2/02/2005

So maybe I shouldn't have made her drive...

"Drive my car home from Sobeys" I told her.
"No, I'm a really bad driver, I can't drive at all. I don't want you to know how bad of a driver I actually am." She told me.
"It's okay, you're not that bad. You have your G1, and I have my G. You are able to drive with me. You're not supposed to drive after midnight, but it's late and no one will be around right now, so if we do it now it will be better." I reasoned.
"Okay, I'll do it." She sighed.
She pulled my van forward, and out of it's parking spot, edging closer and closer to the actual road.
"I can't do it!" She exclaimed.
"Yes you can, you are, you're doing well. I thought you would be way worse." I reassured her.
She turned on to the road, and proceeded to steer the car around a bend. She was wobbly, but stayed in her lane and didn't even come close to riding up on the curb. We came to a traffic light and she stopped, as we waited for the light to change to green so that we could make a left-hand turn.
"I'm just going to wait here until there are no cars, so I hope it doesn't turn green."
No sooner had she said that, the light turned green.
"I'm not going. I'm not going. I'm not going. There is a car there!"
"Turn, just turn." I yelled.
And finally she turned.
"If you'd turned sooner the car wouldn't even be behind us now. Go to the left a little, you're going to get into the snow and it will pull you to the right. You don't want that."
I repeated my instructions to go to the left several more times before we came to a stop sign. Almost home free, she turned right, our respective buildings were in sight, and then we saw the flashing lights behind us.
"Oh my god Megan, I'm getting pulled over. We're going to get in trouble. You don't have the right license for this!"
"Calm down, you didn't do anything wrong. I have the right license, just pull over and roll the window down."
And so she did. Her hand shook as she reached into her pocket to find her i.d. My hand shook as I reached into the glove compartment to get the insurance and registration. The police officer made his way to the car and looked at us.
"Have you been drinking?" He asked her.
"No, I'm just learning how to drive. I am so bad. I am sorry that I am so bad. I will never drive again."
"You just have your G1? Do you have your license Ma'am?" He motioned to me.
"Yep, right here. I've got my G." I said as I handed it over.
"Do you have the insurance and ownership?" He asked.
"Yes, it's right here." and I handed that to him as well.
"I'm sooooo sorry. I'll never drive again." She pleaded.
"Do you still live at this address Kelly?"
"No, I live in that building right there, I'm a don... My students are all going to see me." She said, defeated.
"That's why I pulled you over here, before you went into the parking lot, so that they wouldn't see." He explained.
"I'm sooo sorry. I promise I will never drive again."
"It's okay." He said, "You were just exhibiting the signs of impaired driving."
"I am teaching her how to drive. We're doing it now because there's no one on the roads, and other cars make her nervous." I told him. He was a fairly cute cop.
"I see," He smiled, "You can go now. Have a nice evening."
"Thank you." We said in unison.
He nodded and turned away.
"Megan, I am never driving again!" Kelly said, as she turned to me.
"You weren't that bad. The only reason he pulled you over is because you did that thing at the lights and you were a bit wobbly. It is also nighttime, so really you shouldn't be learning how to drive right now. More often than not, people who are driving like that at this time are drunk, not learning how to drive. Do not worry... If you'd been horrible he would have given us a ticket for being out at this time driving. You did fine. You will drive again. You were not bad, for a beginner." I reassured her.
"I am never driving again." She stated.
"We will see."
And that is how my trip to the grocery store at 1 am ended.