Driver's Test

"She wants to know what happens if she answers wrong," I told the man behind the counter.

Eyeing my teenage daughter, he replied, "Oh, a red light flashes and a siren goes off, so everyone knows!"

He and I looked at her and laughed as her mouth dropped open.

"He's only kidding! No one knows if you answer wrong. You'll do fine!" I told her.

She walked to the testing area and began her written driving test.  Finishing quickly, she returned to the front to sign up for the behind-the-wheel test. The man behind the counter told her, "I've got good news and bad news. What do you want first?" Katie told him she wanted the good news. "The good news is that you can do the test in one hour. The bad news is that you have the dragon lady," he said, smirking. When he saw her worried frown, he finished with, "Just kidding."

We went home to get the old clunker we bought for her to drive and hurried back.  Nervous, she turned left into the DOL testing center in front of an oncoming vehicle with barely enough room. Breath sucked in and heart pounding, I told her to calm down. 

The Examiner and driver were the only people allowed in the car. I went back to the building and peered out of the plate-glass window, watching her maneuver the vehicle between the orange cones.

"Good!  She passed the parallel parking perfectly!" I congratulated myself. 

Exiting the Licensing Office, I walked discreetly toward Safeway Grocery, my eyes on the green car she was driving. 

Signaling, she pulled out of the improvised parking space, turned, and waited to enter traffic. Stepping into the store, I stopped and watched as she passed and swung onto another street. 

A few minutes later, with my purchases, I returned to the DOL site to sit, read, and wait.

"Are you Katie's mom?"  I looked up into a man's inquiring eyes and nodded yes.

"There's a little problem.  She's been in an accident, and I need to drive you there."

"WHAT?  You're kidding, right?  Is this a joke?"

Shaking his head, he verbally assured me he was not joking, and we needed to go to the accident site. He led me to his official vehicle.  Stunned, I continued mumbling under my breath.  Buckling into the seat belt, I turned to him.

"I can't believe this! I KNEW I should have sent my husband to bring her for the test. I just knew it!"

We drove a few blocks, and he pulled into a parking lot. There, we saw the female Examiner and my daughter. I turned to the driving test Examiner and asked what had happened.

"We were turning the corner. There is a yield sign, but Katie was not going to yield to the oncoming traffic. I had to tell her to stop, and when she did, the woman behind rear-ended us."

I saw no damage to either vehicle, and the other driver left. The driving license Examiners huddled together, discussing the situation as I talked to Katie. 

"So, I guess she failed?" I asked the woman.

Nodding her head, she replied, "She failed.  I had to tell her to stop. We would have been hit by the oncoming traffic if I hadn't. You can go home now."

Katie got in and started the car. "Take us where your accident was.  I want to see how this happened," I told her.

She drove past the three-way corner, and I realized it was difficult for a new driver to determine what would transpire at that intersection. It is known to be a confusing intersection. Two lanes of traffic could come onto the street she was on from her left; two lanes could go straight through on an angled path, and there was an angular turn-right-only lane at the intersection to a third street. The intersection had a stoplight, and the right turn lane veered sharply to the right before the stoplight. The Examiner had told her to turn, so she moved into the turn-only lane. We practiced there several times so she wouldn't err again and went home. Pulling into our driveway, she burst into tears. 

"What's wrong? You're okay, the car's okay, why are you crying?  This is something you'll laugh about with your friends when you're older."

"I'm not telling him! You tell him!" she shouted at me and ran to her bedroom.

My husband, startled, just looked at me as I chuckled while explaining the situation.

"I'll go talk to her," he said.

One month later, we were once again at the same licensing bureau. Nervously, we waited for the Examiner to come to our car, and when he did, I got out and stood on the sidewalk to watch the parallel parking. At least it wasn't that woman. Oops! Too sharp a turn, the car won't make that spot. Okay, out they went. About ten minutes later, they pulled the green car in. Holding my breath, I watched as she entered the office.

"Well?" I demanded.

"I passed," she beamed at me. They took her picture, handed her a brand new plasticized driver's license, and went out.

"So how was it this time?" nosy mom (me) inquired.

"Well, I failed parallel parking but everything else was fine. But guess what?"

"What?" I inquired suspiciously.

"Remember the woman who was the Examiner the first time?" I nodded.  "I told the man Examiner what happened on that ride. He said, 'Oh, so you're the one!' Then he told me she came back after that ride and burst into tears and had to go home for the day she was so upset. "

Bursting into laughter, I slapped my thigh.  We chuckled together for the duration of our short trip home.

You know what, though? The woman who rear-ended her was at fault, right? Following too closely....all's well that end's well. My daughter is a great driver (of course, because I did most of the teaching - wink, wink)!

#drivingtest #teendriver #drivesafe #passed #driverslicense #success #congratulations