 Goulding unveiled their latest vehicle. A fourteen hundred horsepower machine spun around on a platform, just enough to view all the angles. Orange, silver and black, only three  hundred Oguns remained in existence.  Vestin Go reserved his spot and the car showed up at his doorstep. It gleamed in the morning sunlight, just glinting through the pines surrounding his mansion.

After signing the necessary documents with his face recognition, the delivery woman handed him a small metal sheet. It looked like a coupon or a rectangular key or a small credit card. 

“Thank you,” he announced. The woman tipped her cap. Go spun around and saw Chanda. Her face darkened. Go’s glow dimmed upon seeing her visage. 

“What’s the matter? You know I was waiting for this for over two years.”

“Yes, and I know also that this thing could go up in a hydrogen explosion. You don’t need this car. You’ve already got a fleet of vehicles.” 

“You said the key word…hydrogen. All this baby pumps out is water vapor. There will be no fiery crash because I’m not driving it. You are.”

“Of course, your collection mocks your intentions.”

“They’re collectors’ items and I bought this car so you can drive it. It's a hybrid driving machine. It’s meant for driving, but you can also switch it to the autonomous system. But like I said, it’s supposed to rip up asphalt with someone behind the wheel. That someone is Chanda Ansari.”

Chanda shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

He walked over to her and kissed her mouth. With the metal device planted in her hand, the couple walked over to the car. The doors lifted and they entered. She placed the little sheet in the designated position.

“Hello, Chanda.”She shot a quick glance of awe and surprise at the nature of the car. The low rumble of the engine seemed like a puma’s purr. The belts hugged their waists and across their chests.

“I preset everything to fit your specifications.”

The seat adjusted and cool air pushed through the space. The smell of saffron wafted through the interior. The sounds of a jazz drum solo pumped throughout the space in the highest quality possible.

“Thank you, Vestin.” Chanda spoke softly but with a strong voice.

“Let’s go!” He exclaimed. “It's a manual drivetrain as well.”

“I can’t accept this, I love it, don’t get me wrong, but this is too much.”

“No, you’re going to put your foot on that pedal and we’re going to pass through the gates. You’re going to drive to Lower Slower Delaware (LSD) and we’re going to make a day of it before we turn around and get back to the power station.” He pointed to men installing the station on their property.

Chanda flashed a wry smile. “Ha-ha. No, this is not right. I enjoy driving, yet I don’t think this is right for me. Thank you, again, but this thing could be a death trap.”

“On the contrary, it is the safest car on the road. It has cushion features that even in the event of some collision, we’re protected from any explosion or anything of the kind.”

“If we go the two hundred mile an––”

“We don’t have to go that fast….” Go interrupted.

Chanda breathed. She looked around at all the gadgets and gauges. The aroma and the music commingled in her mind and allowed her to feel more at ease. The slick display on the monitor showed her name oscillating in silver. Go ensured that this would be her car to drive months in advance. 

“I’m high right now, I mean I might be.”

Go’s face turned up. “You’re not high at all. At least not on the horse. C’mon, you have over a thousand horses under you. You’re not high.”

In a search for some excuse not to drive, she looked at Go directly in the eye.

Go looked slightly miffed. His gift to her appeared to be a bust.

Chanda shifted in the American leather seat. Cooling agents coursed through where they sat as well.

“I’m not forcing or coercing you to do anything. We can go back in the house. You can run the online shop and I’ll get back to the blockchain.”

Chanda’s wheels started spinning in her mind. The thought of maneuvering this behemoth mode of transportation rankled her. It sat in her thoughts like a sparrow on a branch. She wanted desperately to show her appreciation for the present, but couldn’t muster up enough ways to say she wished to not drive this car.

“Make it a part of your collection. Make it an installment. I think this vehicle is even more valuable than all the rest put together.”

“So, I mean you didn’t have to do this, Vestin.” Her tone seemed almost motherly.

He took the metal sheet from the center console and handed it to Chanda. The straps retracted and the air, acoustics, and engine all ceased.

“Here. If you don’t want to go on this adventure, take this.”

Chanda stared at the mini-card. The soft luster of the device registered in her brain. A rush of ideas channeled through her thoughts. She thought she would be pleasing him if she agreed to do this. Her mental constitution could find no other way of committing to some sort of way out of this whole situation. 

“I’ll do this on one condition….” Chanda offered. 

“If I drive, you’re going to have to sit back and enjoy this fantastic excursion,” she asserted.

“By all means. I’m all about it,” he mentioned. 

“Put that little metal thing in the middle,” she instructed.

The works functioned once more. Go motioned for the gates to their home to swing open. 

Chanda put the car in drive. She shifted into first gear and allowed the engine to hum. The wheels spun. Go’s face lit up like the Smartystan skyline. 

“Alright, this is actually nice. I think––”

Chanda shot out of the driveway with blinding speed. 

“Whoa!” Go half laughed, half shouted as he turned around to ensure the men got to their truck and ventured away and the gates closed.

“Top down, please,” Chanda commanded with politeness.

The roof retracted with grace and ease. Their hair flew like flowing flags in the wind.

“And you said you didn’t want to do this,” Go remarked, noting her brief hesitation to embark on this journey. 

“It’s not for me…well, it is for me!” Chanda whipped out some sunglasses and placed them on her face.

“That’s what I like to hear. Unbridled selfishness. I knew you’d come around eventually.”

Another gear shifted as she directed the supercar southward.

The air had stopped pumping through the car as it detected the retractable roof. Although, the seats remained cool. The exhilaration on Chanda’s face gave payment to Go that he had given her another gift to excite her. 

“How far down do you want to go?” Chanda asked, fighting the wind.

“At least to Rehoboth,” he answered. 

More gears shifted. She handled it with precision. Each gear shift made it possible for them to plow further into the sun. Dampness all around, the dew drops still clung to the blades of grass. There existed no other cars as Delawareans had either migrated to the north or found refuge in Maryland or Virginia. Highway patrolmen still perched on the roadsides. The car flashed that some cops could be in the area, but the couple remained oblivious to those warnings.

In the rearview, blue and red lights appeared.

“Please pull over your car to the side of the road,” a voice from a loudspeaker boomed.

“We have this. We’re not riding with any paraphernalia. I obviously made it this far, so I’m not as high as I thought,” Chanda made a checklist. She abided by the authority of the law and pulled over to the side of the road.

Officer Amelia Corker looked fit with her blonde donut bun and her clean, pressed uniform. Thirtyish, her youth belied her wisdom and experience. She checked the temporary tags on the vehicle. Upon retrieving all of the information, she donned her trooper cover and approached the vehicle. They apparently had nothing to hide with the top down already.

“License, registration, and proof of insurance,” Officer Corker stated.

Chanda looked a bit tense, but Go remained cool. He looked at the center console. “Show documents,” is all he said. A Quick Response code appeared on the dashboard.

“Fancy aren’t we,” Officer Corker mentioned. She shot a glance at Chanda then looked at the passenger. “Wait, you’re the Vestin Go?”

“This is your car, no?” the officer asked.

“It is, but I’m not driving, officer.”

“I see that.” Her attention turned to the one piloting the beautiful beast.

 I clocked you at one hundred and four miles an hour. Why are we going so fast?”

“I––” Chanda’s face blanched. She looked up at the officer with a sense of befuddlement almost on the verge of tears. Instead, she just gathered herself and looked into the officer’s slate gray eyes.

“We’re trying to get to the beach,” Chanda offered.

“What, is there some festival only reserved for billionaires or are you going to your beach house?”

“No, we just wanted to joy ride,” Chanda answered.

“With the information I have, you just got this car and since the highways are mostly empty along this stretch, I’m only going to give you a warning.” The officer then looked at Go. 

“I’ll get rid of the warning for a digital signature from one of the Founders.”

Another QR code popped up on the dash. This signified that Go had already prepared for such a situation and allowed Officer Corker to obtain his signature which could go for millions online.

“Thank you and try to keep it at ninety, Miss Ansari. Stay safe.”

The officer turned around and drove off in the other direction.

“Now do you see why I didn’t want to drive?”

“And do you see how prepared and fortunate we were when it came time to handle business?”

Chanda fumed. “That was too close, though.”

“I’m serious, V. Things could have been much worse. “But they weren’t. You performed beautifully. I want you to drive, but within the speed limit this time.”

Chanda glanced at him. “I think we’d better let the computer drive us back. If she had given me a sobriety test….”

“But she didn’t. Always focus on the positive. We’re in a multi-million-dollar car in the middle of the sticks and one cop almost had us in the clutches of the law. Easily, she could’ve been the ‘I don’t care how much money you have or how many city-states you found, I’m going to impound your car and send you to jail’ type. But she wasn’t.”

“You’re right. I’m still not driving.”

Chintan Jani

Smartystan

Powertrain

 Goulding unveiled their latest vehicle. A fourteen hundred horsepower machine spun around on a platform, just enough to view all the angles. Orange, silver and black, only three  hundred Oguns remained in existence.  Vestin Go reserved his spot and the car showed up at his doorstep. It gleamed in the morning sunlight, just glinting through the pines surrounding his mansion.



Smartystan

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Businesswoman Chapter 291

Smartystan

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Businesswoman Chapter 291

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