first driving lesson

We were sitting in the car, parked at the curb. Instructor in the passenger's seat, me on the wheel. Engine running. I took a long look at my surroundings: the buttons, the dashboard, the mirrors, the stick shift, and the steering wheel right in front of my chest. The instructor looked at me with a light smile and began to go over the fundamentals. I could tell that he has gone over this situation with many students before as he nonchalantly pointed out each and every feature in the car as if there wasn't anything special. In my case, it was a whole another experience since I've never sat down on the driver's seat in my entire life let alone feel the grip of a steering wheel in exception to those racing games at the arcade. 

"Buttons by your door adjusts the windows. Go ahead and test them out," he said. 

Whereupon I opened and closed the windows. 

"To your left of the wheel controls the winkers. Push it down to go left, up to go right."

Whereupon I followed suit and played with the controls. 

"The lever on the right controls the headlights and beams. Since we're driving during the day we don't need them now."

There was nothing I could do but nod, still startled that I was about to drive. 

"Now, by your feet is the brake and the axel. This is automatic so there's no clutch. Go ahead and have a feel for each of them."

Whereupon I did what was told, first pressing down on the brake. Then the axel. Since the gear was on P, the engine revved up and the car remained in place. Surprised that the axel was more sensitive than the brake, the engine revved pretty loudly. 

"Now you can see the difference between the two," he said with a smirk. "Ease up on the gas. Try again."

This time it was at a decent pace. 

"Good. Now grip on the steering wheel. Hands should be in a nine and three position," he said. "Then turn the steering wheel all the way to the left then all the way to the right. Make it one smooth motion."

Whereupon I did and it seemed to go well. All the while the engine was monotonously running, the car almost seeming as if it was begging to move.

"The center is the horn. Test it out."

I pressed against the center of the Toyota symbol with my index finger.

"It's not a button," he laughed. "Press along the center with your palm."

I did, and the car made a loud honk as it echoed through the block, faces from passersby immediately looking my way, an elderly woman jumped. 

He went over some other minor details about the car and then, we were ready.

"Let's buckle up and hit the road," he said, strapping his seatbelt on. 

My heart began to pound but I took a deep breath. My two hands were gripped tightly on the wheel, right foot lightly pressed on the brake. 

"Now shift to drive," he said.

I shifted the stick shift to drive, somehow released my foot off the brake, and the wheels started to go forward on their own. I pressed on the brake. 

"Look at your mirror and make sure no cars are coming behind. When you're ready start going."

I looked, and, before I knew it, I pressed on the axel and got out of the curb, driving. A gleam of sweat started to run down my temple as I couldn't believe that I was operating this car. My two eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, foot on the axel. I'm driving! 

The instructor all the while seemed pretty relaxed, not concerned about a thing. His seat was slightly reclined back. 

"Make sure you stop at the curb to that white line," he said. "Right now just focus on going straight."

I made sure to make no abrupt stops as I eased up on the gas when I was approaching a red light at the end of the block. It was a whole another feeling driving a car. You're in control. You're no longer a passenger. You're the pilot. 

A few blocks later, he told me to make a right turn. It was my first turn. I stared at the red traffic light in nervousness, afraid that it would turn green. Once it did, he told me to stop at the center of the intersection and wait for any incoming passersby and cars. I waited, and turned the steering wheel all the way and before I could say a word I managed to make a smooth turn. 

"Perfect," he said. "Not so bad was it?"

I let out a huge sigh in relief. 

After a few blocks and turns, I felt a little more relaxed. For some reason, though, my heart couldn't stop pounding rapidly. My face was still a little tense.

"Breathe," he said, laughing. "You're doing fine."

We drove along the neighborhood while he corrected some things for me every now and then. It was a scorching hot day in the high 90s thus there were no slippery roads or any other conditions I had to keep an eye out for in addition. 

While driving straight, the instructor said, "You're not half bad especially for a beginner who has never driven before."

"It's going better than I expected," I mumbled. "I guess those video games were not put to waste."

The more I thought about it, driving a car makes me feel as if I had never ever been in a car before. The feeling isn't the same. All the years I've been in the backseat or the passenger's seat, just staring outside the passing scenery, carefree. But when you're the driver, you gotta be able to go through a lot of technical procedures and pay attention to the road and make turns. My past impressions of being in a car has changed, in a good way of course. 

In the end I failed to pull over, the front wheels partially on the sidewalk. With total nonchalance, he took over the wheel and skillfully backed up correctly. Overall my first lesson was slightly petrifying yet exciting. It's fun, driving around when you're in control of the car. Well, many more lessons to come. I still have a ways to go.