Alice on Her Way by Phylllis Reynolds Naylor

Author:Phylllis Reynolds Naylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 2005-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

15

Problem

Les had a few hours to spare on Saturday afternoon, so Dad let me off work early for my first driving lesson. In Dad’s car. His new car. Dad had said he’d give me a few lessons himself if he had to but that all his gray hair had come from teaching Les to drive. If he had to teach me, too, his hair would probably fall out.

Everyone under eighteen who applies for a license in Maryland has to go through thirty hours of driver’s ed, but no body wants to look like a complete nerd at the wheel, especially if other students are in the car with you. We all want to look cool, as if we’ve driven before and are just taking the course because we have to. With Dad’s permission to miss work, I was planning to sign up for four Saturday mornings plus two evenings a week after we got back from New York.

I grinned excitedly as I slid into the driver’s seat. Les helped me adjust the side and the rearview mirrors and pull the seat up until I felt a comfortable distance from the wheel. I turned on the ignition. There’s something about the sound of the engine engaging and the whole car beginning to vibrate and purr that makes you feel so powerful. Excited and scared both, because Dad’s car was only six months old.

“Okay,” said Les. “Put the car in reverse and back slowly down the driveway.”

I put my hand on the gearshift and moved it to the R. The car began to roll. I panicked and slammed my foot on the brake. Lester’s head jerked backward.

“Easy, Al!” he yelped.

I inched my foot off the brake, and the car began to move again.

“Watch for cars,” Lester said.

I braked again, more gently this time. A car was coming on the left, so I waited. When the road was clear, I rolled out into the street.

Bang! Crash!

I screamed and braked again. Two of the neighbor’s metal trash cans went rolling down the street. Lester swore under his breath, got out and returned them, waved to the neighbors, and got back in. Now I was crosswise in the road, and a car was coming in each direction.

“Lester!” I screamed again.

“Al, will you please quit screaming?” he said. “Put the car in drive. Then slowly— slowly —turn the wheel and get out of the way of that BMW.”

In the rearview mirror I could see the car behind me inching forward. I pushed the gearshift to D and moved the car over to the right side of the road so the car facing me could get by. As soon as it had passed, the car behind me gunned its motor and went tearing around us.

“Did I dent anything?” I asked in a shaky voice.

“No. The bumper hit the cans. Now move.”

“I’m scared,” I said.

“Be grateful,” Les told me. “When I was learning to drive, we had a manual transmission. You’ve got power brakes, power steering, automatic transmission….

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