| All seventeen-year-olds know everything. Just | | | | my wonderful driving skills when he asked me |
| ask them. I had two weeks to learn a twelve | | | | when I planned to signal to the rest of the |
| page pamphlet on the rules of driving and I | | | | world that I was about to enter a traffic |
| actually tried to learn them. Some of the | | | | lane. I apologized and signaled a right turn |
| instructions I didn't really understand but I | | | | and turned left.By now, sure I had flunked, I |
| was reluctant to ask for help. Of course I | | | | found us stopped on a steep grade at a red |
| thought that the driving test rated higher in | | | | light. Not knowing how to slip the clutch, I |
| importance over the written test, so I bugged | | | | stalled the engine with one foot on the |
| my Dad to take me out on the road for a | | | | clutch and the other on the brake. If I took |
| lesson. Dad was a real Nazi when it came to | | | | my foot off the brake, we would go sailing |
| following instructions and though he didn't | | | | backwards down the hill. At this point the |
| curse, the lesson was interrupted by several | | | | tester suggested using the hand brake before |
| orders to pull over and park so that he could | | | | I started the car. Two aborted attempts |
| calm down and stifle his urge to hit me.The | | | | later, with a screaming engine, I finally |
| country part was easy but traffic was another | | | | raced across the intersection at about forty |
| story. The first order to turn left found me | | | | miles per hour. Sweating, I returned the man |
| in someone's driveway. Since we were already | | | | to our starting point without him offering a |
| on a side street, Dad tried to show me how to | | | | word of praise.Two weeks later I received a |
| parallel park. Many loud screams of "Left!, | | | | notice from Motor Vehicles passing me on the |
| left" and "Stop!". and "When I say STOP I | | | | driving test but failing me on the written |
| mean right now!" Anyway, this lesson | | | | test. The wrong answers were circled - |
| | | | parking within fifteen feet of an |
| was cut short when the owner of the house | | | | |
| closest to the curb asked us to practice | | | | intersection and not knowing the proper hand |
| somewhere else or he was going to call the | | | | signal for a right |
| police.For the actual test, I had to use one | | | | |
| of my Dad's cars - a Kaiser Henry J with | | | | turn. To this day I'm the only one I know |
| stick shift. Automatic transmissions were not | | | | who can parallel park into a tight spot |
| allowed for the test. After sweating out the | | | | within six inches of the curb on the first |
| written test, an older gentleman asked where | | | | try. Unfortunately, all parking nowadays is |
| I was parked and we got in the car. He said | | | | head on diagonal.Retired portrait |
| go to the next corner and turn right. So I | | | | photographer just glad to get home safely. |
| pulled out and looked at him for approval at | | | | |