Chapter 25: Becoming a Man

The Department of Motor Vehicles was crowded. The majority of people there were renewing their licenses, automobile registrations, and other activities typical at the DMV. Those people were easy to spot since they looked bored. A handful of people were there to get their Driver’s License. They were easy to spot since they looked nervous. It was obvious to anyone who was interested in watching people that Harry was one of those waiting to get his Driver’s License.

Stopping his nervous pacing, Harry asked, “What’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem. You’re waiting your turn for the road test. They probably have only one person doing it and you have to wait your turn,” Greg answered with a grin. Watching Harry brought back memories of when he had gotten his driver’s license. He’d been so nervous. He felt that if he had failed to get his license, then he wouldn’t be able to show his face at school. It was one thing to fail an English test, but quite another to fail the driver’s test.

“I hope I pass,” Harry said.

“I’m sure you will. Of course, you know that Jack isn’t going to let you drive Lisa until he’s convinced that you’re a safe driver,” Greg said. They were planning on taking him out to dinner in celebration and Lisa was going to be coming along. He had also invited her parents.

“I know,” Harry replied with an irritated frown.

“Hey, he’s a father. Let him protect his little girl,” Greg said noticing the frown and understanding the source of it.

“You wouldn’t do that with Cathy,” Harry said thinking it was unfair of Mr. McCullum to demand that he demonstrate his driving skills before letting Lisa ride with him.

“Oh, yes I would,” Greg answered.

“You’re kidding.”

“Not at all. The only reason that Cathy will be able to ride with you now is that you’ve already passed my driver’s test,” Greg said. He waved a hand in the direction of the other teenagers waiting for their test and said, “I don’t care if the state has given someone a driver’s license. I’m not letting a new driver have you or Cathy as a passenger until they’ve gone four months without an accident. The first twenty hours behind a wheel are the most dangerous for a new driver.”

“You’re including me in that restriction?” Harry asked in surprise.

“You bet,” Greg answered.

That his father was so protective of them was a surprise. He’d never thought about his parents putting restrictions on who he could ride with since he was among the first of his classmates to get a license. He asked, “So are you telling me that I can’t accept a ride from one of my friends without your permission?”

“I’m saying that I want to approve your friends’ driving skills before you accept a ride from them,” Greg said with an unusual firmness in his voice.

“I’m not sure that I like that,” Harry said.

“Why? You have a car and can drive to any place you and your friends want to go. It’s not like I’m saying that you can’t go with your friends,” Greg said.

“You’re not?”

“I can’t. Once you drive off, there’s not too much that I can do to stop you from driving wherever you want,” Greg said. He remembered the day when he had come to that realization for himself. Getting his driver’s license had been a day of freedom. It was a couple of days later when he realized the responsibility that he had accepted. He had been watching a television show in which there had been a car crash. Seeing it, he had realized that he was operating something that could take life.

“You could take my license away,” Harry said.

“Yes, I could,” Greg said in a very agreeable tone of voice. He looked at Harry for a moment with a knowing smile and then said, “Neither one of us wants that to happen.”

“True.”

“So you won’t do anything that would require me to take it away from you. Right?”

“I guess,” Harry said feeling that he was suddenly on very uncertain ground. He felt that his father was about to trick him into agreeing with something unpleasant. He remembered how his mother had effectively tricked him into keeping his room cleaner by having him take responsibility for washing his own clothes. He said, “You haven’t told me under what conditions you would take my license away.”

“What do you think would merit taking it away from you?”

Harry stared at his father curious about the direction the conversation was heading. He answered, “I suppose driving in an unsafe manner would be a reason.”

“Sounds good to me,” Greg said, “Anything else?”

“I guess if I’m not acting responsibly,” Harry said. Even as he said it, he knew that it was a pretty broad category that wasn’t well defined.

“How about we talk with Jack McCullum? I’m sure that he’d be able to come up with a bunch of activities that if you were to engage in them that it would warrant me taking your license,” Greg said with a wink.

The idea of letting Mr. McCullum have a say in if he had his license was a truly frightening thought. He was about to answer when Greg said, “They just called your name. Good luck.”

The next thirty minutes covered a range of emotions that Harry didn’t think was possible. There was the nervousness of waiting for the test followed by the slight panic when it came to be his turn. That was followed by the tension of driving the car through the course. Then there was the brief period of worry when he had finished the course and turned to check out the reaction of the man giving the test. That was followed by the excitement of learning that he had passed. Telling his father that he had passed had been a moment of pride. The final DMV experience of waiting in line to get his picture taken had carried him through impatience at standing in line, irritation at the length of the wait, and relief when he finally had his license in his hand.

Greg had watched Harry go through the emotions with a grin. He remembered almost every detail of the day he had first gotten his driver’s license. The emotional roller coaster that he had experienced seemed to match Harry’s experience. Putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder, Greg said, “I’m proud of you son. In a way, this is the day you become a real man. It is the day when you start taking responsibility for your life.”

“I thought that a guy became a man when he first has sex with a woman,” Harry said looking at his father rather surprised by the announcement.

“That’s a different kind of thing altogether,” Greg said. He frowned for a second and then said, “There’s a big difference between the two. Having sex with a woman makes you feel like a man. Accepting responsibility for your actions is what makes you a man. Driving a car is a major responsibility.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that,” Harry said while walking beside his father to where he had parked the jeep. He couldn’t help but think that he would love to start feeling like a man with Lisa’s active participation. Still, he couldn’t deny that his father had a point.

Greg stopped by the passenger door of the jeep waiting for Harry to get in and unlock the door. Rather than opening the door, Harry stood beside the jeep lost in thought. Smiling, Greg was pleased that his words had such an effect on his son.

After a few seconds, he said, “Are you going to drive me home?”

“Oh, sorry,” Harry said feeling flustered. It was seldom that he drifted off like that. Looking over at his father, he said, “I was thinking about things.”

With the appropriate level of enthusiasm, Lisa let Harry know that she was proud that he had his driver’s license. Jack looked in a different direction feeling a little uneasy about the intimacy of her demonstration.

After Lisa had finished her demonstration of pride, Harry turned to look at Jack. In a respectful voice, he said, “My dad will drive Lisa to the restaurant. Would you like to ride with me?”

Looking at Harry, Jack was pleased that he hadn’t immediately asked if Lisa could ride with him. Nodding his head, he answered, “Sure. That would give us a nice chance to talk.”

Thinking about the kinds of things that her father could say to him, Harry swallowed before he said, “Yes, Sir.”

Harry had thought that driving with the man from the DMV in the passenger seat was nerve-racking, but that was nothing compared to having Jack seated next to him. Jack grunted when he cut a corner a little tight. He frowned when the speed was a little too slow or fast. He crossed his arms when he checked out the traffic on the street. When he finally reached the restaurant, Harry thought to himself, ‘I’ll never volunteer to drive him anywhere again.”

Jack frowned and looked at Harry when the young man had finished parking. He grunted and said, “You looked a little nervous there.”

“Yes, Sir,” Harry answered. His hands were so sweaty that he was having difficulty holding onto the steering wheel.

“You did all right.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Harry said relaxing a little.

“Practice driving for another week and then I think you’ll be safe enough to take Lisa with you on a date,” Jack said watching Harry carefully.

“Yes, Sir,” Harry said sitting up a little straighter. He hadn’t been expecting that.

“If you ever drive with her after drinking booze, I’ll cut your balls off and feed them to you raw. Do you understand me?” Jack said looking Harry straight in the eye. There wasn’t a smile on his face when he said it.

“Yes, Sir,” Harry answered wide-eyed and fully believing the threat. If there was one thing he was sure of, he didn’t want to find out what raw balls would taste like ... especially his own!