[Image by Atlantic Training CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons]

Scene 6: The Test

Over the summer, Karen completed her Driver’s Ed course and practiced driving every chance she had. Mama felt so confident in her daughter’s abilities that she had Karen drive whenever she needed to run an errand. So, driving the two of them from Topanga Canyon to Culver City was fairly routine for Karen. What was not routine was driving to the DMV to take her driver’s license test. 

As she drove, her mind churned about the written test. She knew she could pass the driving part, but was not sure about memorizing the questions in the pamphlet. After a few minutes of letting her imagination forecast failure, she took a deep breath. I can do this. I know the laws about driving, and even if I have to take extra time, I can pass the written test. With this affirmation, her mind stilled, and she breezed through both the written exam and the driving test. 

The short, chubby DMV clerk behind the counter pushed her curly brown hair out of her eyes, then smiled at Karen and said, “Here’s your temporary license. The permanent one will come by mail in about a month.” She slid Karen’s license over to her. For her, it was just another license. For Karen, it was a license to freedom. Karen picked it up, and her heart swelled. Beside her, Mama gasped.

Karen said, “Thank you,” but in her mind, she said much more. I did it! I knew I could pass the driving test, but I aced the written one, too. 

Mama threw her arms around Karen. “Mazel tov! My Krana Layala. You did it. You can drive, now. I always knew you could do this, but now it’s official.”

They hugged for a moment, then Karen brushed the tears of joy off her mother’s cheeks. “Come on, Mama, we’re holding up the line. Let’s go outside.”

She led her mother out through the plate glass door and onto the sidewalk. “Mama, you’re more excited than I am.”

Mama blinked back more tears of joy and dug into her purse. “You’d better put that license into your wallet, my Krana Layala. And here’s something to go with it.”

She lifted a sparkling silver key and dangled it in front of Karen’s eyes. Karen held out her hand, and Mama gently placed the key in her palm. It was attached to a key fob.

“Oh, Mama.” Now it was Karen’s turn to tear up. She held up the fob. “It’s a lavender flying horse. It’s Pegasus.”

“I knew you would pass the tests, but without him, none of this could ever have happened.”

Karen wrapped her arms around Mama and held her close. They hugged, sharing the joy of victory. After a few minutes, they stepped back, still smiling.

Karen raised her eyebrows and grinned. “May I offer you a ride home?”

Original text ©2023 by Karen Lynn-Chlup. All rights reserved.