Driving Me Crazy

I have always maintained that people who are confident that they cant drive should not be forced into doing so! At the tender age of 18, I was quite sure that I would not make a good driver…my point of reference was the cycling regime that my mom painstakingly undertook with me every summer till I became too tall to ride on those cycles that could be rented out. Obviously, one does not wonder why my parents were not interested in buying me one then. She said and it still rings true, “You have no road sense.” This has been, like a Bhavishyavani, visiting me regularly lest I forget.

First it hapenned during my driving test. When I enrolled for a driving class, my reflexes were in great shape. I learnt it fast too. Then on a fateful Thrusday, the test was held. My instructor asked me to pay him Rs 100 on the day of the test. I understood that since the owner of the class wasn’t around, this was a bribe. I would not do anything of that kind. I told him, “For what exactly?” and he looked sheepishly and smiled. So, that was settled. I had all my principles worn on my sleeve and I refused. When we reached the RTO, everyone finished their test before lunch and mine unfortunately was help right during lunch time. The examiner sat next to me and asked me my name. I told him…once…twice…7 times. He did not get it. His vada pav was waiting and my name was not in the list. He got irritated. Told me to drive back to the instructor, got down and started speaking to him. Then my instructor told me that I had failed. I had driven in a straight line – that was my test? – and I failed? FAILED? I had NEVER failed in anything. We all were brought back to the driving institute’s office and then the instructor told me to pay Rs 100 for a retest. No wonder I failed.

Second time, was after getting a licence, I took my mom to my grann’s place. I bumped into a hand cart and my mom was very cool about it. My morale boosted, I drove the rest of the distance. No sooner had my mom got out, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t have to say much after that.

Third time was when after a hiatus, my uncle took my driving…it was sheer magic – palm beach road, no traffic, no humans…just one problem, didn’t see the speed breaker!

Fourth time was when my newly acquired Deepak motivated me to restart driving (by then I had already enrolled twice in driving classes). He trained me all day one Saturday and then realised that whether or not I learn to drive, he sure would have lost all faith in my sense of sight

Fifth time was when in a friend’s BIG car (Skoda), I told him that his car won’t fit in my building :0

So, I came up with this logic:
My idea of getting rid of the fear of driving is by taking a car and ramming it hard into something that is soft, like a big cushion or something. Then all my fears will be gone.

So Deepak tells me I have to drive in LA to get anywhere. Ofcourse, I will. Now who can lend me a hand (or better still a car!) to get me going?