NO WAY!!!

Well, I have my drivers' license now, so what next? I mean, besides the actual building up of the loads of experience that I know I need, what more do I have to learn? The answer, to me, is obvious: I've gotta learn how to drive stick shift!!! Aaaahhh! For awhile I wanted to learn back in May or June when I was taking drivers ed, but Craig suggested that it might not be the best idea before I take my license test. After all, who wants to reach for the clutch, accidentally slam on the brake, and fail your drivers' exam? I took his point, so I waited.

But now is not the time for delay. The car that we use the most is a standard, and I better learn how to drive it really well before winter hits. Which means I have to learn soon. All I was waiting for was somebody to teach me. Mom recommended that I learn in Clyde's car since it's the easiest to shift in, so eventually he offered to teach me. And my first lesson was last night.

To begin with, he drove to the ball field. We switched drivers, and he began to enlighten me in the ways of using a manual transmission. But as we sat there with the ball field gathering darkness all around us, what should we see but Gerry's car drive up and stop at the other side! This was a puzzle. What would Gerry be doing here?

"Maybe Lisa is learning," Clyde suggested.

"Or maybe he's teaching Drew," I added, since that young person is here visiting his relatives and the Reeds.

Then sure enough, Gerry and Drew did the exact same thing that Clyde and I had done just a few minutes before!

NO WAY!!!

How could both parties have the same idea, on the same day, at the same time, and in the same place? I mean, I know a lot of people aren't comfortable with a standard, but going up to the ball field at dusk on a Thursday night isn't something that's just done by everybody! It really weirded me out.

And how did the lesson go? Well, first I had beginner's luck in starting the car. Was driving a standard going to be way easy after all? Um, no. Because after that whenever I tried to start I stalled, and stalled, and stalled, and stalled again. But near the end I began to feel like I was getting the hang of it, at least to a certain extent. Thus ended lesson one.

But I still can't get over that coincidence. . . .