When Nervous Turns to Scared

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