Can't Wait to Drive

My son hinted a few weeks ago that some of his friends have already felt the purr of an engine beneath them. He is turning 15 in March so he is not yet eligible for a learner's permit. I remember being that age, and eager to learn how to drive. My father took it upon himself to teach my older sister and myself the basics of driving when I was about 13. We would head out to the deserted reclamation area where the old White Gold House was located. I used to quake in my feet when it was my turn at the wheel. Most cars still had manual transmission back then, and I could never quite master the clutch. He would often remark how wide the road was, so WHY WAS I STICKING TO THE SHOULDER?

When I got older, I took a driver's class to boost my confidence since I never got to be comfortable behind the wheel. I once drove a friend home and she never forgot my skills or lack thereof. I remember being shocked that my teacher immediately took me to one of the busiest sections of Cebu. The place was Taboan, a busy marketplace where I had to fight for road space with horses, pedestrians, jeepneys, and other drivers who did not follow any of the road rules. My mistake, I forgot there were no rules. My teacher used the brakes on his side of the car a lot, and to this day I do not drive in the Philippines.

When we moved to the United States, it became necessary to be able to transport myself around since public transportation is very inconvenient. My husband and I bought my first car, a white Toyota Tercel, which had automatic transmission. I have never looked back since then. In the later years, one of our vehicles had an automatic tiptronic transmission but I never used the manual control option. Parallel parking is still not my forte so I prefer cars as opposed to SUVs. Right after I gave birth, we decided to purchase a van but I would only drive it to places where I knew that I could slide into a parking slot.

I was very lucky that I was gradually introduced to the freeway system. There was only one main highway on Guam when I lived there many years ago. It was there that I learned the rules of the road. When we moved to Hawaii, there were two freeways, H1 and H2. I learned the fine art of merging onto fast-moving traffic. I was also lucky enough to be there when they opened H3, a highway that connected Pearl Harbor to Kaneohe Marine Corps Base, where we lived in military housing. I learned to overcome my fear of driving over the Koolau Range, and eventually relaxed enough to appreciate the beauty each time I passed through. Then we moved to California. By this time, driving had already become second nature.

Going back to my son, I did not want to be the only uncool mom so I thought I would just have him move my car from the garage into the driveway, and vice-versa. I gave a short orientation and then quizzed him about the location of the brake twice. Since he passed with flying colors, he was allowed to turn the engine on. The garage door was left unscathed, and he parked with precision and confidence. Now he cannot wait to do it all over again. Let us see how enthusiastic he will be when I send him to the grocery every single week after he actually passes drivers education class next year.