The man harrumphed irately as the youth rushed into the facility.
"You're almost 30 minutes late, boy!"
Muttering his apologies, said youth stole a quick glance at the uncle as they turned around and walked towards the kancil. He was dressed in the customary blue shirt + slacks, looked about
As they trundled off to an unknown destination he thought idly to himself that if so inclined the uncle could stop at a deserted place somewhere, take out a parang and carve him up for the ants to pick over the remains... A passing fancy which hovered around his mind, dispersed and regrouped itself when the uncle really did drive up to a desolate area, the stretch of road which meandered down to the perkampungan. All such morbid thoughts were banished however, when the instructor instructed him to get down and switch places with him.
After the switch, the youth couldn't hide a quick grin as he got into the seat. A tiny wave of expectation rippled over him. A thought flashed through his mind like the sun on a new pair of Oakleys:
HE WAS FINALLY GOING TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE.
....Then he sat there stoning for about a minute before realising the instructor was waiting for him to do the peripheral once-over before lift off. His mind was a blank as he tried to remember the sequence...was it wipers first or signal lights? He sat there thinking for a moment, but no help from his sleep-deprived cranium was forthcoming. In the end, he just clicked, pressed, prodded & adjusted every single dial and switch within his VFD, while attempting to do so in a most deceptively matter-of-fact manner.
After the instructor ticked his last box, he told the newbie to start the engine. With trepidation, he did as instructed. With mounting excitement, he pushed tentatively down on the accelerator, and --
With a jerk, the engine stopped abruptly.
"How," The instructor snapped, "do you expect to move without even putting the gearstick into first gear?"
....Then he sat there stoning for about a minute before realising the instructor was waiting for him to do the peripheral once-over before lift off. His mind was a blank as he tried to remember the sequence...was it wipers first or signal lights? He sat there thinking for a moment, but no help from his sleep-deprived cranium was forthcoming. In the end, he just clicked, pressed, prodded & adjusted every single dial and switch within his VFD, while attempting to do so in a most deceptively matter-of-fact manner.
After the instructor ticked his last box, he told the newbie to start the engine. With trepidation, he did as instructed. With mounting excitement, he pushed tentatively down on the accelerator, and --
With a jerk, the engine stopped abruptly.
"How," The instructor snapped, "do you expect to move without even putting the gearstick into first gear?"
The uncle rolled his eyes in derision of the young and completely blur driver beside him. He couldn't have been less amused if a skunk had been stuffed down his pants. With an apologetic grin, the noob depressed the cluth, went into 1st gear and tried again. This time, the engine revved up and roared, and under the tutelage of Uncle Instructor, the boy gradually let go of the clutch, pressing down on the accelerator at the same time.
With a jerk, the tiny car leapt forward ala Herbie. They were halfway down the track before it finally sank in.
I'M FINALLY DRIVING! (He crowed.)
* * * * *
And the rest, as they say, is History.
