The Art of Racing in the Rain: Chapter 44 Summary & Analysis

Enzo addresses the reader and says that Mark Fein suggested to Denny that if he quit his claim to Zoë, the criminal charges would disappear. Mark said that Annika's family only wants Denny to be registered as a sex offender, and sex offenders don't get custody of their daughters. Mark points out that should he accept, Zoë would get a stable, comfortable childhood and a quality education, and Denny would be able to participate in racing series and accept more jobs out of state. Mark assured Denny that he'd work out a liberal visitation schedule. Enzo shares that he wasn't convinced that this path was appropriate, because he sees that Denny is capable of having both a racing career and his daughter.

Enzo relates an experience watching one of Denny's races long ago, where, on the second to last lap, Denny was in third, but as he came around for the final lap, was driving alone and won. Returning to the present, Enzo says that Denny tells Mark that it's never too late and that things change. As if to prove it, Denny sells their house to pay Mark and moves to a small apartment across the city, with carpet that smells of chemicals and no cable TV. Enzo says he tries to make the best of it and squeezes himself into the corner by the window, where he can see the Space Needle and watch its elevators go up and down.