Chapter 7 - A New Horizon
Two years passed.
The scars of the past had faded into distant memories, replaced by a life filled with routine, love, and growth. Mia was now eleven, a bright, confident middle-schooler who excelled in her science classes and loved helping her dad in the garage on Saturday mornings, wearing her own pair of miniature, grease-stained overalls.
Tessa’s supervised visits had continued, though they had become sporadic. Stripped of her mother’s financial backing—as Lorraine had been forced to sell her lavish home to pay off her debts and legal fees—Tessa had moved to another state to start over. She called Mia on holidays, and Michael always encouraged the connection, wanting Mia to know she was loved, but the boundaries remained rock-solid. Lorraine was entirely out of the picture, legally barred from any contact.
One sunny Saturday morning, Michael was working on a vintage 1967 Mustang fastback in the garage's main bay. It was a passion project he had bought to restore in his spare time.
"Dad, you've got the spark plug gap wrong," Mia said, leaning over the fender, holding a gapping tool.
Michael laughed, wiping his hands on a rag. "Oh really, Professor Porter? And what should it be?"
"Zero-point-three-five," she said proudly, pointing at the manual open on the workbench. "You have it at zero-point-three-zero."
"Well, look at you," Michael said, tugging gently on her ponytail. "You're going to take over this place before I'm fifty."
"Maybe," she smiled. "But first, I want to build rockets."
"And you will," Michael said softly, his heart swelling with pride. "You can build whatever you want."
The bell at the front desk chimed, indicating a customer had walked into the reception area.
"I’ll get it!" Mia said, wiping her hands and jogging toward the office.
Michael followed her a moment later. Behind the counter stood a woman he hadn't seen before. She was about his age, with warm brown eyes, wearing a green canvas jacket and holding a set of car keys. She looked slightly flustered.
"Hi," she said, offering a warm, apologetic smile. "My Subaru is making a horrible grinding noise from the front left wheel. I know it’s Saturday and you’re probably fully booked, but I’m supposed to drive up to Flagstaff this afternoon for a teaching seminar..."
"Hi," Michael said, feeling a strange, pleasant flutter in his chest that he hadn't felt in a very long time. "I’m Michael. And we can always make time to take a look."
"I'm Clara," she said, her smile widening. "Clara Evans."
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Mia, standing next to Michael, looked at Clara, then at her dad. A small, knowing grin spread across her face. "My dad is the best mechanic in Arizona, Ms. Evans. He can fix anything."
"Well, then I’m definitely in the right place," Clara said.
