"I don't bloody well see why I have to do this," Killian grumbled, tightening his one-handed grip on the steering wheel of Emma's yellow Bug.
Emma huffed in exasperation from her spot in the passenger seat, shifting to look at her companion. For the most part, Killian had adapted quite well to the technology in this realm. There were still things that sometimes left him perplexed, and he was grateful that Emma was typically patient and understanding with his lack of modern world savvy. The one thing he had not tackled as of yet, was learning to captain a land vessel, as he often called them. After some cajoling from Emma, a few attempts to convince him of the freedom driving would offer, and finally just flat telling him she was going to teach him, they found themselves sitting in an empty parking lot with Killian behind the wheel. He still had yet to even turn the car on and was sitting in the seat brooding.
"It's really not that big a deal," Emma rolled her eyes. "Think about it. You'll be able to get around quicker, you won't have to walk in the rain, you won't have to carry the groceries home…"
"Well is there not an easier vehicle for me to learn on?" he asked. "I don't know how you expect me to...shift...with one hand."
"You handled a giant pirate ship with one hand," she shrugged matter-of-factly. "I could teach you to drive on David's truck. But I won't. That's not driving, it's…like you trying to teach me to sail in a canoe."
"You can't be serious, love," he replied with a raised eyebrow, looking slightly offended at her comparison.
"Let's just take it one step at a time," she swatted the air. "Go ahead and turn the car on."
Killian sighed, shifting back to face front. He buckled his seatbelt and turned the key in the ignition like she'd shown him. Nothing happened.
"Put your foot on the clutch," Emma instructed.
Killian fumbled for a minute, trying to remember which foot pedal was which. Emma's first lesson came back to him; he pushed the far left pedal to the floor and turned the key again. The car lurched and sputtered and died.
"You forgot to hold the brake," Emma added. "Remember, clutch and brake at the same time."
Scowling and muttering curses under his breath, Killian white knuckled the steering wheel, adjusted himself in the seat and held in both pedals. This time when he turned the key the car started with no organ-jarring jerks. He gave a small smile, slightly satisfied with himself.
Emma gave him a pat on the thigh. "Now comes the fun part. Let's try and see if we can just do a straight line across the parking lot."
Nodding apprehensively, Killian made his first attempt to shift. Unfortunately he let go of the clutch and the car lurched and sputtered again, this time with a sickening grinding of the gears. Emma winced, silently hoping she wasn't going to need to replace her clutch or her transmission at the end of this. She gently reminded him to keep the clutch pushed in while shifting, and to ease off the brake slowly. Nodding, he tried again.
"Gas, gas, gas!" Emma instructed loudly as the car started moving with a bit of a sputter.
Killian jumped a bit at her tone, but managed to keep the car moving this time without stalling it out. Deciding that maybe just getting used to the pedals would be enough to start, she simply instructed Killian when to push the clutch and shifted the car herself from the passenger seat. They crept along, and when they neared the end of the parking lot, Killian turned them around.
"Nice, very nice," Emma nodded. "It's all you now, tiger." She sat back in her seat.
For a moment, Killian looked horrified, but then his brow furrowed in concentration and he turned his attention to the road in front of him. A few gentle reminders from Emma to listen to the engine and watch the speedometer to help him shift, and he was coasting along in another straight line. When it came time for another turn, he couldn't quite get the hang of maintaining control of the steering wheel with his hook, and shifting with his good hand. His concentration was broken, he let go of the clutch too soon and the car lurched to a halt. He managed to right himself and get back on a straight line course, but yet again trying to focus on everything at once during a turning maneuver proved to be a bit much and he stalled out again. This time, he didn't make any motions to continue and sat in the driver's seat sulking.
"I think I've had enough for today," he finally said, his voice tinged with irritation.
Emma paused, trying to find the right words to say, lest she make the situation worse. "You're doing really well," was all she could come up with.
Suddenly, she remembered something she'd read on the internet not long ago and pulled out her phone. She brought up google and typed something in. When she found what she was looking for, she turned to Killian and offered him her phone, "I came across this in the news. It might help you feel a bit better about," she trailed off, not quite sure how to finish what she wanted to say. "Just read the article."
Killian glared at her for a moment and reluctantly took the phone. A photo of a young, attractive blonde was at the top of the page. He looked to Emma with a raised eyebrow.
"Just read it," she urged.
He continued scrolling through the article. The blonde was a young model named Lauren Scruggs. She had lost both her left eye and a large portion of her left arm in an aircraft accident 3-years prior, and 6-months later was learning how to drive a manual transmission automobile. The article detailed her accident, and her attempts to return to a normal life, despite her new challenges. Emma watched from the passenger seat, noting every so often Killian's jaw would clench and he'd look as if he wanted to say something. He stayed silent though, and after a time simply held the phone in his hand. Emma wanted to ask if he was alright, but he simply handed the phone back to her and shifted in the seat.
"I think I'd like to try again," he said simply.
They cruised around the parking lot a few more times and with every loop, Killian's confidence seemed to return and he looked less uncomfortable behind the wheel. He made a final loop and then brought the car to a stop. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he leaned over and pulled Emma in for a long and loving kiss.
"What was that for?" she asked, a bit out of breath. "Not that I'm complaining."
Killian smiled. "Call it a thank you, if you will."
"Thank you for what?"
He gestured around him with his good hand. "For…all of this. For your understanding when it comes to my lack of knowledge about this world, and for being such a patient teacher."
Emma felt the flush creep into her face. "Well, you're a pretty good student," she teased. "Are you hungry?"
"I think I could do with some sustenance."
"Think you're up for the drive to Granny's?" Emma smiled slyly.
"Now, now, I've only had one lesson. Let's not push our luck."
Laughing, Emma unbuckled her seatbelt and they swapped places in the vehicle. Killian leaned over, giving Emma one last kiss and a smile, before they set off to the diner and to whatever their next adventure might be. Both of them were content knowing that whatever life threw at them, as long as they had each other they would be just fine.
For those who are interested, Lauren Scruggs is a young model who in December of 2011 was severely injured when she accidentally walked into the moving prop of an aircraft in the dark. She lost her left eye and her left hand and suffered brain injuries as well. I came across an article that talked about her learning to drive a manual transmission vehicle and thought it might fit nicely into this story, which I've been toying with for awhile. I highly recommend if you get a chance to look up her story. It's pretty inspiring. As always, reviews and thoughts are very welcome.
-Danielle