Chapters (68)
- Dedication
- Title Page
- Contents
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Copyright
“Okay,” I said. “But some day, you’ll get that license back, and you don’t want to lose your skills. As for the stick, that’s no big deal. I can teach you in seconds.”
I could see fear in his face again.
“I don’t know.”
“Look,” I said, pointing down the road. “It’s deserted. There’s no one around. It’s the perfect place for a lesson.”
He bit his lip, still thinking it over. “I’ve never really been into cars. I mean, I liked it when I could drive one, but I’m not some guy who wants to go tearing around a race track or anything.”
I wasn’t going to force him to do anything he didn’t want to do. “Okay.”
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said. “If I’m not into cars, why’d I want to mess around with that Porsche?”
I said nothing.
“I was just goofing around. In fact, it was Sian who said, like, wow, what a neat car. So I kind of went along, like I was interested. It’s not like I’m blaming her or anything. I’m just explaining.”
“Sure,” I said.
I put the Honda in first and was easing off the clutch and giving it some gas when Jeremy said, “Okay.”
I stopped the car. “Okay?”
He shrugged. “I guess I could give it a try.”
“Great.” We opened our doors. He walked around the front of the car as I walked around the back. Having traded seats, we closed our respective doors. I buckled my seat belt and waited for Jeremy to buckle his.
“Do you know the principle of driving a standard?” I asked him.
“Not really. I mean, I’ve watched Charlene do it. I think she’s the only one I know who even knows how to drive one. She told me that in Europe and England and stuff, that’s pretty much what everyone drives, but hardly anyone does here.”
“Okay. First thing we do is get comfortable with the gearshift. Shove down the clutch with your left foot, yeah, that’s right, and leave it there. Now, grab the gearshift, pull it ever so slightly to you and forward. Good, that’s first. Straight back and toward you, that’s second.”
He moved the stick back and forth, getting the feel of it.
“Straight up the middle, that’s third. Back is fourth, up to the right is fifth. Yeah, that’s good.”
“What about reverse?”
“We’ll worry about reverse later. Now, how to shift gears.” I raised my palms, moving them back and forth in an alternating fashion. “So my left hand, that’s your left foot. All it worries about is the clutch. My right hand is your right foot, and it handles the gas and the brake.”
“How do you heel-toe? I’ve heard about that.”