Raymond nodded.
"And we'll spend more if we need to."
His son stared.
Then his father smiled.
"Beautiful work doesn't become easier because you're impatient."
Caleb laughed despite himself.
They returned to work.
That was how the restoration continued.
Not through sudden miracles.
Through hundreds of careful decisions.
By the time the Lamborghini was ready for paint, Caleb knew every major stage of the project and every person who had helped make it possible.
Raymond insisted on yellow.
Caleb didn't argue.
He wanted the car to look like the one they'd admired together when he was eleven.
Raymond became ill during the final year of restoration.
At first, he dismissed the symptoms as ordinary fatigue.
Then medical examinations revealed a serious condition requiring treatment.
Caleb began spending more time helping his father.
The workshop became quiet.
Projects were postponed.
And the Lamborghini remained unfinished beneath its protective cover.
During one difficult afternoon, Raymond sat beside the car while Caleb examined a set of trim pieces.
His father looked tired.
But his eyes brightened when he saw the finished yellow paint.
"That's beautiful."
Caleb smiled.
"Wait until you see it outside."
Raymond nodded.
For several seconds, he studied the vehicle.
Then said quietly, "Whatever happens, promise me you'll finish it properly."
Caleb looked up.
"Dad."
Raymond raised one hand.
"I'm not saying anything dramatic."
But they both understood what he meant.
Caleb sat beside him.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then he answered.
"I promise."
Raymond passed away eight months later.
He never saw the completed car leave the workshop.
Caleb finished it with the help of the mechanics who'd known his father for decades.
When the restoration was complete, he drove the Lamborghini to the small cemetery where Raymond was buried.
He parked nearby.
Then sat behind the wheel for several minutes, unable to speak.
Finally, he looked toward the photograph tucked into the glove compartment.
It showed him at eleven years old, standing beside the yellow Lamborghini at the car show with his father smiling behind him.
Caleb placed one hand on the steering wheel.
"We did it, Dad."
He stayed there until the afternoon light began fading.
From that day forward, the car was more than a possession.
It was the last dream he and his father completed together.
Caleb purchased his Stonebridge Heights home eighteen months after Raymond's death.