Leta could not ascertain whether she was eager or anxious about her second automobile driving lesson. Aside from her nervousness and
fear, however, the first lesson went very well. She sat in the driver’s seat,
learned some of the controls, practiced with the choke, clutch and gears, and
even started the engine. These were activities she could manage. Then again,
she had not operated the automobile while it was in motion, down the street,
with pedestrians and bicycles and other automobiles also moving in the same and
opposite directions. This would be the next step, and she was apprehensive. She
could have been less nervous if she actually knew when her next lesson would
be.
“Or more,” she said aloud without realizing it as she set the
table for supper on Wednesday evening. After all, if she had a specific date
and time, she might be dreading the moment even more. For his part, her husband
Bob had been very supportive. During the first lesson, he was patient and
supportive. Then he praised her for learning so quickly.
Earlier that Wednesday, she had gone shopping with her
daughter Vivian. While Bob would not admit it, Leta believed that his
insistence on teaching her how to drive an automobile was the direct result of Vivian
having learned from her husband Ed. While her daughter and son-in-law owned
only one automobile, of course, Vivian had learned to operate the vehicle so
that she could use it on certain days for activities and appointments. After
all, Vivian explained to her, mostly the car just sat in the parking lot of the
factory where Ed worked all day. Whether Vivian had noticed or not, Leta
watched her like a hawk during their drives. The ease at which Vivian managed
the clutch and gears simultaneously terrified and thrilled her. But she said
nothing about her own driving lesson. After Vivian left, Leta continued to
think about driving.
Bob arrived home a little earlier than usual in very good
spirits. He was a warm and engaging fellow most of the time, anyway, but on
this particular Wednesday, he was more than usually cheerful.
“Hello, wife!” he said, as he entered the kitchen and kissed
her on the cheek.
She was so startled and his good cheer so effective that she also
laughed.
“You’re home early,” she noted.
“Yepper,” he said as he poked around the stove. “It’s a
beautiful day.”
Leta glanced out the window. “It most certainly is.”
“A beautiful day for a driving lesson, that is,” he continued.
Leta had just put the last fork down. Instantly, she was as
tense as she had ever been. Bob was standing by the stove. She looked at him.
“We can turn this off for a little while, can’t we?” he asked,
gesturing to the simmering pots on the stove.
“How long are we talking here?”
“About 30 minutes I’d say,” he clarified.
“Well, yes, I suppose,” she answered.
“We’ll just take a few turns around the block. I don’t want
you to forget what I’ve taught you so far.
There was a long pause.
“Are you ready then?” Bob finally asked.
Leta’s body felt as though she had gone into shock. She
couldn’t move. Even her mind had gone blank, and all she could do was look at
her husband, standing by the stove, framed by steam from the boiling potatoes
and corn behind him. She could not decide if it made him look like some angel
descended from heaven or a devil with the fiery furnace of hell behind him.
Finally, he turned.
“I’ll just turn these off,” he said, reaching around to the
dials of the burners on the stove, “while you get your hat.”
Leta’s body started to move before she had conscious knowledge
of it, and a few moments later she was standing at the front door in her hat
and coat.
“I don’t think you need your coat,” Bob said. “It’s pretty warm
out there, and warm in the auto.”
Leta looked at herself, and laughed awkwardly.
“Yes, of course,” she said. “I don’t know where my head is.
You just surprised me. And look,” she added as she took off her coat, “I’m
still wearing my apron!”
A couple of minutes later, she was sitting again in the
driver’s seat of Bob’s automobile.
To be continued.
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