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When Nervous Turns to Scared

All seventeen-year-olds know everything. Justmy wonderful driving skills when he asked me
ask them. I had two weeks to learn a twelvewhen I planned to signal to the rest of the
page pamphlet on the rules of driving and Iworld that I was about to enter a traffic
actually tried to learn them. Some of thelane. I apologized and signaled a right turn
instructions I didn't really understand but Iand turned left.By now, sure I had flunked, I
was reluctant to ask for help. Of course Ifound us stopped on a steep grade at a red
thought that the driving test rated higher inlight. Not knowing how to slip the clutch, I
importance over the written test, so I buggedstalled the engine with one foot on the
my Dad to take me out on the road for aclutch and the other on the brake. If I took
lesson. Dad was a real Nazi when it came tomy foot off the brake, we would go sailing
following instructions and though he didn'tbackwards down the hill. At this point the
curse, the lesson was interrupted by severaltester suggested using the hand brake before
orders to pull over and park so that he couldI started the car. Two aborted attempts
calm down and stifle his urge to hit me.Thelater, with a screaming engine, I finally
country part was easy but traffic was anotherraced across the intersection at about forty
story. The first order to turn left found memiles per hour. Sweating, I returned the man
in someone's driveway. Since we were alreadyto our starting point without him offering a
on a side street, Dad tried to show me how toword 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 Idriving test but failing me on the written
mean  right  now!"  Anyway,  this  lessontest. 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 practiceintersection and not knowing the proper hand
somewhere else or he was going to call thesignal  for  a  right
police.For the actual test, I had to use one
of my Dad's cars - a Kaiser Henry J withturn. To this day I'm the only one I know
stick shift. Automatic transmissions were notwho can parallel park into a tight spot
allowed for the test. After sweating out thewithin six inches of the curb on the first
written test, an older gentleman asked wheretry. Unfortunately, all parking nowadays is
I was parked and we got in the car. He saidhead on diagonal.Retired portrait
go to the next corner and turn right. So Iphotographer just glad to get home safely.
pulled out and looked at him for approval at



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