Notes: Sorry, guys—the next chapter of "Monsters" was done but then I rewrote it twice and now I have to edit it, but I swear it's almost ready for posting now. In the meantime, I had the idea for this little ficlet.
Behind the Wheel
rosabelle
"Um." Rusty stared out across the empty parking lot, the steering wheel slick beneath his damp palms. "Are you sure about this? I would be perfectly happy going to driving school."
"The drivers those schools turn out are a menace to society," Sharon told him. "I taught both my children to be excellent drivers. You'll be fine."
She gave him an encouraging nod, but it didn't escape his notice that she was doing that nervous thing with her hands, the one where she rubbed her thumb along the tips of her other fingers.
"It's just—" He turned to look at her. "Are you sure?"
She motioned his eyes back towards the windows. "Start the car, Rusty."
He tried not to flinch when the car shuddered to life. "What do I do now?"
"You tell me," Sharon said calmly.
"Um." Rusty glanced at the dashboard. "The car is in park."
"Correct."
He reached for the gear shift.
She tapped a finger against the back of his wrist. "What do you do first?"
"Oh," he said, laughing nervously. "Right. Foot on the brake."
Sharon hummed her approval. "What next?"
"Release the parking brake?"
She nodded.
"Okay." Rusty sat back in his seat, clutching the wheel with both hands. He checked the mirrors and saw no one. "Should I go?"
"When I'm done speaking, this is what I want you to do," she told him. "Put the car into drive and gently—gently—press down on the accelerator. Double check your mirrors before you do. Okay?"
He nodded, and tried very hard not to think about how upset she would be when he crashed.
When he shifted into drive and eased up on the brake, the car inched forwards under its own momentum. Swallowing, Rusty touched his foot to the accelerator. Nothing happened. He pressed a little harder.
The car shot forward. He yelped in surprise and panicked, stomping down on the brake and the sudden ensuing stop threw him into his seatbelt.
Beside him, Sharon was cringing.
"That was... a start," she said, curling her fingers around her seatbelt strap.
"You are such a liar."
"I was very careful not to lie. That was a start. You'll get better."
Releasing a deep breath, Rusty eyed the wheel uncertainly.
"If you feel truly unready," she said, "we can come back next week. There's plenty of preparation we can do that doesn't involve you being behind the wheel."
"You know, no one else had to memorize the entire driver's handbook and the manual for the car," he complained. He probably should've expected that, given that he was talking about the queen of following rules and proper protocol, but it was still entirely unfair.
"And that's why no one else will be as good a driver as you." Sharon laid her hand on his shoulder, gently nudging him forward. "Come on. Try it again."