Licensed to Drive

Once upon a time I was a fully licensed driver. Then I had a bad car accident that disputably was my fault, and all of the ensuing fines left my license suspended until the time that such fines could be paid. It was a sad time. Then on one happy birthday, my mister paid up all my fines with interest and took me to the driver and licensing office to get me reinstated.

Had it been but two weeks earlier, all would have been well. But sadly, my status as a driver was now rescinded and I was back to unlicensed status. I swallowed this bad news bravely and went down to the drive test centre and wrote my beginner's permit test, cockily thinking that I knew all of the rules of the road. Of course, I was much mistaken. Needless to say, I failed the test like nobody in the history of beginner's permit testing has ever failed it.

I bought the Ontario Driver's Handbook and studied my little heart out and went back a week later to write the test and passed with flying colours. I was now a beginner driver with G1 status, meaning that I had to drive with a proper "grown up" driver for at least one year.

The year passed and I paid my testing fee and took my test. I failed.

I waited the required six weeks to re-test, paid my testing fee and took the test again. I failed.

I hate failure. With unbridled enmity. I also hated the drive tester for failing me for stupid little things like not checking my blind spots and not using my turn signals coming out of a parking spot and not checking my mirrors while parallel parking and other stupid things. I mean gees - who actually drives with their hands at 10 and 2 and follows all of the rules of the road? I swore that I would not take my test again until the tester either retired or died - which ever came first.

Being the bad girl that I am, I sometimes broke the conditions of my G1 license and drove without a grown up present. Short trips to the store, nothing major. But then two weeks ago, I spun out on an icy patch and lost control of the truck and ended up hitting a snow bank and crunched up the front bumper.

Nothing has ever been a point of contention between me and mister like me driving on my own without a proper license. Especially since every time he caught me driving alone, I promised him that I wouldn't do it. The combination of me once again breaking my promise not to drive without him present, and me crunching up the truck put him over the top. My keys were confiscated, my license cut up into fifty pieces, and the silent treatment duly given.

So I overcame my fear of failure, paid my testing fees and booked another road test.

Much to my surprise, I passed with 100%. Much to the drive tester's surprise, when he told me that I had passed, I burst into happy tears. I bet he's never seen that before.