We walked around the black Ford Taurus, checking out the gleam in the paint and giving the tires a good kick to show my dad and the salesman that my sister and I were not just some dumb teenage girls looking to add a mirror to their reflection checking routines. We were just some dumb teenage girls pretending to pay attention as we broke into spontaneous daydreams about the possibilities ahead.
While my father and the salesman discussed numbers and accidents and MPG and Highway versus City and other things I obviously understand a lot better now, Lee and I looked at each other with absolute giddiness. The more time we spent here, the more likely we were to have our own car. (Squeee!)
Finally, an agreement was made, hands were shook, and numbers were tallied. Lee and I would share the fairly new used Taurus whose previous owner was elderly and not much for road wandering, and my mother and father would be able to keep their cars as they were, without dents. (Although that didn't last too long. There may have been a few driveway near misses that didn't miss quite enough causing my dad some concern and stress headaches..)
First up though, we had to learn how to drive the damn thing. We already had our permits, but had yet to actually press a pedal other than the two wheeled Huffy variety, so my father took us on one joint excursion (which ended in shouts of "My turn!" and "She's getting more time behind the wheel!", thus limiting these group lessons to just the solo time. My father learned quickly..) (Oh, yeah. My mother? Way too smart to spend any time trying to teach us the finer skills of driving. She knew she would lose her patience too soon and would rather we crashed without her in the vehicle. She didn't say that at the time, but we could tell. Yes, my mother was very smart too.) and then segued into one on one adventures in the empty parking lot of the local community college on Sunday mornings.
I looked forward to practicing, eager to impress my father, who was as stringent about the rules of the road as the men (and women!) in blue. From starting the car to checking the mirrors to easing feet off the brake and not pressing the gas too hard (I still remember the muffled curses Dad would swallow when I punched the accelerator and the car would lurch forward. Of course, those were accidental. Mostly.), we traveled around the same span of pavement every weekend.
One Sunday however, he just didn't want to travel so far out just to cruise the college so, it being 9 AM and all, (Dad? You know where I'm going with this, right? I can hear you snickering from miles away..) he decided to use our town's mall parking lot for my next lesson. The logic was there. Mall's not open. No real local businesses around to encourage driving through. Less chance of me coming into contact with other vehicles. Too bad my logic wasn't all there.
We practiced turning, easing out of a turn, going straight, stopping, stopping quick, avoiding imaginary obstacles, and such. The only thing my father had not taught me and didn't think I was ready for was parking. So, I, being 15 and full of wisdom (teeth), decided I would surprise him with my parking prowess.
"I'm going to try to park," I said, as we sat idling in the middle of an aisle.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Jenny. You're not ready."
"Sure I am!" I started easing off the brake and turning the wheel to the left to pull into one of the end slots.
"Jen, really. Make sure you- Shit!"
It was over.
I looked at him. He looked at me. We both knew what I had done. I had gone to press the brake and accidentally (I swear, Dad! It was an accident!) punched the gas instead. In a time span only long enough for my father to realize what was happening and knowing there was no way for him to stop it, (although he tried to hit the imaginary brake, which was no match for the reality of what he couldn't control) the black Taurus stumbled over the parking bumper and up the cement edger to say hello to a young elm tree.
Hello, tree.
I braced myself for the admonition, the scolding, the hand slapping I knew I deserved and he then responded with the one thing I was not prepared for. Laughter.
I couldn't help it. He laughed. I laughed.
Wiping the mirth from his eyes, he sighed. "Well, at least you got the first dent out of the way."
I giggled some more, relieved to be spared the wrath of righteousness. Until I heard,
"How are you going to explain this to Mom?"
Suddenly, it wasn't so funny anymore.
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Put your blog hopping into Park and check out these law abiding Rulers of the Road!
Pseudo over at Pseudonymous High School Teacher
Melly over at Inside The Fish Bowl
Ecologista over at Ecology of Life
Arwen over at Spors in the Desert
Meli over at Meli's Rambling Randomness
Rachel over at The Ramblings of Rachel
Rikki over at Cowgirls Like Me
Casey over at Half as Good as You -Updated today! Fresh Spin!
Kirsty over at My Life For The World To See -Updated today! Fresh Spin!
Gigi over at Incrementum -Updated today! Fresh Spin!
Mama Badger over at Out of The Boondocks and Into the Burbs... -Updated today! Fresh Spin!
Stacy over at True Blue Texan -Updated today! Fresh Spin!
Ginger over at When Ginger Snaps..... -Updated today! Fresh Spin!
You know, as far as driving goes, links are the most fuel efficient way to get around sites, right?
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Next week's Assignment: Routines
Everyone has a routine. Wake up, bedtime, schedules, there's something about the way your day ticks. What about your routine makes you happy? Or are you trying to change up the routine? Is there a certain way you approach the day that you never thought about until a certain forum like this here Spin Cycle made you take a step back, look at your routine, and think, Huh! I DO do that all the time!
For instance, I stop at Dunkin Donuts every morning for a decaf coffee. If I have to skip that step in my morning routine, my day is pretty much shot to squat. How about you?
(I'm even adding a sub-subject... Um, yeah. That makes sense. You can also write about your quirks since those fit so well into routines. We've done this before on the Spin Cycle, but it's one of my favorite topics!)
For anyone looking for a clue as to what I'm going to write about, I posted a survey question on my status today and already got some interesting results..
Whatever it is that makes your day tick, type it out and send it over here. As long as you have it in by July 17th, you won't shake up MY routine and we'll all be fine.
See you next week on the Spin Cycle!
That brings new meaning to "Nightmare on Elm Street." I'm glad your dad kept his cool and laughed at you. My mom refused to teach me how to drive and only broke her "no driving until you're 18" rule when we moved outside of the school zone during my senior year and I wanted to finish up at my old school. Even then, my brother had to teach me how to drive.
Posted by: Casey | July 10, 2009 at 06:19 AM
Hahahaha! At least dad had a good sense of humor about the whole thing.
I've got some airport waiting time today so I'll post my driving adventures tomorrow. Yeah, that's me; a day late and a dollar short.
Posted by: Michele | July 10, 2009 at 07:02 AM
I side swiped a yellow pole and the elm in our front yard, the first couple weeks of my driving. My Mom has the local police on speed dial, she keeps running into the trees or mailboxes nearby.
Posted by: Laufa | July 10, 2009 at 07:05 AM
LMAO that's funny! I remember breaking my radio, it was broke for weeks untill one night when it decided to come back on at full volume and scared the shit out of me and my friend causing me to go up onto on of those curbed grassy areas in a parking lot. Thank goodness I wasn't on the road at the time..lol My spin is up.
Posted by: Kirsty | July 10, 2009 at 07:36 AM
Darling Daughter did this - right into our garage. While we were on vacation in Hawaii. After taking the car without permission. Or a driver's license.
Jolly, who was just a teeny bit contemptuous (and jealous) of her step sister at the time, went off on a tangent about how SHE would never do such a stupid thing. Then promptly smacked into on of those big, yellow cement columns they put up in parking lots.
Posted by: Jan | July 10, 2009 at 07:43 AM
That's funny! I'm glad I didn't do anything like this. Not until I was an adult and pulled out in front of someone and was T-boned. Totally didn't see her coming. Oh man...I totally could have used this as my Spin. I forgot about that. I kept thinking: "Driving? Driving? I got nothing." But I did have somethin' after all! :-) Oh well, I bet I can do something on routines, since Jonathan's routine is going to be all thrown off next week while we're on vacation.
Posted by: Lisa (Jonnysmommy) | July 10, 2009 at 09:15 AM
http://gigidiaz.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/spin-cycle-driving
Me me me!!
Posted by: GiGi @ Incrementum | July 10, 2009 at 10:29 AM
LOL!!! How funny - guess that beats the thought that my husband thinks I showed the driving instructor some leg when I went to take the test because he thinks my driving is horrible!
Posted by: Krystal | July 10, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Under the wire, but I made it. Whew.
http://outoftheboondocks.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Mama Badger | July 10, 2009 at 12:33 PM
You dad is the BEST! My daughter's first dent was my car, she was parallel parking behind our garage in teh alley. She wsa pressing my fender up against the garage siding, making a hell of a dent and my husband was working in the garage!
"STOP!" he yelled, "You are denting mom's car."
Daughter looked out her window at him, with my fender dented to all hell and chiping the garage beam, and said, "No. I'm. Not."
Posted by: Pseudo | July 10, 2009 at 12:59 PM
lol, awesome. I was never in an accident with a parent in the car, but, um, I did do some damage to their vehicles (and mine) over the years.
Posted by: Keely | July 10, 2009 at 01:24 PM
First accidents are so fun! Glad you could laugh about it.
Posted by: Stacy | July 10, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Forgot to say I have a post.
http://truebluetexan.blogspot.com/2009/07/spin-cycle-driving.html
Posted by: Stacy | July 10, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Now I know why you're so funny and sweet; you get it from your dad.
Great story!
My 18 year old wrecked our Expedition 5 days into her permit 2 years ago. I did not laugh. Of course, she hit another car (no one hurt) and it was very scary. But I didn't yell either.
Posted by: Maureen at IslandRoar | July 10, 2009 at 03:54 PM
I'm not clicking this week. Mark has been talking about teaching Gage how to drive, and this could totally send me over the edge.;)
Posted by: Sam | July 10, 2009 at 07:15 PM
I'm glad the only thing that got hurt was the car. Here's a post from me...finally!
http://gingereebs.wordpress.com/2009/07/11/driving-miss-lucy/
Posted by: Ginger | July 10, 2009 at 07:44 PM
My first car was a Ford Escort. *sigh* I loved that car. I never dented it, but I did knock off the side mirrors, once on each side. It taught me the width of the car and I never hit anything again. I would still have that lovely little car, but some drunken, licenseless, insuranceless lout rear-ended another car into me, and that was the end of that. Totaled. *sigh*
Posted by: Rachel | July 10, 2009 at 07:46 PM
http://lifeintheslowlane-kendra.blogspot.com/2009/07/am-i-weird-or-am-i-normal.html
Here's my post for routines...I guess I am on top of my routine today!
Posted by: Kendra | July 11, 2009 at 10:46 AM