Confessions of a Female Driver

Female drivers holding driver's licenses are now very common and commonplace, but there are probably only a few female drivers in their 50s who can actually drive a manual transmission car and be proficient on the road. I am one of them, and I often attract envious looks and compliments from colleagues and friends.

Thinking about the painful experience of learning to drive, it’s really hard to describe in words. I was 43 years old at the time, and seeing many lesbians around me learning to drive, I impulsively wanted to join in the fun and challenge myself.

So I enthusiastically went to the vehicle administration office not far from home to sign up.

When filling out the form, you need to attach a photo. There are people taking photos there, so you can take them immediately. At that time, I was wearing a green top with white spots, and I was not asked to change into company uniform. It is said that light-colored clothes must be worn with a prepared dark blue male uniform. I quite admired my foresight at the time, otherwise I would not have been able to see the photos.

My hair is permed and looks longer. In addition, it has just been washed and the wind blew it a lot during the car ride. I even pressed it down for a long time when taking pictures. Just like that, I kept my mouth shut, my eyes seemed to be peeking up at something secretly, my expression was funny, my hair was flying, and I left the first funny and ugly photo on my driver's license.

I told my husband when I got back. He was surprised, but more admiring. He didn’t say anything, he just raised his thumbs high.

I practiced subject one several times, and passed the exam with flying colors. I have long heard that subjects two and three are the most troublesome and difficult. Now it is my turn. The training for subject 2 was added during the summer vacation. Thinking about the suffocating hot sauna days where I was sweating while sitting, I immediately felt afraid, but I still bravely went to the battlefield timidly.

Every morning when it’s cool, I get up early to clean up. I put a thick layer of sunscreen on all exposed areas on my face, neck, arms, and hands. I brought a large pot of freshly boiled hot water. I had a bad stomach and couldn’t drink cold water. I also wore sunscreen during exercise. The clothes were zipped to the chin, and the arms were lowered down to the wrists, covering one-fifth of the backs of the hands; the pants were tightened around the ankles, reaching directly to the feet; a sun hat was worn on the head, and a parasol was held in hand, and he set off in a hurry .

Let’s squeeze into the bus first. There are not too many people in the bus and it’s not very uncomfortable. Ten minutes later, we transferred to a special bus to the training point on the mountain.

When I arrive at the transfer point every day, I can always see a large, dark crowd of people looking around, anxiously waiting for the bus. The one that came over was crowded, and the one that came over had no space. I always have no choice but to miss several minivans, and as a last resort, I follow the crowds of people and squeeze in to the door with all my strength.

Then inhale hard, exhale slowly, use the bone contraction method, and let the car door close. The car then swayed and bumped all the way towards the mountain.

Don’t worry about hurting others by crawling forward and backward due to inertia. The car is already so packed that there is no space at all, and the air is extremely hot. At most, everyone's heads would occasionally sway slightly together, back and forth, like a big magnet, firmly stuck there.

The terrain of the mountain is relatively high, and there is a short section of the road that is quite steep when approaching the top of the mountain. A fresh, cool mountain breeze drifted in through the car windows, and everyone was suddenly enlightened and inspired a lot. A smile suddenly appeared on his face, he was almost at the finish line and it was time to rush out of the cage.

Everyone was sweating profusely, but they felt relieved and much more relaxed. I quickly ran to my driving practice area, waited for the coach's daily sermon, and then lined up to practice one by one.

The coach has a bad personality, speaks rudely, and sometimes hits people. I have encountered this twice. Every time I just got on the bus and my sitting posture was too stiff, the instructor immediately slapped me twice on the back of my neck to remind me to relax, and I suddenly felt a stream of heat sliding across my skin.

I was shocked when Xueyou was sitting in the back row. But after a few seconds, I quickly adjusted my state, lost all my anger, and devoted myself to practice.

During the break, everyone was laughing and chatting. I am the oldest, and we are all a group of young people. They often said half-jokingly, half-angryly and in confusion: "Auntie, you are so old, why are you still here to suffer this kind of anger and sin? You are also beaten by the coach. How can you, a teacher, bear this? I heard that several All the teachers were scolded by the coach and were so angry that they left.

"

I smiled slightly, with a calm face and a firm expression, and said sincerely: "When you come here, you are a student. When you come to study, it is normal to suffer and be criticized. I'm a teacher and I understand. The coach also has good intentions, for ourselves. Driving is a life-threatening matter. The movements must be accurate and in place. You have to endure it if you can't bear it. Perseverance to the end is victory. There is no difficulty that cannot be overcome, and there is no mountain of flames that cannot be overcome. ”

The young people were convinced by my words and admired me very much. Every time they encountered setbacks during driving practice, they all thought of me and said that I could still bear it. They had Why should I be discouraged? I am very proud and happy that I have become a role model in their hearts.

I am definitely not as good as young people, and my movements are not very accurate. If they are good, they will let me practice several times in a row before they practice again; if they are good at skills, they will give me demonstrations and teach me after I ride in the car; they will communicate with me during breaks and point out my problems; they will help me cover and ask for short leave from the coach, etc. We formed a deep friendship and kept in touch.

Instead of going home at noon, we walked 2 miles downhill to the cafeteria to eat. After finishing the meal, I didn’t even bother to take a break, so I hurriedly dragged my heavy legs, panting and climbing back to the driving area under the scorching sun, wanting to seize the opportunity to practice some more at noon.

< p> Sometimes I ran back excitedly, but I didn’t get the car, so I had to sit on the narrow and long wooden bench and sigh. I would be exposed to the scorching sun.

I would lean on the armrests on both sides and squint for a while, unable to fall asleep. I often opened my tired eyes and looked at the blue sky in the distance. I was in a daze. The clouds seemed to have been burned away, the leaves were wilted, and the flowers were hidden in the leaves. Looking at the lazy classmates around me, I really couldn't cheer up.

The coach came in the afternoon, so everyone cheered up, drank a few sips of water, and prepared to practice driving. As soon as they sat in the car, they suddenly felt hot, and the bottom of their buttocks felt hot, like ants on a hot pot. There were beads of sweat, and even the steering wheel was sticky.

It was very uncomfortable at first, but I gradually got used to the heat of the sun and the human body. You have to spend money to practice again every day, and you have to work hard.

When I finished practicing, it was already late, so I took the car back home and washed my hands. Then I applied the after-sun repair cream on my face, and then I lay down on the sofa. I couldn’t get up anymore.

I remember that I came back early in the afternoon, and I didn’t have the energy to wash, so I just put on my clothes and lay down for the first time. I slept until the next morning and even bought dinner, but my husband couldn’t wake me up no matter how hard I screamed. The next day, my husband said it was really pitiful for me to be like that yesterday.

Once while we were practicing, the sky suddenly became thunderous, cloudy, and it began to rain heavily. We hurriedly ran to take shelter under the small canopy. Because there were so many people and the place was too small, we all got wet quickly. When we ran to a spacious place outside the gate, our shoes were all wet. Some were standing on the ground, some were standing on scrap wood, and some were standing on small stools. They all stared at the "beautiful act" of God. p>

A heavy downpour fell, and soon the courtyard was washed clean. It was like pouring water out. The water gurgled out along the slope and flew down again. .

The sky is getting more and more cloudy and dark. The heavy rain washed away the soil on both sides of the road. Looking down, one after another the yellow water flowed down, very fast. From time to time there was a loud thunder, and we were all frightened.

After about forty minutes, the rain became lighter, but it did not stop, and the sky did not light up much. The coach informed us that we were going home for the holidays, so we calmed down and prepared to take the bus. As a result, it rained heavily and the road was not easy to walk. There were very few cars coming up. There were only two cars waiting at the training point.

In the end, none of us managed to get in, so we walked helplessly through the mud, one step deeper and one shallower, to the bottom of the mountain. The white shoes have turned beige, and when I walk around, I feel like water is squeezing out from inside. Along the way, no one spoke much, only sighing occasionally.

One time when I was reversing, my rear wheel rubbed a little, but it was nothing. The coach blackmailed me for three hundred yuan, and my classmates also defended me, saying that this was the coach's responsibility and he should bear it. right.

I was quite unhappy, but the coach hinted to me several times that he had to pay for it. "People have to bow their heads when they are under the roof." I didn't care. I spent money to buy peace of mind. Maybe I could pass the exam smoothly.

I failed the second subject exam, which failed to fulfill my wish. But I was convinced that there was an obvious problem with the hill start operation, and I had to practice hard to get it right.

Later on, I was always the first to come and the last to leave; I would practice while others were resting; I would practice as much as I could, and I would never be lazy. Everyone saw it and praised me one after another. I.

Hard work pays off. The second time I completed the task exceptionally well, even the coach doubted his own eyes. There are many Jacky Friends who have failed many times. I am very lucky. Thank God! Thank yourself!

The training for the subject three road test is also very difficult. There are few shade places on the road. Everyone braves the scorching sun and sweats, waiting in line to practice. Even though he had a new coach, he was still anxious and fiery, and he was constantly sarcastic. He also wanted to take action, but he never hit me. Being scolded and beaten is commonplace these days, so it’s not surprising. In my mind, I just wanted to finish practicing and taking exams as soon as possible, and end this purgatory life as soon as possible.

There were substitute teachers on the road, and I spent money to learn it several times, and finally managed to figure out how to operate it.

The subject three exam was in the afternoon, and I was the last one. When it was my turn, it was almost dark, and the two examiners thought there was no one around. When they were about to collect the car, I hurried up and said anxiously: "I'm still here."

They were suspicious. He looked at me and asked in surprise: "Are you too?" I quickly responded twice.

The co-pilot was an examiner, sitting solemnly and with a serious face. There was also a deputy examiner sitting in the back row. From the rearview mirror, I saw that he also had a tigerish look on his face.

I suddenly became nervous, my heart kept beating "bang, bam, bam", and I started to operate it hurriedly. I did everything as required, except that I forgot a turn signal, and overall it was not very skillful and smooth.

I got out of the car disappointed and thought: "If it breaks down, I will definitely not be able to pass." Unexpectedly, the examiner closed the car door and said to me with a smile: "I see you are still learning to drive at such an old age. It’s not easy. You’ve passed.” At that time, I couldn’t believe my ears and asked, “Really?” The examiner seemed to see what I was thinking and said jokingly, “What, you still don’t believe it?” Want to take the test for the second time?”

I was speechless and kept saying, “No, no.” At the same time, I bowed to the two instructors solemnly and kept talking. Saying "Thank you, thank you..." Finally, the instructor smiled and said: "Just drive hard on the road from now on." He got into the car and left as fast as he could.

God has blessed me. I never dreamed that I would miraculously pass the road test in one go. On the way home, I felt so happy and happy.

Looking at my tanned face in the mirror, I said proudly: "This is the payment, this is the price. It has witnessed my hard journey of nearly two months. I have achieved what I have never achieved before." Something you dare to think about is worth it!" I suddenly felt filled with happiness and a sense of accomplishment.

After completing the fourth subject exam, I successfully obtained the long-awaited driver’s license. Thinking that I am already a real car driver, I feel excited and happy.

Then I bought a new car with a manual transmission. For safety reasons, it would not cause serious consequences if the wrong pedal is pressed like an automatic transmission, but it was really difficult to operate.

I also found someone to practice with me for another three weeks before I suddenly started on the road. I can't always rely on others and I have to get rid of the crutches.

Driving to work for the first time was a constant issue. Just when I was about to turn out of the gate of the community, I realized that there was a long traffic jam on the road. Suddenly I was startled, "thumped", and started to panic. "What should I do? Let's put it back in the car. It's already too late. Forget it, just hold on." I thought to myself.

Fortunately, the car slowly moved away, and I carefully turned the corner and drove into the traffic. After finally driving to a place with few cars, I felt relieved. Then the car suddenly made a loud and strange sound and slid for several meters. I quickly stepped on the brakes, saw that the gear was not in gear, and then hurriedly started again.

When we arrived at the entrance of the unit, it was uphill, and the test came again. It took me several attempts to start on the slope before I succeeded, and I slipped back a few times. Fortunately, there was no one behind me and no car.

After parking the car, I thought about how to drive back.

Every day in my operation, there was either one problem or another. I discovered it in time and searched for the cause online or asked others for advice.

After practicing this for several months, I was finally able to control it easily. It feels so easy now, why was it so difficult then? This is how practice makes perfect.

"Nothing is difficult in the world, as long as you are willing to climb." Success always belongs to those who are not afraid of difficulties, endure hardships, have a strong will, and never admit defeat or give up.

I am glad that I did it. I want to carry forward this spirit forever and achieve a wonderful second half of my life!