The Colossus of Roads by Christina Uss

THE BEST DRIVER IN LA

MILA RETURNED RIGHT before Mom and Dad were scheduled to come get Rick. She held something behind her back. “Guess what I get to do?” she said, smiling. The pound cake and strawberry-banana smoothie had gone a long way to getting Rick out of his grouchy slump. He raised his hand. “Ooh! Ooh! I know this one! You get to . . . drive so slowly with Abuelita that you actually go backward in time!” Mila quietly cracked up and looked around to make sure Abuelita hadn’t heard him. “We were late again, but it was okay, because we got to do such amazing stuff. Look!” What she pulled from around her back was the last thing Rick would have guessed: a speed limit 35 road sign. But the 5 had been painted with green and purple paint to look like a curvy fire-breathing dragon. Mila put it on the kitchen table so they could both admire it. “What is this?” Rick asked, baffled and intrigued. He touched the dragon’s tail. “It’s our new service project! The artist’s house we went to, Anna Diamond, she creates public art that’s displayed all -- -

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10/23/19  5:28:25 PM