Drive Time

I couldn't wait to get my license.
My sister had tried to teach me how to drive stick at 14 but I just couldn't get the clutch/shift timing down...oh and there was the time I drove by the cop while trying to get out of 1st. That was fun!

But I couldn't wait.
So I didn't.

From 14 forward whenever I was home alone and there was a car available I would take the car and disappear down the country roads around my house. I would drive as fast as possible as far as possible until I had to turn around so I could make it home in time.
But before I would go home I'd go to the gas station and fill the tank up to the level it was at when I left so no one noticed the car had been used. I also got home early enough for the car to cool down before anyone thought to check it.

It was glorious.

One time I was driving through town and a cop pulled up behind me. Oh crap! He was pulling me over! I started to shake and had no idea what I was going to do. I just sat there freaking out trying to remain calm. He sidled up to my window as I rolled it down and said, "Yes, officer?" (and I may have batted my eyelashes a little bit....)
Thankfully he replied that he was just pulling me over because there had been a bad accident at the intersection ahead of me and the road was blocked. The last road to turn around on was just in front of me and he didn't want me to get stuck.
(PHEW!)

Another time I was at the gas station topping off the tank and accidentally shut the drivers side door. This was bad because the door stuck and often you weren't able to get back in at all.
This was also bad because I left the keys in the car and the passenger door was locked.
How was I going to explain being stuck at the gas station?!
Sometimes if you hit the handle just right you could get the door open and I stood there banging on the door and yanking on the handle for about 15 minutes before the door opened. Then I had to rush home and barely made it back in the house before mom pulled in from work.
Oh lordy!

But that still didn't dissuade me and I kept up my secret drives until they didn't have to be secret anymore.
I miss driving fast, windows open with the radio blaring. Well, I don't miss driving fast, I still do that.