Monday Memories - Driving Challenges

As a young driver, we always experience our close calls and even some minor or major accidents which we learn from immensely. I was no exception, however the circumstances of my 'predicaments' were always rather bizarre.

My first experience involved a boy and a car and a drive-in movie. I begged my father to let me take his vehicle that had a full front seat to the drive-in with my 18 year old boyfriend instead of the bucket seat second family car. Um, excuse me, but was he nuts? Letting his 17 year old daughter go to the drive-in with her boyfriend in his car?

Anyways, he acquiesced to my begging. I had only been driving for less than a year and the drive-in proved to be much more challenging than what I remember from when my Dad used to drive in and park while we were all hiding under the blankets in the back.

How was I supposed to know that there was a dip in the parking lot that enabled you to position your car in a manner so that it was pointing upward toward the screen? Sheesh.... Well it turned out that the complexity of this and trying to position the big Buick beside the tiny tiny speaker so that the cord would reach was too much for my hormone filled brain to manage without incident so I carved a large scratch down the length of the car body, the teeny tiny speaker posing as the accomplice.

I was so filled of fear about what my Dad would say that I didn't sleep a wink that night, nor was there any amorosity experienced in the vehicle due to the sensitive state of my psyche. I only now understand his response that morning when I faced the firing squad.

I heard him in the kitchen making his tea and since I wasn't sleeping anyways, decided to face my fate and put myself out of my already self imposed misery. He sipped his tea and looked out the front window at the car, not saying much at all, as I explained what had happened.

It was as if he knew already about the scratch. Perhaps with the power of his own thoughts he made me drive by that speaker that night, upon realizing what a mistake he had made, in allowing me to take the sexmobile that night.

Parent's intuition.


My next driving challenge occurred in the same vehicle but entirely different circumstances. My parents were taking a trip down south, catching a flight from Toronto where the air charters frequently flew out of.

My duty was to drive them to the bus station downtown, where they would catch a bus and take the five hour journey to 'Hogtown'. Although we were supervised by my aunt who was staying with us, I had arranged to pick up my boyfriend from his home after I dropped my parents at the bus station. My first mistake!

My two younger sisters were traveling with me so they could see my folks off at the bus station too. The winter weather turned rather bleak suddenly, and upon my journey out to my boyfriend's, I hit a patch of ice on the highway and started to fishtail. ~~~~~><>>: You winter drivers know what I'm talking about?!

Many cars ahead of me experienced the same, I observed, but I guess being more experienced, were able to drive out of it. I must have braked (I don't recall) which put me into a 360 degree plus spin whereby I ended up in the ditch and facing backwards on the four lane highway.

This was before the days of cell phones and a kind gentleman stopped and offered assistance. I asked him to call my boyfriend's Dad when he got to his destination. I was quite confident he would then come with my beloved to aid this poor waife and her young charges.

While we were waiting, and saying our prayers, realizing it could have been a lot worse, I noticed a large passenger bus traveling up the highway and on past our stranded vehicle. I immediately recognized it as the one that was heading to Toronto. Yikes!

You see you had to backtrack and go downtown to the depot to catch the bus and it would eventually come back the way that we came.

I was worried that my parents might see us or recognize the car on the side of the road. I didn't even remember what side of the bus they were sitting on. Egads!

Anyways my bf's Dad helped us out. He ended up driving the car backwards on the highway to the closest off ramp while I drove with my sisters and bf in his car. Got home safe and sound to tell my aunt about our mishap.

We decided that no mention of this would be made to my parents when they called home. No need to worry them needlessly as everything was alright.

Unbeknownst to me, my father had seen us from the bus but said not a word to my Mum.

That evening, they called us, which was highly unusual because they weren't even at their final destination yet. My Dad was is such as cheapskate that he would limit the length and frequency of their long distance calls.

He asked, "Did Debbie get to back home from the bus depot okay?", to which we replied in unison on the phone. "Yup. Fine."

Happy Monday!

Memories