HOUR 8

DRIVER’S LICENSE

‘You have to drive in the USA!’

The mantra I heard,

when I arrived,

terrified me.

It was wintertime,

and two feet of snow in Rochester, NY.

My husband taught me to drive,

a manual transmission.

“That’s real driving,” he insisted.

We fought furiously.

Finally I walked home

a mile in the dark.

And called the driving school

the next day.

I failed once,

and hid in my house,

with curtains drawn.

Then I passed, but was still afraid

of the manual car we owned.

Once on an icy slope

with our two and three year olds

strapped behind,

trying not to slip and hit the car behind,

I shot out into traffic across two lanes.

Our guardian angels were employed

And there were no cars on the road.

I narrated the miracle with graphic details,

to my husband.

The next day he exchanged the manual

for an automatic.

Today I have driven many cars,

even a RV.

And yes, I did need to drive

in the USA.