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"Because he knows you’re afraid, so he also knows you’ll be careful"

"I’h "Maybe we should just go home"

I pointed at Sean’s squad car "Police cars are very durable They’re a thousand pounds heavier than a civilian car, and they have stronger brakes They’re built to sustain a lot of impact and keep the driver safe"

When Trey spoke, I could hear the tears in his voice "Could it sustain crashing into a median?"

I placed my palm on the back of his head, like I did when he was little and needed co "There aren’t any medians here,There are a few telephone poles, and a dumpster or two, but those are easy to avoid because you’ll be driving slowly and in total control"

"Dad always had control It was one time he didn’t One time, Mom And he died because of it"

I took a breath "Okay," I began "You could die behind the wheel of a car I’ht of that won’t keepall kinds of horrible scenarios But the more likely scenario is you drive yourself to school, to Colin’s house, to your favorite Thai restaurant, to anywhere you want to go You et into a tight parking space, but the likelihood of so is slim"

"But it could happen"

"It could"

"And you’re okay with that"

I mussed his hair "I’ll never be okay with it But that doesn’tyours"

He spent a longa lot of Sean, but we both agreed that this was an important milestone for Trey, and maybe for me, too I wondered if I should say more to tip the balance, but then Trey unclicked his seat belt and hopped out of the car I quickly followed

"I’ to do it," Trey said to Sean "But only if you and my mom will be in the car with al lie?"

"Of course But can I be a back-seat driver through the glass partition?"

Sean laughed "Just knock once for slon, and twice for speed up"

"What if he needs to brake?"

"Screa our banter would increase his nerves, but he laughed It was a shaky one, but definitely sincere

Sean helped hi the driver of an official police vehicle After giving Trey a lecture about not touching anything that wasn’t absolutely essential, he opened the door forI had some antibacterial wipes as I wondered who’d last sat there I tried not to touch anything, straining to resist the urge to wipe away the slass partition

I felt, rather than heard, the engine roar to life I wished I could see Trey’s face, that I could hear what he said to Sean before cranking it into gear The car moved slowly forward, then climbed to a comfortable speed

We approached the first telephone pole Sean said so the pole by driving in a slightly jerky half circle Then he righted the wheel, and the car picked up speed again, this ti tears He was doing it Driving Without any help from me It should have been a bittersweet moment, but it wasn’t, just triu, and those were nothing less thanlot Trey can If he didn’t back up, he’d have to turn onto the lass partition Trey turned for just a second and flashed me a smile

Then he took his foot off the brake and drove us into the future