Driving 101

Whenever my husband would start a conversation about driving lessons, I am ready with 2 kinds of responses. I would either give him that look that would make him drop the subject instantly, or I would playfully cup my ears with two hands and sing a made-up tune with just la la la for lyrics.

To people (who I don't consider as friends) who would dare ask why I don't drive a car in this corner of the planet where driving is a huge necessity, I simply give a faint smile and try to ignore them. To family and friends, it is known that I have yet to conquer my fears.

That is why on our last visit to my homeland, I played good girl by adding "driving lessons" to my things-to-do list. Well, it wasn't actually on top of the list. It did not even make the top five (which of course included meeting up with friends, shopping for shoes and bags, going to a "168" a famous flea market, searching for a new mobile phone, buying a heavenly delicious yam from a famous convent, having crepe at Cafe Breton and getting good books at the National Bookstore, one of the oldest bookstores in the country. Ok that is already more than five). But it was there. Written in invisible ink.

So when the first of the two months of vacation was done, and I have enjoyed most of the things that I really went there for, I felt that it was time for me to trek to the nearest but reputable driving school.

Armed with a little regret for the time I could spend somewhere else and a nervous heart, I talked to the people making arrangements for the lessons. It helped that the people at the registration desk were sincerely nice and funny. After a briefing of sorts, I was convinced to sign up for a 5-hour class.

I was being offered a 30-hour program. I did not know if the guy who gave me the briefing could see through me and read that I was literally a moron to this challenge that I intended to face, or if just meant well. Thirty hours? Are you serious? Well, that was way beyond my budget, and that would take too much time away from my real vacation. So I simply brushed aside his offer. I signed up for 5 instead.