Kitty cheered. “She’s moving!”
With renewed confidence, I tried switching to second gear and the truck stalled.
Kitty winced. “Okay, but still, it was better than last time..”
Mom appeared in the doorway then, wrapped in a coat she hadn’t bothered to button. “What is all this noise?”
“I’m learning to drive a stick shift,” I said, projecting calm I did not feel.
Mom’s hand flew to her chest. “In the parking lot?”
“Yes.”
“Right now?”
“Yes.”
“With that truck?”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “Why? The last time you borrowed a car it came back with a dent in the bumper.”
“Because the parade is coming up. We need a float. And this is the solution,” I resolutely told her.
Mom opened her eyes and stared at the truck like it had personally offended her. “It sounds angry.”
“It’s old,” Dad calmly mentioned.
“That’s not comforting,” she replied.
Jane stepped closer. “You’re doing really well.”
“I am not,” I said, stalling again.
Lucy came out then, drawn by the noise and the gathering crowd. She stopped short when she took in the scene: the truck, the sisters, my mother, me gripping the steering wheel like it was the only thing tethering me to reality.
She smiled slowly.
“Oh,” she said. “This is happening.”
“Do not say anything,” I warned.
Lucy leaned against the railing, folding her arms. “I won’t. I’ll just… observe.”
Kitty turned to her immediately. “She keeps stalling.”
Lucy nodded. “Yes, that’s what learning looks like.”
Mom waved her hand. “She should stop. This is stressful. What if she hits a parked car.”
“She’s never hit a car yet. Objects absolutely, but not a car,” Lucy glanced at me. “Do you want to stop?”
“No,” I said, tightening my hands on the steering wheel.
Lucy shrugged. “Then she shouldn’t stop.”
I smiled despite myself.
