go look, just for fun?’
‘Okay, for fun.’ Maggie took a right turn on Montgomery Avenue, heading toward the dealership. ‘So what do you think of the school?’
‘It’s crazy big.’
‘Don’t worry. You’ll be fine.’
‘I hope so.’ Anna looked out the windshield, biting her nails.
‘Why didn’t you want to go in the cafeteria? Because I was with you?’
‘No, I just wasn’t ready.’
‘Okay.’ Maggie thought about what the guidance counselor had said, about the Poetry Club being the Island of Misfit Toys. ‘You know, those Phrases girls seem nice, but it’s good to keep an open mind to different sorts of people. I saw a lot of nice-looking kids in the cafeteria.’
‘Okay, but can we talk about the car? So, they come standard with all these driving aids, like the command driving position . . .’ Anna yammered all the way to the dealership, marked by a silvery sign and man-made hillock topped by a new Land Rover, demonstrating off-road capabilities that no high-school junior would ever need.
‘We’re just having fun, remember?’ Maggie pulled in and turned to Anna, but she was already climbing out of the car.
‘Sure, I texted the guy.’
‘What?’ Maggie grabbed her purse hastily and got out of the car to see Anna waving to a young African-American man in a green polo shirt and khaki pants.
‘Hey, Simon!’ Anna called out to him.
‘Perfect timing!’ Simon called back to Anna, shaking her hand as Maggie arrived.
‘I’m Maggie Ippoliti, Anna’s mother.’ Maggie shook Simon’s hand.
‘Great to meet you.’ Simon held up a clunky ignition key. ‘Ready to go? I’d be happy to take you guys out. Maggie, I’d rather you drove since Anna doesn’t have a valid PA license and she’s a minor.’
‘Let’s go!’ Anna said, excitedly.
Maggie hesitated. ‘Simon, that won’t be necessary. We wouldn’t want to take your time.’
‘Nah, it’s fine. Follow me.’ Simon handed Maggie the key and led them to a glistening black Range Rover parked at the head of the line. ‘This is the Range Rover Sport HSE, in Narvik black.’
Anna clapped. ‘Beautiful!’
‘Very nice.’ Maggie glanced at the sticker, and the bottom line was $75,000.
‘Everybody into the pool.’ Simon climbed in the backseat, Anna took the passenger seat, and Maggie hoisted herself into the driver’s seat. The car interior was a buttery-tan leather with perforated seats, a black cockpit with large dials, and matte-silver trim.
Anna ran a finger on the dashboard. ‘This feels soooo good.’
Simon poked his head between the front seats. ‘Take a look at the simplicity of the cabin. Those are quality finishes. Of course, the airbags are behind there too, but you’d never know it.’
Maggie plunged the thick key into the ignition, nervously. She hadn’t expected to test-drive anything, much less a house on wheels.
‘The Range Rover has a four-by-four capability but the ride is very smooth, truly a luxury ride. Now Maggie, reverse out. You’ve got room.’
‘What if I hit something?’
‘You won’t. The big windows make for great safety and visibility. Check the camera.’
Anna touched her arm. ‘You got this, Mom. No fear.’
Mom. ‘No fear,’ Maggie repeated. She steered the big car out of the lot and turned cautiously into traffic on Lancaster Avenue.
Simon gestured. ‘Go up two blocks. Take a right. Then we’ll be on the back roads.’
Maggie’s fingers gripped the wheel. ‘Got it. Are we having fun yet?’
‘Totally!’ Anna bounced. ‘This is the cushiest seat ever!’
‘It sure is,’ Simon said, from the backseat. ‘You can go anywhere you want to and have total comfort every step of the way.’
‘And it’s safe,’ Anna added.
‘Correct,’ Simon said, as if cued. ‘I know a lot of parents worry about safety. There are distracted drivers everywhere. People texting. Eating in their cars. Reading Facebook.’
‘You’re making me more nervous,’ Maggie interjected, steering the big car.
‘Not to worry. The car has every feature possible to keep us completely safe. Turn right here.’
‘Thanks.’ Maggie reached the corner and steered uphill onto a two-lane road.
Anna held on to the plastic hand strap. ‘Give it more gas.’
‘I’m fine at this speed.’
‘Don’t you want to open it up?’
‘It’s open enough.’ Maggie kept an eye out for deer or squirrels.
‘Mom, go for it. It has a six-cylinder engine, four-wheel drive.’
‘So you could drive up Everest?’
Anna laughed, giddy. ‘Here, the road is straight now, you can go faster. Just to see what the car can do.’
‘She’s right,’ Simon interjected from the backseat. ‘Anna knows as much about this car as I do. She could do my job tomorrow.’
Anna beamed. ‘Simon, don’t you think she should go faster?’
‘I’m not going any faster,’ Maggie answered, firmly. ‘I don’t own this car.’
‘Don’t worry, Mom. I do.’
‘What are you talking about?’ Maggie glanced over, confused. ‘Anna, we’re not buying this car.’
‘You don’t have to. I already did. Surprise!’ Anna grinned.
‘Are you serious?’
‘Yes, James wired them the money. Right, Simon?’ Anna faced the backseat, and Simon popped his head between the seats.
‘Yes, I got the wire this morning. The deal’s done.’
‘Wait, what, hold on.’ Maggie felt so dumbfounded that she pulled over to the side of the road. ‘Anna, what are you talking about? You can’t buy a car when you’re seventeen.’
‘Yes, you can.’ Anna nodded, delighted. ‘And I did.’
‘She can’t do that, can she, Simon?’ Maggie turned to the backseat, and if Simon was surprised that Maggie hadn’t known, it didn’t show.
‘Yes, she can. We do it all the time. It’s the Main Line. She couldn’t finance the car at her age, but she’s not doing that. We can’t let her drive it off the lot because we prefer she have a valid Pennsylvania license. But it’s hers.’
‘Really?’ Maggie felt like an intruder into SuperRich World. Noah wouldn’t pay cash for a Range Rover, even if they could. She struggled to get up to speed. ‘What if I said she couldn’t have it? Would you take it back?’
Anna interjected, ‘No, Mom, I want it!’
Simon shook his head. ‘Sorry, all sales are final. We’ll help you sell it, if you wish. I could speak with –’
Anna interrupted, ‘But Mom, it’s an awesome car, don’t you think?’
‘This is crazy, honey.’ Maggie didn’t know where to begin. ‘You said we were coming for fun.’
‘I know, I wanted to surprise you.’ Anna’s face lit up.
‘But we can’t even get it home.’
‘Not a problem.’ Anna turned excitedly to Simon. ‘You said you’ll deliver it. You said that, right?’
‘You deliver a car, like a pizza?’ Maggie asked, aware that the Range Rover’s being delivered was the least significant of facts.
‘Of course,’ Simon answered with a grin. ‘Welcome to the family.’
Chapter Thirty-one
Noah, After
TRIAL, DAY 5