Chapter 9: Gone

                                    

                                          



"Someone's stealing my car!" Maia exclaimed, looking at her dad. "Quick, we have to follow them!"
"Come on," Chris scurried down the steps and to where a black jeep was parked out front. "We'll take my jeep."
They climbed inside and Chris sped off down the road, following the loud revving sound. The car came into view a few times on the twist and turn backwards. But as they pulled closer to it it sped up and shot out of sight.
"Hurry! We have to catch him!" Maia shouted anxiously, leaning forward in the backseat.
"I'm going as fast as I can," Chris said, his face rigid. "But this old jalopy can only take so much-she wasn't built to race a corvette."
Suddenly there was a loud sputtering sound.
"What was that?" Henry asked, looking besides him where his dad sat in the driver's seat.
"Not good," Chris frowned, "She's not used to being pushed this hard. I-"
Abruptly the jeep gave a loud groan and started spurting smoke out of the hood.
Chris hastily pulled the car over to the side of the road and climbed out. Henry followed while Maia watched worriedly.
Henry opened the hood and waved his hand to clear the smoke.
"Is it bad?" Maia asked, leaning into the front room so she could speak through the open door.
"Yep," Chris frowned at the car, "She's letting me down for sure-I thought she had a few more years left but I must have been wrong."
"Let me see Dad, maybe I can fix it, so it will at least get us home," Henry bent over the engine.
Maia gazed up the road-the sound of her corvette had long ago faded and was nowhere in sight. It was too late-the car was gone. She had lost her only race car right after her father had agreed to let her race!
A few seconds later, they were back on the road  heading towards the junkyard. All were silent and Maia was staring out the window at the country scenery-her heart sunk low.
"Don't worry Honey," Henry said looking back at her. "I'll notify the police and they'll look for-"
"It will be too late!" Maia sighed, "the race is in two weeks and I haven't even started practicing yet!"
"Maybe they'll find it quickly," Chris said optimistically. "I'm sure whoever stole your car will not want to put up with it for long and they'll leave it."
"Maybe," frowning, Maia did not feel certain. The corvette was beautiful and ran great-why anyone who went through all the trouble to steal it would just decide to abandon it did not seem realistic.  
"Thanks for the help, Dad," Henry said as he and Maia climbed out of the jeep. They walked over to his car and climbed inside.
Maia did not speak one word and surprisingly it was her father who broke the silence. "Why don't we go get some ice cream at Duck-Palace?" he suggested. "It's a nice day for it."
For a moment, Maia was silent-shocked by his words.  Had her father just offered to take her to town and out for ice cream? In public? 
"Dad," she felt indebted to him, he was trying to make her feel better. Though an ice cream cone would not return her car she realized he was going out of his comfort zone for her-he was going to town for the first time in months-for her. "Dad," Pushing aside her sorrowful feelings, she smiled at him. "I'd love to."