The very first car that I ever got to drive on my own was my grandparent's (passed down to my parents...passed on to me to temporarily borrow) white and shiny Grand Marquis with all blood red interior. That's right folks, I was truly riding in style. ;) I referred to this massive car creation as the 'land yacht', because it was so freakin' loooooooong! Me being 5'0" in high school, could see NOTHING but car hood in the front and nothing but blood red interior and car trunk in the back when sitting in the driver's seat. I just knew there was road out there somewhere. I just had to make sure I followed the yellow lines on the road. I seriously needed a BIG sign on all sides of the car saying "Dear Other Drivers, WATCH OUT FOR THIS ONE!". I mean really, that would have been the polite thing to do. But no, me being 16 years old and eager to drive without parental supervision just took off down the road hoping that nothing would dare cross my path.
Driving by yourself for the first time is a monumental moment; I will never ever ever forget the very first time I drove that Land Yacht without my parents.
It was the day I got my license.
My mother worked at the local church and was dying to see my freshly printed driver's license. Of course I was eager to show it off! (& drive ALL BY MYSELF!) My dad and I drove straight to the church from the DMV. I was so proud of my license, like all 16 year olds! My mom, brother, and sister were all at the church to greet and congratulate me. I was so stoked and totally ate it up. I don't even remember why both my brother and sister were at the church, but they needed a ride home. My dad decided that I could take my younger siblings back to the house and he would ride with my mom so I could drive without any parents in the car (for the first time ever).
I hopped in the drivers seat with the most ginormous smile; excitement flooding in my veins. I was about to hit the open road...without anyone telling me what {they thought} I was doing wrong. No nagging, no gasps, no one grabbing the window handle like the world was about to end....the car and the road were MINE for the taking.
My siblings were just as excited as I was. Their smiles were almost as big as mine. To them, they now had an older sibling who could take them to the places they wanted to go - this added "cool" points in the eyes of their friends. (At least that's how we saw it when we were kids.)
I revved up that Grand Marquis engine. At that moment, it was the sweetest sound to my ears. All my mirrors were adjusted properly, my seat was as high up as it could go, and the radio stations were all programed perfectly to my liking. I remember looking up out the front window of the car and witnessing such a sweet moment. My parents were smiling and waving me off. My dad had one arm around my mom and my mom had tears in her eyes. Her baby was really growing up......and really couldn't wait to HIT THE OPEN ROAD!!!!!!! (I was thinking...'SEEE YAAAAAAA!!!!')
It was my moment. I put the car in reverse, took a deep breath, and hit the gas pedal. My brother, who was in the passenger seat next to me, turned to me and enthusiastically exclaimed "THIS IS SOOO AWESOME!!!!!". I looked at him and grinned even wider and at that very moment when I was about to verbally express my joy- the grand marquis shook and the crunching of glass and car parts rang in my ears.
That was one of my first very memorable "Oh...shit..." moments. I slammed the breaks, put the car in park, and turned......to see a GIANT red truck that was parked in the spot behind me....that I very clearly backed into. I did not remember seeing any cars parked around me. I remember wondering how that truck got there and I remember dreading my parent's reaction....because they witnessed the whole thing. There was no way I had any chance of getting out of that one.
I slowly turned in the driver's seat of that car, this time with dread running through my veins. Sure enough, my father's face went from shocked to mad in less than a second. My mother on the other hand, stood there dumbfounded.....jaw dropped open......and then...was she smiling? ....laughing??? I couldn't quit tell, but I was sure she was trying to suppress giggles.
My sister and brother both looked at me and almost in sync said "LAUREN!!!!! You're in trouble!". I knew I was doomed.
I pulled the car back into the parking spot that I had attempted to reverse out of, took a deep breath, put on my newly christened big girl pants, and walked the proverbial plank while the death march mockingly played in my head.
Yep, driving alone for the first time ever was a very memorable experience for me.
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