Driving

“Mom, can I drive the car?” I asked as politely as possible. “Of course not,” she said as if she was amused but then added, “don’t be ridiculous!” “Awe, come on Mom, please!” I said in a very whining voice. Conversations like this were common at my house. I was always asking my mom if I could drive and she was always saying no. Then one day she surprised me. We went golfing and she said I could have a turn driving the golf cart. I was thrilled.

Of course, my little brother was with us and he wanted a turn too - mom said, he could go first. I tried to be patient but his turn felt like it was taking forever. Finally it was my turn. Though I had never driven a golf cart before (or anything else for that matter) I thought I knew what to do.

I eagerly jumped into the seat and looked around. Hu? This wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. I looked down and saw what I thought was the gas pedal- I decided that was a good place to start. I hit the pedal and we shot off down the path.

We tore past fearfully looking golfers and narrowly missed a large oak tree. I had hardly caught my breath before a flying golf ball whizzed past the windshield. Just then I noticed a sharp turn ahead. I tugged on the steering wheel but the golf cart did not move. The curve was approaching fast and I was feeling scared. I pulled hard to the right- and just in time too. We flew around the curve. And though mom was holding on for dear life- she nearly flew out of the cart.

Mom yelled at me to stop, so I pressed on the brake. But to my surprise we started moving faster and faster. At first I could not figure out why but then it occurred to me… the brake was on the left and I had pushed hard on the pedal to the right. I pushed the pedal on the left and we came to a screeching halt. Man, I really wish golf carts had airbags - I think mom did too.

We stumbled from the golf cart and tried to recover. We turned in the keys and headed to the car. I guess mom didn’t realize how much fun we had because she refused to let me drive home. And I guess I’m kind of glad because driving isn’t as easy as it looks- even though it is lots of fun!