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
“When you’re ready for the Indy 500, we’ll talk about heel-toe. Right now, we just want to get to the grocery store. So, to put it in gear, you push in the clutch with your left foot, and hold back with your right.” I made the motions with my hands.
He still had the clutch depressed from when I showed him how to move the gearshift around. “Got it.”
“Now put it in first.”
He put it in first.
“Now you’re going to slowly ease off the clutch at the same time as you give the car some gas.”
“Both at the same time?”
“That’s how it’s done. Haven’t you ever watched Charlene do this in her car?”
“If I’m looking at her legs, it’s not for that reason.”
I grinned at him. “I hear ya. Give it a try.”
Jeremy took a deep breath. He let the clutch out too quickly before giving the car some gas. It bucked and stalled.
“Oh, shit,” he said.
“It’s okay. So press down the clutch, turn back the key and start us up again.”
He got the engine going. I told him to repeat the procedure, and again the car bucked suddenly and died.
“I can’t do this,” he said. “I can’t.”
“When my dad was teaching me stick,” I said, “I nearly destroyed the car before I got it right. It’s hard at first, but once you get the hang of it, you never forget.”
“Like riding a bike?” he asked.
“Like that,” I said.
Another deep breath. He started the car again. And again he let off the clutch too quickly and the car died.
“I’m wasting our time,” he said.
“You got someplace to be?” I asked.
So he started the car again. Let out the clutch more slowly, feathered the gas. The car bucked, but it did not stall. We were moving.
“I did it!” he said.
The car, still in first, was whining loudly. It was screaming to go to the next gear.
“You did,” I agreed. “Now you have to get it in second.”
“Oh, fuck,” Jeremy said. He looked terrified.
“It’s okay. This part’s easier because we’re moving. Clutch in, foot off the gas.” I glanced over, saw that his feet were in the right position. “Now pull the stick straight back and toward you.”
He tried, but he let the clutch out too quickly and there was a horrible grinding sound.
“Jesus!” he shouted.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, just push the clutch back in and we’ll try it again. Okay. Clutch stays in, pull the shifter straight back. That’s it. Now ease out the clutch and give it some gas.”