I drove,
clutched and shifted gears.
He directed.
“Go straight there. Turn right here.”
I did what he told me—
only to find myself
stopped on a steep, side street,
in front of a line of cars
and too afraid to shift.
“I can’t do it,” I said.
He clenched, yelled.
I cowered,
gunned the engine,
let out the clutch.
But before I risked the stall,
I pressed in the clutch and the brake.
He shifted the car into neutral,
pulled the emergency brake.
While we switched places,
he apologized to the drivers behind us.
Jun 8, 2010
Jun 8, 2010 at 6:16 PM UTC
I drove,
clutched and shifted gears.
He directed.
“Go straight there. Turn right here.”
I did what he told me—
only to find myself
stopped on a steep, side street,
in front of a line of cars
and too afraid to shift.
“I can’t do it,” I said.
He clenched, yelled.
I cowered,
gunned the engine,
let out the clutch.
But before I risked the stall,
I pressed in the clutch and the brake.
He shifted the car into neutral,
pulled the emergency brake.
While we switched places,
he apologized to the drivers behind us.
2010