It was an early Summer Saturday morning and Dallas was driving along the East side of Tulsa, whistling to himself. As he was passing by the lot he noticed Johnny was already there.
"Hi Johnnycake," he greeted driving up closer.
"Hi Dal," Johnny replied.
"Spend the night out here?"
"Yeah," Johnny nodded, "they were fighting again. I just had to get out. Hey, can you give me a lift to the store?" Johnny added, "I'm out of cigarettes."
"Sure thing, get in."
They got to the store and Johnny got his cigarettes and got in the car.
"Hey I got an idea" Dally spoke up.
"What?"
"You are sixteen already. It's time you learned how to drive. I'm gonna teach you."
Johnny's eyes lit up, "Oh, that's a great idea Dal."
"Ok let's get to the lot and then I'll teach ya."
They got to the lot, and Dally told Johnny to get in the driver's seat, which he did, and grabbed the steering wheel. The car started to wobble.
"Hold it tight, control it," Dally instructed, "keep your foot on the gas." Johnny grabbed the wheel a little tighter, and the car stopped wobbling. Johnny kept going straight, passing the lot and for a few more blocks where the streets weren't busy.
"Now let's learn the turns," Dally instructed next. "Turn the steering wheel to the right two times and turn your signal on." Johnny did as instructed, and the car slowly turned to the right.
"Good," Dally commented. "Now let's pretend there's a stop sign. You are supposed to stop, look left and right, make sure there are no cars or people and then keep going. Pretend that this tree is a stop sign." Dally pointed at the tree. Johnny drove by, pressed the brake, looked left and right, then pressed on gas and kept going.
"Like this?" He asked hesitation in his voice.
"Yeah like this," Dally responded. "You are doing pretty good for first time," he added. "Now let me show you."
They switched seats, and Dally was now in the driver's seat. He started going straight, then pressed on the gas hard and started going really fast. "Now, that's what I call driving," he yelled. He then took his hands off the steering wheel while still pressing the gas. "Whada ya say huh Johnnycake?" Johnny was a little tense, but at the same time he was laughing.
"Now c'mon lemme try."
"Ok, ok" Dally said, and they switched seats again.
Johnny gripped the steering wheel really tight and pressed on the gas. "Can I go faster?" he asked Dally.
"Sure kid, go for it," Dal replied. Johnny pressed on the gas harder and started going faster.
"Good kid, keep it going," Dally commented. Johnny started going really fast. He was laughing. He liked going fast with the wind brushing against his face and messing up his hair.
"Now you are catching on," Dally chuckled. Then Johnny took one hand off the wheel, then another. The car turned abruptly and almost crashed into the tree. Johnny gasped grabbing the steering wheel.
"Easy kid, you ain't ready for shit like that yet," Dally said steadying the steering wheel.
"Sorry Dal, I guess I didn't think. I just wanted to try it."
"Don't' worry ya'll be just fine, you'll be able to do it in no time. Now let me show you how to back up."
Dally got in the driver's seat again, and started to back up. Then it was Johnny's turn. He started backing up, but then looked in the rear view mirror and saw a squirrel crossing the street. It was really close, almost under the rear wheels of the car. Johnny paled panicking.
"What is it?" Dal asked, then looked in the mirror. "Goddamit" he cursed while Johnny was frantically pressing on the brake. The car gave out a squeaking noise and stopped abruptly, making Dally and Johnny lean forward. Johnny hit his head against the steering wheel.
"Damn squirrel," Dally cursed again. "Are you ok Johnny?" Johnny nodded, rubbing his head. "I think I'm going to have a bump on my forehead, but I'm ok."
"Now keep going, backup." Dally prompted. Johnny managed to back up successfully.
"Now let's go on the main streets," Dallas suggested. Johnny hesitated for a moment, "do you think I'm ready?"
"As ready as you are going to be."
Johnny turned the car around, and soon enough they were driving along a pretty busy street. From time to time Dally gave Johnny some words of encouragement. Things like "you are doing good" or "keep it going."
They reached a busy intersection, and Johnny felt drops of sweat on his forehead. He slowed the speed down, and was just about to cross when a huge truck came out of nowhere. It was going in the direction of Johnny's car.
Johnny's eyes grew huge, and he grabbed the steering wheel tight. There wasn't enough space for the truck to pass.
"What do I do, Dally? What do I do?" he yelled.
"Shit," Dallas cursed, grabbing the steering wheel. He maneuvered the steering wheel while the truck was really close, the truck driver blowing his horn. Dally quickly turned the steering wheel again and was able to pass the truck by just a few inches. "Son of a bitch," he cursed loudly, "he should've seen our car before turning."
Johnny's hands were shaking badly, but he managed to drive off the main street and back into the lot. He was holding his breath, and now he finally exhaled. "Sorry Dal, I should've seen him too."
"There was no chance in hell you could've seen him. C'mon you had enough for one day. How 'bout I drive you to the Dairy Queen for some ice cream?"
"Sounds good," Johnny nodded.