High schools in my area did not offer driver’s ed, so most students attended local driving schools to get their introduction to the road (and a reduction in insurance rates). The schools offered many classes geared to teens over the summer, and my girlfriend and I took a class together. It was a week-long, full day session, but with that week and an hour behind the wheel with an instructor, we were “legal” (meaning we had permits to drive with a licensed adult). I’ve always been a pretty serious student, so I took notes and paid attention in class, but that didn’t keep me from passing a few notes with my friend and checking out some of the boys in attendance. It was entertaining to meet boys from other schools, and I even went on a couple dates with one of them as a result!
Mom was a good sport about letting me drive home from school and to run errands with her all during the fall, and I felt pretty confident by the time my birthday rolled around in January. Dad and Mom surprised me when Dad arrived to celebrate my birthday with a used car that was new to me and all mine! Mom helped get it insured and registered. On the day I had a DMV appointment to take my behind the wheel test, it was raining and windy. It got worse and worse as the day went on, and before lunch time, my high school sent everyone home because they were concerned travel was becoming more and more difficult in the flooded streets that could become snowy or icy as the day got colder. My aunt picked me up from school, and I phoned the DMV, certain that I’d be rescheduling my test. “No,” they said, “all tests were being given as scheduled.” I could have cancelled, but that would mean waiting weeks for another appointment, so I arrived at my scheduled time with no shortage of nerves and successfully demonstrated my driving abilities to earn my license! I now claim that that particular experience qualifies me to drive in inclement weather… though I still don’t enjoy it.
 |
| I drove the girls to a day at the beach! |
 |
| I drove (not the quad) for a visit to my dad's. |
For the remainder of my sophomore year, I drove a friend to school every morning in exchange for gas money, I picked up girlfriends for sleepovers, movies, and shopping, and I became the go-to friend for a ride after practice. Even as my friends birthdays came along and most got their licenses, and a few got a car, I had established myself as the driver. It was part of my mother-hen personality. I took care of everyone. My friends and I made trips to the beach in the summer and spring breaks, I drove with my brother to visit my dad, and I got to start attending after football game gatherings at the burger stand without parents. During senior year, we got off-campus lunch passes if we kept our grades and attendance up, and my car made many trips to the nearby McDonalds, Burger King, Del Taco, and Taco Bell. (I still can’t believe I ate that way!) My wheels made me mobile enough to have my first job, but it was on my way home from work one night that I was involved in a car accident that totaled my first car. The other driver had run a red light, so I wasn’t at fault, and my injuries were minor, but the car was beyond repair. I retrieved my belongings from a tow yard and sadly said goodbye. Dad helped me secure a new ride before I left for college, but I’ll always have fond memories of my first taste of freedom!
I was one of those kids who had to get rides from friends! Getting your first car is so thrilling; however, I wasn't able to have a car until after college. What an exciting birthday gift to receive!
ReplyDelete