The Lesson to Drive (Part 3)

About the car

Part 3

The Lesson to Drive.

“We’ve all acquired some education

A bit of this a bit of that…"

( Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin)

***

But skills obtained in driving lesson

Can’t be compared with none of that...

... Let me tell you, the driving lesson that I once gave to my wife Lily… I promise, no one ever has had.

***

We just came to America, with no language, no skills, no money.

Our America turned out to be happening in Des Moines, Iowa. It was not a very big city in the middle of a very big country. There were no skyscrapers, no heavy traffic or street hustle there. Life proceeded gradually and mostly kinda slowly. The roads ran across the countryside through the cornfields. The daily traffic was dominated by the good old ladies with the silver, neatly done curly hairdo driving big plushie cars. Many of them managed to keep little fluffy dogs right on the dashboard while driving. The rest of the local folks were at work or school. It was a typical suburban country life.

We had almost nothing to our name at that time. Our possession consisted of the clothes we wore and some donated furniture. But the car was already there for us. It was a loaner provided for us by the local Jewish charities. It was given to us temporarily, as the first and only means of transportation.

The car was as old as the time of the forty-nine cents per gallon gas at the full-service pump. That would be for everyone. For us, however, it was very new. Strange buttons, little lights, and control levers were sticking out here and there. It was surprising and interesting.

We liked this car very much, especially because, as I discovered, it only needed one button, one steering wheel, one lever, and two pedals to drive. The rest of the tools turned out to be an excess of a visible luxury. The luxury that an immigrant from the USSR, like myself couldn’t avoid envy, even though to envy something wasn't right.

I got used to a small-town American driving quickly, and after three days of practicing, I decided to teach it to Lily, as it seemed to me at that time, not a very difficult craft.

We already knew all the best and needed home safety rules and reasons by heart. We thought that we knew. Therefore we couldn't leave our three-year-old son at home alone we took him to the grandparents. And went to look for a deserted street suitable for a driving lesson. A street like that wasn't hard to find in the area, actually.

There were many such streets in the neighborhood. Most of them did not even have sidewalks because of the complete absence of pedestrians.

On one of these streets, I stopped the car, and we swiftly changed places. The car was so big that we didn’t even have to get out. I just slid to the right, and Lily moved over me to the left.

She sat back, looked at herself in the mirror, straightened her hair, checked the lipstick, eyelashes, shades, and then pressed that one button she needed to press. And so we were off.

“Well, look how great you’re doing,” I said.

***

Lily drove the car seriously and thoughtfully, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. The driving position of the ten and two was definitely her style, as for most people in her situation.

Everything was going well, but suddenly a police car casually drove past us. A smiling man in a grey uniform slowed down the car, stopped, and waved at us.

We were not yet used to the sight of a smiling police officer.

The ones we knew when we lived on the other side of the Iron Curtain contained a totally different attitude. We despised them, called them names loaded with very different unforgiving and strong expressions. Their smiles were rare and never meant well to us.

"Maybe we should stop for today," Lily suggested. She wasn’t hiding her excitement.

"We’re just getting started," I said.

"Let’s go around the block. Just one more time. See, the police have already gone. We have nothing to fear," I continue.

"It’s easy for you to say, I’m the one driving," Lily said, biting her lip and continuing her slow but very careful action of moving forward.

"Pay attention! There will be an intersection soon. Get ready. We’ll turn to the right. Pull this lever down and the turn signal will start to flash... Come on, slow down..." I carefully followed each and every step she took.

Lily slowed down, and the car very obediently came to the right turn.

We were already at the intersection when the police car passed us again, and we both felt uneasy.

"What’s he doing here,” I said.

"Let’s finish for today. Bring your turn to the end, push the brake pedal, and stop, please. Start now. Put on the brakes."

Lily finished the turn with trembling hands and pressed the pedal with the clear intention of stopping. She really wanted to end this hassle, at least for that first day of driving.

Suddenly the car roared. And then, without warning, as for some unknown to us reason, the car had a mind of its own, it rushed forward.

The trembling vehicle reached the speed at which I have never driven before.

"Put on the brakes! " I screamed.

" I’m pushing, that pedal isn't going down anymore! It is on the floor already! " Lily exclaimed.

"That’s the wrong pedal!" I shouted.

" Change your legs!"

"What?!?... What is wrong with my legs? What do you want me to do?" Lily shouted nervously in panic.

***

Far ahead, I quickly noticed a small compact car parked neatly at the edge of the road. A safe distance separated us. But that distance was shrinking really fast. I would say, unacceptably fast.

Instantly, I took the one last step I thought could save our situation from impending tragedy.

I dived. Yes, I literally dived all the way to the floor of the car.

The car’s floor was covered with a plush carpet and smelled a bit faintly of cigarette smoke and our favorite, the Three Musketeers candy bars. I grabbed Lily’s legs and tried to pull them off the gas pedal. I pressed my head down against the brake pedal and pushed as hard as I could. It was harder than I’d expected, though I didn’t have time to contemplate.

I pushed harder.

Soon I heard an incomprehensible screeching sound and realized that we had finally stopped. Excited and tired from the fight, I relaxed on the floor at Lily’s feet. It was over! - I thought reluctantly.

Suddenly I heard strange voices. Those were coming from the top, through the hem of the Lily dress. It was from under that dress I saw unfamiliar faces peering with interest through the window of our car.

"Vee Keym from Rusha," I said, clearly in what I thought was very good English.

I was peeking out from under the hem of Lily's dress and squeezing my head between her still clenched knees. The brake pedal clearly imprinted the brand name of the Chevrolet on my forehead... Everyone could read, red and blue Chev... on it. Everyone was silent.

"I Teach how Drive Goot School," I continued affirmatively, poking my head out from under Lily's legs.

There was an incomprehensible silence.

" Do u Spek English?" I asked again and explained

" Vee Keym Frome Rusha, Yu understand?"

The incomprehensible silence was replaced by an uncontrolled burst of laughter, so much so that even our car got rocked.

"They're laughing, so it's all right," I said, holding my forehead and getting out from under Lily's dress.

For some reason, Lily was silent, white in her face, and did not share my optimism at all.

Through the windshield, she has seen everything I'd missed during my strenuous sessions with her unruly legs and pedals at the bottom of the car.

I looked out of the window and was taken aback. My optimism was instantly lost in the fear of confusion and not understanding.

"How did we get here? " I asked quietly.

"It wasn't me," Lily whispered… " The car did this by itself..."

***

We were standing on top of a green grassy hill. The road remained somewhere down at the bottom of that hill. There was a small car hanged on the front bumper of our car. It would be like a misfortunate antelope on the horn of an African rhinoceros. It was the same small compact car that just recently had been so neatly parked at the curb of the very road we drove down below.

Obviously, we picked it up and managed to get up to the top of the hill.

All this happened when a family of some local folks gathered at that very hill for a dinner. The special dinner was dedicated to the admission of their son to a College. It was him, who arrived in this compact car and parked it so neatly at the bottom of that very hill.

You can imagine the parents' surprise when the car was served to the festive table immediately after their son's arrival!

"To some extent, this was a good thing. A very special thing," I was thinking. "After all, this car was a parent's gift!"

Lily and I got out in silence and stood guiltily on the grass next to the car. Several big guys, from the family, picked up the car hooked to the bumper and put it down on the ground.

" Ve Keym From Rusha, Vee Lern driving..." I started again trying to explain the situation.

"Ai, ... may hand, ... pedals ... her legs... vee..."

And I spread out my hands as I lost all of the English words I knew and didn't know what to say...

Everyone burst out in laughter again.

I smiled, too.

***

People were talking about something. I listened and strived to understand. Suddenly I heard a word that sounded like "Po-lis" to me. That word was most definitely used in the conversation!

I didn't want the police to be involved. When we were admitted to the USA an American consul explained to us that any breach of the law, any involvement with the police would entail immediate deportation.

"No Po-lis. Don't. Plis," I whispered

I felt a cold stream of sweat slowly trickle down my back. It was very hot in Iowa in July, but I wasn't sweating because of the heat.

Meanwhile, the police officer was already climbing the edge of the hill to the scene of the alleged accident.

"You keep quiet," I told to Lily. "I'll take care of it. I always do it!"

Lily was already silent, even without my warning.

The officer began questioning witnesses about what happened. People started telling him all of the details and everyone started laughing again.

"I think it's going to be all right," I said to Lily. "They're laughing."

"I am not sure. Look, he is coming here..." she replied.

The police officer approached us:

"Are you really from Russia?" asked the officer,

" License and registration, please."

"Not from Russia. Vee are not. Vee frome Latvia. Latvia differente, u understand ," and I handed him my entire wallet.

"Teik Yu need, plis. Yu want, yu take. License, money, dokumenti."

"Do you have proof of insurance, please," the policeman asked me again.

***

I understood most of what the policeman was saying. I was very happy with my so recently obtained English speaking skills. It was to the point, that I even was proud of it, but not completely. My dictionary was limited, and there were a few words that I didn't recognize. I didn't know the English word 'insurance', that apparently was very important.

" What could that be?" That question was bouncing in my head.

The policeman went on and on, about insurance, ... and insurance...

"What this 'insurance' does and why it is so necessary for him to get it out of me?" I looked around wondering. I had no clue.

I thought that everything was already fine, but suddenly the police officer invited me to his car.

At that point, I realized that this was " la finita, the end!" and it wasn't the happy one.

"Don't be afraid, I'll tell him it was me who drove our car," - I whispered quickly to Lily in Russian.

"I'll take care of it ..., and then I'll get out of it somehow. I always do, you know... You take care of Mark… Okay. ... Remember, I love you..."

***

Big teardrops welled up in Lily's big eyes. She tried to keep herself together, but she was just about to break down sobbing.

I turned toward the policeman, lower my head down, so I would look guilty, and said confidently:

"Yu go. I drive!"

My not yet fully developed English, existed in the present tense only. I meant: "I will go with you. It was I who was driving."

But it came up, as: "Yu go. I drive!"

" Nobody is driving anywhere!" the policeman said irritably and offered me a seat in the back of the police car. I agreed, got inside, sat down, repeating, " I drive, I drive..."

All I wanted to say, that was me who drove the car. It was I who should go to jail. I'll take the punishment. Just let my wife go...

But all that was coming out was,

• I drive, I drive...

The policeman gave me a strange look and shut the car door.

I understood that I was arrested already and therefore was accused of the crime I have committed. I close my eyes.

"That was like in the old country of the USSR. You would become guilty from the moment the policemen detained you." I thought

I remembered how I was arrested for the first time there. I was only fourteen then. I was walking my dog out in the company of another kid. The police grabbed us on the street and placed in a holding cell overnight, trying to frame as into the crime of motorcycle theft. They held us separately, me and a dog in one cell and my friend in another. They interrogated us with intimidation trying to break us into admitting the guilt. In the morning they let us go, realizing that none of us, dog especially, knew how to ride a motorcycle. They already held somebody else instead.

I remember my mom was terrified...

So many things have happened since...

And now my destiny repeating itself...

Once again...

Here in the free country...

And now...

I was separated from the world of freedom.

The bright and beautiful American freedom, all of it left me behind when the police officer shut that police car's door behind me.

I opened my eyes and looked through the window. I saw the world from behind the parallel lines of the black iron bars on the police car window.

In the USSR those were in a criss-cross pattern, but just parallel bars here... Two lines of iron bars... Like a road to nowhere.

What really would be the difference, if the freedom has gone!?

Up through the bars, I saw Lily. She was on the top of the hill. She looked down at me and her shoulders shook. People standing around tried to calm her down.

"They are good people, those Americans. After all, they have suffered because of us, but yet they are acting so comforting...," I thought.

" And all of that was happened because of some lesson to drive that I decided to give to my wife."

I remembered well how in Rome, we were given permission to enter the USA at the American Consulate. We were warned that any violation of the law could be a reason for expulsion from our future country.

"Can they really send me away?"- I reasoned, looking out through the lines of the police car window bars.

"And if they do, where would I be going to be sent?..."

The police officer, meanwhile, had a long conversation with someone on the phone that was right at the front seat of his car.

"Hah, he got a phone right in the car. How awesome! " I thought.

Suddenly policeman hung up, grunted, got out of the car, walked around the vehicle, opened my door, and asked me to get out.

" Everything is good, you can go now." He said smiling.

I couldn't hear his voice anymore. I already ran toward Lily up the green grassy hill, and she ran down the hill toward me.

We met on the green grass of this ill-fated hill.

We looked at each other and hugged.

The big and bright American freedom, that seemed to be so fragile just a minute ago, came back to us.

The people cheered from the top of the hill and we walked up to them happily holding hands.

They even invited us to join them for so suddenly interrupted dinner, but we politely declined.

The policeman looked at us again and shouted, laughing:

"Hey, You, "I drive mother Russia", have a good day! Be careful, my friend!"

We went home almost speechless.

" So many things we don't know yet in this country," said Lily.

" At first, I need to find what the meaning of the word insurance is," I replied.

Needless to say, I was the one who drove the car. In fact, it was only me who drove the car for a long long time. Lily did not get behind the wheel for the next three years until we moved to another city. She never asked me to teach her how to drive again, and I never dare to offer...

On Fri, Nov. 13, 2020, at 1:39 AM ALEX MIRSKY <amirsky52@gmail.com> Alex Mirsky wrote