I spent a goodly portion of the weekend sitting in the passenger seat of our new car, pressing the sole of my shoe through a non-existent brake pedal. I’ve been getting the S.O. used to all the routes that she would have to drive to get to the store, the doctor, the cleaners etc. Normal people just use maps to figure these things out, but the S.O. has a horrible sense of direction and seems incapable of visualizing the spatial relationships of streets in her head.
Like most men, I hate not being in the drivers seat, particularly with a woman driving. Yes, it is a control issue and when I am at the wheel, I know I am in control of the vehicle and can keep my head on the swivel. Sitting on the right side of the car, I have to keep my head on a swivel still, but I cannot will that into the brain of the driver.
It has been about 12 years since I taught my son to drive, and over the objections of my ex I taught him on a stick shift-the same as my father taught me. I still think it is the best way to train to drive, in that it teaches you to be aware of what the car is doing, and to grasp the concept of doing more than one thing at a time.
Here of course that is just a non-existent hope. I took her on the Arsenal where the roads are long and straight and people at least obey the traffic rules. There is still a raw spot on the mat where my sole is pushing extra hard.
It is not that the S.O. is a bad driver-she is actually pretty careful and conscientious. It is just that she has not done a lot of it. Hell, she did not get a drivers licence at all till she was in her 30’s and decided to buy a car. And like most Japanese, she did not learn from a relative, but paid good money for a driving school. She was horrified when I pointed out that most Americans learn from their parents.
And in normal two lane operations she is fine. Problem is merging lanes, eludes her-yes they do it Japan, but the roads herd you better than they do here. And you don’t go as fast. Suffice it to say it has been something of a challenge.
Fortunately, Shopping Mall is not that clogged with traffic and I have been able to watch her get to and from the store that Sam Walton built and the bank-so we have that going for us. However unless she wants to be cooped up in the apartment watching Soap Operas she does not understand-there will have to be more effort on her part. It has been interesting because I have had to tell her where to go in Japanese, after telling her in English, before I was sure that she had comprehended what I said. And her English is pretty good. I suspect it is because she is nervous to be sure-but I’ve got to make her independent. They start work early and I will be gone most of the day every day.
Besides, I would really not like for this to happen:
“MG, I’ll wash you and wax you! If some Chevy smacks you-I’ll die, MG!” (sung to the tune of Born Free).