Learning to Drive... Him Crazy

by Misty Malone

"I'm a police officer," he answered quietly.

  Her eyes opened wide as she said, "You're part of The Guard?"

  "The Guard?"

  "Sorry. That's what they call police officers in Ireland."

  "Have you recently moved here?"

  "No, I've been here since I was twelve."

  "You still have the strong accent. I thought maybe you were new to this country."

  "No, not really. And actually, there are very few things I still use the Irish names for. Police officers are one because my father was a member of The Guard." Alana grabbed her purse and a light sweater, and John opened the door. He took her elbow and escorted her out to his car. Still, he continued their conversation without interruption. "So your dad was a police officer in Ireland before you moved here?"

  "Yes, he was." She turned quiet for several moments before continuing. "But he got sick and died. We didn't really have any family left there, so when the company mum worked for opened up an office over here, they asked her if she'd come help run it, and here we are."

  John took her hand and gave it a squeeze, before opening the car door for her. "I'm sorry to hear about your dad. It must have been hard to lose your father when you were that young. It sounds like you were proud of him."

  "I was," she quickly answered. "And I loved him."

  He reached across her to snap her seatbelt. Then he walked around to the driver's side and did his own belt as well. "Then to move to another country had to have been challenging."

  "Yeah, it was a bit," she agreed. "But we made it."

  "That you did. You and your mother should be proud of yourselves."

  "We were." She gave him a brief smile, then she sobered again. "My mum was killed in an accident a couple years ago."

  He reached over to give her hand another squeeze. "It sounds to me like you've been through more than a lot of people experience in a lifetime. I'm really sorry, Alana."

  "I think things happen for a reason. I think my mum and pop missed each other tremendously, and now because of that accident, they're together again. I think that's why it happened after I was finished with college."

  John patted her hand, then started the engine. Alana was silent, as she tried to gather her thoughts. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head as though the simple action would also clear the air. "I shouldn't have burdened you with all that. I don't know what got into me. I don't normally tell people that, and here I am blurting it all out the moment I meet you. I'm sorry."

  He took his eyes off the road briefly as he gave her a sweet smile. "You don't have anything to apologize for, Alana. I've been told I'm a good listener, so anytime you want to talk, I'll be happy to listen. I take it as a compliment that you feel comfortable enough with me to tell me these things. I'm glad you did, I feel like I know you better now."

  "Will you tell me about yourself so I know you, too?"

  He pulled into the parking lot of a family restaurant. “Let's go in and order some dinner. Then I'll tell you anything you want to know."

  Alana approved of the restaurant he had chosen. It was nice, clean, and respectable, but not too expensive or romantic for a first date. She grabbed her purse to get out of the car, but was startled when he told her to wait. She looked over at him, but he got out of the car before she could ask why. He was at her door an instant later, opening it and helping her out. With his hand on her back, he led her into the restaurant. Almost immediately a hostess showed them to their table and John helped her with her chair.

  He sat down across from her and noticed her happy expression. "What's the smile for?"

  "You want the truth?"

  "Absolutely. I always want the truth," John said.

  He looked serious, rather stern, and she felt a tingle run through her. "I'm not exactly sure. I'm not used to such manners." Then she looked into his eyes, the smile replaced with sincerity. "But I like it."

  "Good. I'm glad you do, because my mother raised me this way and I'm not sure I could change now if I wanted to."

  "I hope you never do. Not many men have such manners any more."

  "I'm just an old fashioned man, I guess."

  "Nothing wrong with that," she said. "My friend, Kelli, says I was born about a hundred years late. She keeps telling me I need to catch up with the times."

  "It sounds like we might get along just fine," he said, with a hopeful look in his eyes.

  Over dinner he told her about himself, as he had promised. He said that while he was in college getting his criminal justice degree, he took the training to give driver's license examinations for the state, and worked there while in school. He still filled in for them now and then if they need help and it fit in with his schedule.

  She also learned that although he and his brother Cal grew up close by, their parents now lived in Arizona, which was better weather for their mother's arthritis. He'd always wanted to be a police officer, and hoped eventually to make detective.

  "So what do you do, Alana, and how have you survived living in Pennsylvania without a driver's license?"

  "I work for an event planner."

  "What do you do there?"

  "I answer phones and do the scheduling and miscellaneous things. To answer your other question, I take the bus or a cab everywhere I go. If I can ever manage to get my license, I'm going out on my own as an event planner."

  "A license is all that's holding you back?"

  "Yes. Marilyn, the lady I work for, is ready to retire. I think she would have already except for me. She lets me basically do it all except the legwork. You have to go and check on a lot of things in person, see what they look like, things like that, and pick things up and deliver them. I get everything set up, and she does the delivery and drop offs. We usually go together to look at the site and things."

  "So all you need is your license. How long have you been trying to get it?"

  "I graduated from college two years ago. I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn't have any money to buy a car, so I did the next best thing. I went to work for Marilyn."

  "That was a good idea."

  "I found this apartment that's close enough I can walk to work. It's a small apartment, but it's cheap enough that I've been able to save money for a car. Once I got enough for a down payment, I got my permit. My friend, Kelli, drove me there today and has been my licensed driver. She lets me use her car to practice, and to take my test. I've tried twice now, but you saw how it went."

  "Yeah, I did. Did Kelli teach you how to drive, or has someone else been working with you?"

  "That's part of my problem. Kelli's been trying, but she keeps saying she's no teacher, and I really appreciate her effort and she's my best friend and all, but she's right, she's not much of a teacher. She tells me what I did wrong after I did it instead of before."

  "That explains some of the things I had to count you down for today."

  "Probably. Like what?"

  "When you stopped at the stop sign, you were too far back. You need to stop closer to the intersection so you can see oncoming traffic better."

  "I was afraid the front of my car would be out in the intersection."

  "No, you need to be closer. That's where it helps to have someone telling you these things as you're learning. The same way with your turn signal. You turned them on too far back from where you were turning."

  "I did?"

  "Yes, you did."

  She thought a few moments before saying, "Then I could take the test a bunch of times and still not pass because those are things I didn't know I was doing wrong."

  "The other time you took the test and didn't pass, did the examiner tell you what you did wrong?"

  "Kind of. He said he took off for a couple of my turns, and the distance between me and another car."

  "Were you too close to it?"

  "I'm not sure. That's all he said. I was so nervous I didn't even think to ask him."

  John laid his hand over one of hers and asked, "Would you let me help you? We can take my car
out and I can work with you."

  "You would do that?"

  "If you'll let me."

  She grinned. "I guess a police officer that moonlights as a driver's license examiner should be qualified to teach me how to drive."

  He laughed and assured her, "I think I have the qualifications, if you'll trust me and let me help you."

  She looked at him, at the kindness she saw in his eyes and said, "I would very much appreciate your help."

  "Good. We'll set a time before I leave tonight."

  Chapter 2

  Two days after John and Alana met, he went to her apartment for her first driving lesson. It had been two long days! His thoughts kept returning to the saucy redhead, which wasn't really a safe idea, given the line of work he was in. Something about her had captured his attention. He knocked on her door and was surprised when he heard her yell, "Come on in."

  He tried the door and sure enough, it was unlocked. He opened it and went in. She peaked her head around the corner and smiled. "Sorry, I'm not quite ready. Make yourself at home. There's water or iced tea in the fridge if you want some. I'll hurry."

  "Take your time," he said patiently. "We're not in any hurry." He went into her living room and sat down on the couch. "Do you always leave your door unlocked, Alana?"

  "I lock it at night when I go to bed," she assured him. "Why?"

  "I want you to start locking it all the time, not just when you go to bed."

  She stuck her head around the corner again and looked at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"

  "I most certainly am," he assured her.

  "I'll be right back," she said as she ducked back into her bathroom.

  She emerged less than a minute later, wearing blue jeans and a pretty baby blue shirt that made her blue eyes sparkle. It was a very feminine shirt with lace trim, and he couldn't resist saying, "You look very pretty, Alana," he said, standing as she entered the room. "In my opinion too many women try hard not to look like a lady, and that's a shame. That's a pretty shirt and you look very nice in it."

  Alana's eyes grew, and she momentarily froze.

  "I'm sorry," he said. "That probably sounded very sexist, but I meant it as a compliment."

  She smiled. "Please, don't apologize. I took it as a compliment, and I agree with you. I'm a female and I like to dress like one. But it seems like these days women are supposed to either dress in some unisex type clothes, or slutty. I'm not too fond of either."

  "I could not agree more."

  "You are an old-fashioned man, aren't you?"

  "I am. I don't try to hide it. But I think you have some similar ideas and values, as well, don't you?"

  She blushed a bit, but admitted, "I do. I like how you open doors for me and things like that, and that's kind of old-fashioned these days."

  "Are you ready for an old-fashioned driving lesson?"

  "I am," she said, returning his grin. "Are your nerves ready?"

  "Absolutely. I've already ridden with you, you know."

  "I know. And you failed me."

  John chuckled as he led her out the door. "Let's see if we can't get you ready to take that test again and pass it."

  He helped her in the passenger's seat and started down the road. "Let's go out of town where there's not as much traffic to start off. We can go over some of the things you need to practice." He pulled over at an abandoned house and turned the car around for her before stopping and getting out so they could change seats. He made sure she knew where things were on his car, then talked to her about a few things she should try to remember. He then encouraged her to pull out onto the road, and she drove for about an hour.

  Finally he suggested she turn into a driveway just outside of town. When she'd shut the car off, he got out and was quickly at her door, helping her out.

  "Is this your house?" she asked.

  "No, it's my brother's. I borrowed his drill a couple days ago and I thought we could return it tonight, if that's okay with you?"

  "Sure. I'd like to meet your brother. Especially if he's as good looking as you." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she must have realized what she'd said, and stopped, standing still and hiding her face in her hands.

  He chuckled. "Honey, it's okay, you don't need to be embarrassed about that. I do thank you for the compliment. The bad news is no, he isn't as good-looking as me. Which is good," he added quickly, "because he's not seeing anyone right now, so if he were as good looking as me I'd have to worry about him trying to steal my pretty little lady."

  His words did exactly as he'd hoped and she looked up at him, smiling. He held her by her shoulders and leaned down and kissed her softly. He smiled at the startled look on her face, but was glad she didn't seem to object. "Let me get his drill out of the trunk and I'll introduce you to him," he said.

  John introduced Alana to Cal and the three visited for half an hour before John suggested they head back to her apartment before it got dark.

  John let Alana drive them back to her apartment, patiently telling her to move up a little at stop signs, or telling her when to turn her turn signals on. When she parked his car, they both felt good about their first driving lesson.

  As he opened her door and helped her out he said, "You did real well today, Alana. We'll have you ready to take your test soon if you keep this up."

  "Thank you, John. You told me things today I wasn't aware I was doing wrong."

  "Good. Now that you know, you can work on changing them." Once they were in her apartment he asked, "I don't want to rush things, but are you busy Friday night?"

  "No, I'm not."

  "How about dinner?"

  "That sounds good. It's supposed to be nice Friday."

  "Do you like mini golf?"

  "I've only done it a couple times, but I had a blast."

  "If it's going to be nice Friday, let's have dinner and then try our hand at mini golfing."

  "Ooh, I love it. What time?"

  "How about 6:00. Is that too early?"

  "No, that'll be fine."

  "We'll go somewhere casual for dinner, so dress to golf."

  "I'll be ready. I can't wait."

  He loved her eagerness. He told her goodnight and gave her another kiss, reminding her to lock her door when he left.

  The next night, Thursday, Cal stopped by John's house with a pizza, which they ate while watching a baseball game. When John's phone rang he glanced at it and said, "It's Alana. I'll be right back."

  He got up to answer it in the other room, while Cal kidded him about needing privacy. John came back in the room shortly, though, and said, "Come on, Cal, we have got to go."

  He picked up the remote and turned the television off and headed for the door. Cal was right behind him. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

  "Alana's with her friend Kelli, and Kelli's car won't start. They're over at the West End Shopping Center."

  "We better hurry," Cal said. "That's not a part of town I'd want a woman in after dark with a car that won't start."

  "My thoughts exactly. I wonder what they were doing over there this late."

  "My guess would be shopping," Cal said with a grin. "They probably weren't counting on being there this late, if the car would have started."

  "Yeah, I guess. I'm glad you're here, though. You're a better mechanic than I am, and two men in that area is a safer situation than one."

  "No argument there," Cal agreed. "Especially that I'm the better mechanic."

  John frowned over at his brother, who was smirking. The two of them had always been close growing up. John was only a year older than Cal, and although they kidded each other mercilessly at times, they had always had each other's back, and knew they always would.

  They pulled into the shopping center and found the girls. Both men straightened in their seats when they saw two men with the ladies. Alana and Kelli were obviously not comfortable with them. Cal pulled up close and both men quickly got out of his car. They'd taken it because it was parked beh
ind John's car.

  John went straight to Alana and asked, "Are you two all right?"

  Cal had gone over to stand next to Kelli. He was a little concerned when she moved over even closer to him. Sensing she was scared of the two men, he casually put an arm around Kelli's shoulder, pulling her next to him.

  Alana said, "I'm glad you got here, John. The car won't start."

  Looking at the two guys, who hadn't made any move to leave yet, John reached out a hand toward one of them and said, "Hi. I'm John Humphries. Thanks for keeping our ladies safe until we got here. We can handle it now."

  Both ladies looked at him like he was crazy, but the two men looked at John and Cal, who were both big men, not lacking for muscles, and the one shook hands with John and mumbled, "No problem." They turned and walked off, much to the relief of all four of them still standing by the car.

  Once they were out of sight, Cal introduced himself to Kelli. "I'm Cal Humphries, John's brother."

  "Nice to meet you, Cal. I'm Kelli Anderson, Alana's friend. Thanks for—"

  She stumbled a bit, turning red. Cal quickly said, "No problem. I'm glad they left easily."

  "Me, too," she answered quickly.

  Alana was explaining, "John, I'm glad you guys got here when you did. But they sure weren't keeping us safe, like you thought they were, though."

  "I never thought they were, honey. I had a pretty good idea what they were wanting when I first saw them and you guys looking scared. I just wanted them to leave, and I hoped that would get them to go without a problem."

  She gave him a hug as she said, "It worked. That was good thinking. Thank you for coming."

  "You're welcome. But I have to ask, what were you girls doing over here this time of night? This is not a neighborhood you should be in now."

  "There was a big shoe sale over here that we had to come to," Alana explained. "We thought we'd come over quick, then go back home before it got dark. Only the sale was better than we thought it would be and it took longer than we planned. Then we came out to leave and the car wouldn't start."

  Cal looked at the bags they were both carrying and said, "Well, it looks like you both found some shoes anyway."

  Kelli said, "Oh, these are all hers."