Once Upon a Time There Was an Idiot

Once upon a time there was an idiot who thought . . .

1) I don’t need to drive because I live in the city and there’s heaps of public transport

2) There’s no point in getting my license because I can’t afford to buy a car anyway

3) I can hold off on getting my license until I actually have to be able to drive.

All pure, unadulterated idiocy because:

1) It was really because I was just scared of driving

2) By the time you’re in a situaiton where you need to drive or it would just be very convenient to drive you don’t wake up one morning and go and get your license. It takes time.

3) It was exactly that kind of thinking that left me stranded on the Central Coast during the week for the last two years!

Today was my driving test. I was unbelievably nervous. I’d booked in a lesson beforehand to get warmed up. I don’t think it helped. I ended up feeling frazzled as I tried to absorb all the last minute information. I was in my instructor’s car and she had a new clutch. What a nightmare – she’s only had it done in the last week or so, and I was still struggling with it a bit.

At the Kerbside Stop I stalled the car. I was annoyed with myself but tried to let it go. After a bit more driving it was time for the reverse park, which I did perfectly and in one go (even if I do say so myself), but every time I tried to rejoin the traffic the car stalled. I must have stalled it at least 5 times. And I was thinking to myself. That’s it. I’ve failed. We might as well go back to the testing centre now, because I’ve completely butchered it. After the jamillionth stall the testing officer (who was lovely) said that she knew how it was for people with bad nerves and that she was the same in testing situations. She told me to try to calm down and check if the car was in gear. Then I knew I had failed, because she’d had to assist me. The rest of the test went surprisingly smoothly. Probably because I started using the handbrake because for some reason it seemed to help me not stall the car. And then, just as we were coming to the end of it I went through an orange light. On the one hand, it wasn’t really safe to stop, on the other there were no cars behind me so I figured that was probably an automatic fail too.

I was so disheartened when we got back, but tried to think about when I could re-take the test and the fact that next time I’d be less nervous and things would go more smoothly. I was hoping I didn’t get an embarrassingly low score.

The testing officer asked me to come to the counter.

“Well. You Passed.” It was like Christmas, but better.

Me. The Idiot responded with, “how is that even possible?” and belatedly realised that this was not the time to ask questions. Apparenlty although I had completely butchered the beginning, everything else after that was perfect.

I am so relieved that I don’t have to drive for the sake of driving, rely on other people to ferry me around and that I will no longer be marooned during the week.

I love that now I can choose the doctor I want to see, rather than picking one that was within walking distance; or grab a real coffee; or just go anywhere that takes my fancy.

Nonetheless, I’m staring small with my solo driving – precious cargo.

Tagged as: driving, public transport, test