Xian had always preferred to drive for herself. Being raised in the city, she hadn't learned to drive when she was young. There was always a trolley or bus going wherever she needed, so there was no need. When she was a little older and had what she thought of as real money, she moved out of the easy transit area and had to fend for herself.

She was frightened at her first driving lesson. She wasn't certain how she'd react in everyday situations and was terrified of making a mistake and killing herself, or worse, others. Frankly, it was too much responsibility.

It took just one spin to change her mind. The feelings of power and control were like nothing that she'd ever experienced before. She'd always thought of herself as independent, but hadn't realized how tied she'd been to transit schedules or the whims of her friends.

Xian started to take weekend drives. She quickly decided that the cheap economical car that she'd first bought didn't give her a full enough experience. After a series of test drives and weekend rentals, she finally found a car that she fell in love with.

She had to remember that love and keep it foremost in her mind or she would probably crash the car on purpose just to teach her mother a lesson. Ever since she'd mentioned the Project, which was the title in her mind, her Mother had been horrified that she would waste time on some kind of contest. Xian thought that she just didn't understand the type of respect that she could gain. It was worth the effort, she knew it was. And even if it wasn't, that was her decision.

Their current fight started as soon as Xian picked her up. Her mother had spoken the whole litany of reasons why she shouldn’t be doing this. Xian tried to respectfully disagree but it was of no use. Her mother claimed offense and decided to punish her. This involved some kind of vow of silence.

Xian supposed she should be grateful that she didn’t have to put up an argument but she wasn’t. Instead, she was very angry. How dare the old woman treat her this way? Hadn’t she helped her parents in their old age? Didn’t they owe her some respect? At the very least they should respect that she can make some decisions on her own, like an adult.

She finally came upon the turnoff. It led to a small grassy area in front a scraggly forest. She stopped the car and got out. Her mother sat alone for a moment and then joined her. The developer pulled in and got out of his car.

They exchanged pleasantries and it was obvious to the newcomer that there was an argument in the air. He seemed embarrassed but Xian decided not to say anything about. The poor man tried to ignore it and move on as best he could.

The property was a poor fit for most things. The valley was too vertical to permit farming. It didn’t have a good view of the coast and was sometimes very windy. This kept it shut out of the real estate market. There was cheaper land for hotels and other stores. It had sat vacant for many years.

Still, there was a beauty to the place. They’d gotten lucky and picked a nice day to see it. There was no wind forecast but they still experienced sudden gusts. If you weren’t expecting one, it could stagger you. Xian smiled to herself when this happened to her exasperating mother.

She mentally placed trails and small shrines here and there. Where would the koi pond go? She’d figure that out somehow. Under her direction they pressed on further into the valley. There was a hint of an outcropping that she wanted to inspect. It had kind of a hook that she thought might work for her.

Her mother started to fall behind. When it became clear that the agent wanted to wait for her, Xian stopped and wouldn’t say a word. Finally, she caught up. They offered to wait and let her rest but she kept moving forward.

The finally got to the hook. It looked perfect! The wind was fairly strong here and Xian guessed that it would be on most days. For the first time in many hours, she smiled.

The agent forced them to rest by refusing to continue. They sat down. This would be the perfect place for a picnic.

At last they made there way back to the car. They took a slower pace because her mother was clearly tired. This looked like the perfect spot for what Xian had planned. She made a mental note to ask the agent about the surrounding property. Once glance at her mother and she decided to ask later instead of making her wait out here.

A pang of guilt hit her. The old woman was trapped by the old ways, unable to understand what her daughter could and should do. The idea was to use this Project to bring them together. Instead it had created a larger rift than ever. When they got back to the car, she’d try explaining it again. Maybe her fatigue would make her a better listener.

They arrived back at the clearing. Xian traded more pleasantries with the agent. She let him know that this looked like just the place but she’d have more questions. Yes, she had his number back at the office. They could talk over the phone.

Before the agent could quite get in his car, her mother spoke. “It looks beautiful. I think you will make us proud.”

Xian didn’t expect anything like this. Maybe they could actually reconcile! Then her mother let out a gasp, clutched her chest and fell down. She was quite dead.