Driver's Ed

Well, Joe took Joey to the Comcast parking lot today on the A.J. Highway for a little *drive time*. Joey will be 15 next month and has been studying for months for his permit test. He is soooo ready to be driving.

The first words out of Joe's mouth after the lesson were, "We live!" He was laughing, but sounded like he had had a little excitement today. He said Joey learned how to park between two cars today. First, parking with no cars, then with one car beside him, then with one on either side and then finally with one in front and one on either side. Joe maintained he did well, coming a teeny bit close on one side, but good. He said he got a little flustered once and hit his windshield wipers and blinkers when he was making his turn, but assured me he did fine.

Can you believe it's here -- Joey out on the roads? He got his class schedule this week and he has Driver's Ed his second semester. When he was telling me about it, it made me think of my driving instructor, Mr. Love. No lie, his name was Mr. Love -- or as my crazy friend, John Gray, called him, *Dr. Love*!

He was an older man, bald, and he had an eye for the ladies that worked at the testing center. I remember the day I went to take my actual driving test he brought the ladies a big box of Dunkin' Donuts -- told me it would help with my scores. He also backed my car into the parking space so all I would have to do was pull out when the test began. I guess I was not going to be his first student ever to fail the test! And it worked -- I passed with flying colors and Dr. Love let me drive home from the test, chatting my head off about how great it would be to be able to drive on my own now. Weird how I remember the details of that day so vividly and I can't even remember what I had for breakfast this morning! Also weird how my mom and dad didn't seem to think it the least bit dangerous for me to be driving around town ALONE with some old guy I (or they, for that matter) barely knew! But I digress...

I wonder if Joey will remember all this 20 years from now, his dad laughing at him in the Comcast parking lot or almost hitting that car sitting beside him as he learned how to back out of the parking space or how he caused his dad a little heart palpitation when he took the corner just a tad too sharply as he went aisle to aisle in the lot. I wonder if he'll remember the Driver's Ed class he took in 2008 and the funny nickname he gave his teacher.

But mostly I wonder if he'll ever realize how much we wish we could freeze him forever just as he is right now.