This is quite possibly the worst moment of Simon's life. He's standing in front of the smoking remains of his father's car, musing over the crumpled hood with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. This is not something that can be repaired. The damage is too deep. He's in serious trouble.

"This looks pretty bad," his friend mutters.

"NO SHIT, AJAY!" Simon snaps.

He recoils.

"Hey, hey! Sorry, man. Try to calm down."

"I will not calm down!" Simon howls, "This is a disaster! I can't believe I was stupid enough to take the Ferrari! Of all the cars I could have taken, it had to be this one. Shit. Do you know what my dad is gonna do to me?"

Ajay shrugs.

"He has a billion Ferraris. He won't care."

Simon slaps his forehead.

"It's not about the car, it's about responsibility. What kind of a son takes his father's car out for a joyride and crashes it after five seconds?"

"A normal one?"

"Not normal! Not! What's wrong with me?"

"You're under too much pressure."

"No, I'm not," he sighs, "I'm just a failure of a son."

"Naw, don't say that."

"I am. I'll never be like my father."

"Is that so bad?"

"Yes! All my life, I've looked up to him-"

"He is kind of tall."

"-and now I'm a complete and utter disappointment. And a Ferrari is nothing to sneeze at, either."

"It is for your family."

Simon growls.

"Just because we're well off doesn't mean we're completely reckless. A car is a car, and crashing one is serious."

"I dunno, man. Your father seems pretty chill."

Simon glares at him.

"The only thing 'chill' about him is how he's going to freeze my ass!"

Ajay blinks.

"That makes no sense."

Simon wrings his hands nervously.

"He's gonna kill me . . . He's gonna kill me . . ."

But his father does not kill him. He yells and he shouts and he spits a little while doing the previous two actions, but he does not lay a finger on Simon. He wasn't expecting his father to actually commit murder, of course, but somehow, he elevated the situation in his mind. In the end, he is happy to settle for a firm talking-to.

As Simon lies in his bed trying to fall asleep, he thinks about what his father said. Back when he was yelling, Simon was rather lucid, but now he's struggling to remember the exact words his father used. All he can do is sit in his bed, curled up with puffy, red eyes, trying to hold onto the wisdoms that are currently slipping away.

It's true that his father is a wise man. He is sometimes carried by his emotions, but there's no doubt that his intelligence is above average. Logically, that would mean that Simon would be the same, but he is not like his father, and that is disappointing. For both of them.

He jolts in surprise as the door opens. His father looks down at him with an unreadable expression, and he wonders if it's too late to pretend to be sleeping.

"Simon . . . Can we talk?"

He nods without lifting his head off of the pillow.

"I'm not mad about the car," his father begins, "Well, I'm a little mad, but things can be replaced. People cannot. Do you know what would have happened if you were hurt or killed in that accident?"

Simon shakes his head.

"Me neither, and I don't like to think about it," his father sighs, "I love you more than anything in the world, and I can't imagine life without you."

He places his hand on Simon's head and strokes his hair.

"I know you think I'm disappointed in you, but I'm more disappointed in myself. I knew it was dangerous to let you go driving late at night, but I didn't stop you. I saw you heading out with Ajay. I thought . . ."

He pauses.

"Well, I'm not really sure what I was thinking, to tell you the truth."

He is silent for a while. Simon is nervous about what he's going to say next. He sighs and shakes his head.

"I love you, you know. More than anything in the world. You're the best part of my life, and that's something to be happy about. When I met your mother, I wasn't sure what it would be like to have children. Now, I can't imagine the world any other way."

Simon looks up at him. He smiles and ruffles his hair.

"I want you to know that even if it seems like I'm angry, I'm only yelling at you because I love you so much. I want to protect you from harm, like any father would. I don't want to lose you, Simon."

He isn't used to this kind of affection from his father. He's never seen him look so sincere. It's somewhat disarming.

"There's one more thing you need to know. I'm proud of you. Really, I am. You're the best son I could have asked for. Today, you made a mistake, but no one is perfect. Not even me."

Simon laughs.

"Sometimes, I think you are, Pa."

He chuckles.

"Thank you, Simon, but when you're older, you'll discover that adults are just children with responsibility. We're all like that. Nobody really knows what they're doing."

Simon quirks a brow.

"That's not very comforting."

His father smiles.

"No, the world will not comfort you on its own. That's why you need people. They will comfort you."

Simon nods.

"I think I understand, Pa."

He stands up.

"Good. Don't crash any more vehicles, okay?"

Simon gives a big smile.

"I won't, Pa. I promise."