The next chapter is up! Enjoy!
A couple of days after their walk on the beach that led to an awkward close contact moment, the pair had already made some arrangements to give him driving lessons.
Of course, before they were to head into it, Mia had Aerin study the driver's guide online so he's familiar with the rules of the road, the road signs, the lights, and speed limits.
He studied the whole thing closely. On top of the driver's manual book that Mia had got for him at the local DMV. The more he read, the more he understood, even if there were many road laws to follow and learn about.
The only thing Mia feels she will have an issue with is obtaining a driver's license for him. It could end up being quite challenging since he has nothing to his name, no birth certificate, social security card, or anything.
This is something she will have to figure out later. Right now, she rather he at least knew how to drive. Especially, if for any reason she may not be able to drive, or they have an emergency.
At this time, it was midday.
Adar was helping Mia put down these orange traffic cones that she was able to borrow from a friend's husband who was a road worker. They were making sure most of them were spread out, covering a large amount of space near the beach a few yards out in front of the house.
"How long did your friend say you can keep possession of these before returning them again?" He inquired.
"I believe she said he didn't need them back anytime soon. These were a few extras they were hardly using at his job. Which is good, because we will need them for practice for a while. At least until we feel you got it down enough." She replied, setting down another cone on a patch of grass.
Mia had tried to place a good portion of the cones around the area in front of her house that was still mostly dirt and patches of grass. This way, it would be easier traction on the tires.
"And you also stated that if I hit a cone or run one over, than I failed." He brought up again.
"Yep, because they are supposed to act like objects you shouldn't hit. Like curbs, signs, other cars and obviously not people." She says.
"Then I'll be sure not to drive like you then, because I'm fairly sure I saw you nearly hit a few of things mentioned above." He jokes.
"I did not, stop making shit up." She quipped.
Adar just sent her a knowing smirk.
"Really? You mean to say that wasn't you the other day that hit a curb while turning out of the gas station?" He pointed out in an amused tone.
Mia's cheeks turned a little red.
"It…it can happen to anyone from time to time." She blurted out, all embarrassed.
He chuckled a little at her response and the look of embarrassment on her face as she said it.
"If you say so. Though I'm certain your brother told me not long ago, there were times he refused to get in the car with you because your driving made him nervous." Adar teased.
The young woman narrowed her eyes, "Can't always believe everything John says. He tends to exaggerate from time to time on shit. The last time he ever mentioned something like that was when I first started driving years ago in my late teens. I like to think I've gotten much better since then."
"I think it's safe to say, that's up for debate." He continued teasing her.
"Don't make me substitute you for a speed bump while giving lessons." Mia playfully threatened.
"Remind me again on how you're such a good friend?" He inquired, with an amused grin.
"Because I provide you with much needed entertainment and guidance." She joked.
"Finally, something we agree on. Seeing as I do find you to be quite entertaining and amusing." He continued.
"Ok, Smartass. Place the last cone you have there over there on that side across from the one I just put down. Then we'll pull the car out and get started." She told him.
"Shall I add bossy on top of that?" Adar stated, with amusement.
"Aerin." She warned.
He sighs, then he goes and puts the bright orange traffic cone down in the same spot she told him to.
"Alright, let's head back to the driveway and get in the car. As I told you earlier, I'll drive the car out to the open space here. Then we'll both get out and switch spots." Mia instructed.
He gave her a brief nod and they started heading back to the house and headed for the driveway right next to it. The car was sitting in the driveway right in front of the garage.
Once they got there, she pulled the keys from her pocket and pressed a button on the key fob, unlocking the car. Then they both opened the doors and got in.
Mia then drove them out the few yards in front of the house to the wide-open space where the traffic cones were situated.
Then she pulled up beside one of the cones and placed the SUV in park. They both got out and walked around the front, bypassing each other in front of the bumper.
The young woman got into the passenger seat while he sat down in the driver's seat for the first time ever.
"I may not be a religious person, but perhaps I should start praying before we get started. As in pray that you don't somehow get us killed." She said, with a somewhat nervous smile.
Adar snorted at that, "I doubt I'll be that bad. Plus, I don't plan on going that fast during the first session."
"I know, I've already asked you this plenty of times before, but you do remember what each letter around the joystick means, right?" She asked what had to be for the fifth time.
"Yes, I also recall which pedal is for the gas and which one is the brakes." He replied.
Besides her giving him thorough instructions on what each function in the car did; he had also watched a couple short videos on his laptop about the different functions within a car and what was what.
Mia had put on her seatbelt. While he adjusted the seat, before putting his on.
"Ok, ready when you are." She tells him.
He nodded, then he placed his foot on the brake, and shifted the gears from park to drive.
Then he lightly pressed his foot to the gas, and they started moving. If you could call it that. They couldn't have been going more than maybe five miles per hour.
He was almost idling along if anything. Kind of reminded her from that one scene in the movie Police Academy when they were all taking a driver's course in a squad car and that one chick goes and drives like someone's grandma while singing a Christmas song. Though the icing on the cake was when she ran over the asshole officer's feet on the way back.
A part of her tried not to laugh at the look of concentration on his face as he continued staring straight ahead.
"Not bad, but you don't necessarily have to drive this slow, Aerin. You can speed up a little bit." Mia informs him.
Perhaps, it wasn't the best idea to tell him that, because then he pressed down a little too hard on the gas and they started flying forward a bit. Of course, when he noticed this, he hit the brakes.
Mia ended up putting a death grip on the plastic part of the door's handle that jutted out.
Then she gave him a wide-eyed look. He cringed a little too when he realized he pressed down a little too hard on the gas. The gas pedal was even more sensitive than he anticipated. Which means he will have to practice some sort of pressure control with his foot so he can get better accustomed to regulating the vehicle's speed.
"Forgive me, these pedals are more sensitive than I thought. I'll try my best to maintain better control." Adar said, in an apologetic tone.
"It's ok. This is why we are practicing out in the open though. That way we don't run the risk of hitting anything. Thankfully, you haven't hit any of the cones yet. So, you're still good. With the gas and brakes, just try to ease your foot up and down on them rather than quickly pressing down." She instructed.
"Understood." He replied.
"And good job at keeping your gaze straight ahead while driving. I'm sure you learned during your driving research and through the driver's manual how important it is to always make sure you're looking ahead while in the process of driving. The only time you should look left or right is when you're at a stop sign or light." She says.
"Yes, I do recall reading about that. You should also check the side mirrors if you want to shift lanes, to make sure no one is coming up fast beside you in the other lane and that your cleared enough to shift." He stated.
Well, at least it was good to know that he is very astute when it comes to all the details.
Then they started moving again. He didn't go as slow as before when he started, nor did he go too fast like he just did there for a brief few seconds. Instead, he was going between those speeds.
The speedometer showed he was keeping a steady pace between fifteen and twenty miles per hour.
When he got close to the end of the course, he started turning gradually turning the wheel to the left as he drew closer to one of the traffic cones ahead. He made a smooth, full left turn, right before he got to the cone.
The layout of the cones was situated in a large oval.
Mia observed as he followed them nicely, while not getting too close to them. Adar drove them around in circles for some time, trying to get a feel for it. During this time, he started to enjoy it. Once you get the idea of it, it really can be fun.
"Looks like you're getting the hang of this pretty quickly." She said, with a small smile.
"Yes, it's really not that difficult once you learn what the right amount of pressure is that you should apply to the pedals. That part so far, is the most challenging. Not so much the steering." He replied, while still looking straight ahead.
One of the number one things Mia has told him from the start, is to never turn your gaze to the passenger while speaking to them. You keep your eyes ahead on the road as you speak to the person sitting next to you or behind you in the vehicle.
"Just wait until you get to learning how to do U-Turns, K-Turns, and Parallel Parking. The parallel parking in particular can be quite a bitch to learn because you have to make sure you're a certain distance from the cars and angle your car just right, while backing into the spot.
If you're not very good at it or not have much experience with it, you can easily either hit the bumper of the car behind you or hit the curb or streetlamp. Or scratch the back side of the car in front of you while angling in. We will be using the cones for some of these moves too." She informed him.
"I did watch a detailed video on how to execute these moves. The U-Turn appears simple enough. But I can see where the K-Turn and Parallel Parking could be challenging. Especially, the parallel parking like you said.
I noticed in the video, and the narrator even talked through the process on how you need to line up your car with the one that is parked in front of the spot you're looking to back into, and you need to look behind and off to the side a little while slowly backing in on an angle.
You must also turn and maneuver the tires just right so you're not too far to the curb or too close to it as you line it up alongside it in between the car in front of you and the one behind you. While I like to believe I'm fairly confident I'll get it. I believe it may take a few tries in doing so. Either way, I know everything in regard to driving takes times and practice." He explained.
"And we will be using the cones for some of the specific turns and the parallel parking. I'll even show you how to pull in and back into a spot. Though personally, I prefer backing into a parking spot or the driveway. I like being able to have a better view of what could be coming from either direction, than craning my neck to look over my shoulder as I back out of a parking spot I pulled forward into." She tells him.
"Sounds good, and it's nice that we have all this pen space to practice on. Otherwise, something tells me I would've hit someone's parked car by now or run over a stop sign." He lightly teased.
"Or probably run over the neighbor's cat. And while said cat is a total cunt, it still would be sad if you ran over it. Plus, the neighbor would be on my ass for it." She added.
"I'm not sure about that. I feel like I'm more likely to hit a stationary object rather than a small moving animal. I most likely may take out your neighbor's mailbox than the cat." He continued.
"I'd say go right ahead and do so, because it's a fucking ugly mailbox. But I don't want you to get in trouble." She jokes.
Her one neighbor was one of those people who had a mailbox that was shaped like something.
It's hard to describe, other than it looks like a very ugly and unappealing birdhouse.
Adar chuckled a little at that.
"Really? Should I take this car around the back of the house and to the road then and do just that? May improve the scenery somewhat in front of the neighbor's ugly bright yellow house." He joked back.
"It's tempting. But let's not. Otherwise, she will call the police on us for vandalizing private property." Mia stated, with an amused grin.
Adar only drove around the circumference of the large oval a couple more times. Before going to the end and near the center of the tip of the wide oval marked by the cones.
"I would at least like to attempt a U-Turn. That is why I pulled up and stopped right here at the very beginning of the course." He told her.
"Ok, try your best to keep it somewhat tight and not too wide. As you noticed, while the roads around here are pretty wide, you can easily still make a U-Turn that is too wide for the road and that's how you end up going over a curb." She informed him.
"Understood." He replied.
Then he put the car back in drive and proceeded forward.
He got a little further than the middle of the oval shaped course and started turning the steering wheel to the right. While it was a little sharp, he still made it and managed to make a full turn and head back the way he came with still plenty of distance between the car and the cones.
Once they made it back to the beginning of the course, he slowed down to a stop and put the car in park again.
"While it was a little sharp, it was pretty good as far as a first attempt goes. You stayed straight on the way back and didn't crisscross to the other side as you drove back to the start. So, you made a nice 'U' shape." She commented.
"Thank you. I just need to remember not to turn the steering wheel to soon all the way to the side. I realized that's what made the car turn a little too sharply as you stated. Just need to make sure it's more gradual next time." He says.
At least he was good at spotting where he went wrong on certain things, so he knew not to repeat them.
Adar practiced a few more U-Turns until he got more used to it. With each try, it became more natural to him and less awkward.
He will admit, steering a car is certainly much different from steering or guiding a horse. But he will have it down in no time.
They were in her car, practicing for over an hour, before she called it.
Then he slowed the car down, put it in park and they swapped seats again. Mia drove the few yards back to the front of her house. Then she turned the car around and backed it into her gravel driveway.
"I must say, you did very well for your first time. And thankfully, didn't ride the brakes for a good portion of the time like I did in the beginning when my dad was first showing me how to drive." She said.
"Thank you. It was certainly an interesting experience. Much more different going in as the driver rather than a passenger." He replied, as they walked to the front door and opened it to let themselves in.
They were both greeted by Tundra as they entered the home.
The pair went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water for themselves. For early June, it was starting to warm up pretty quickly out there. They kept the windows on the car down the entire time they were in there.
"Well, I'm going to go work on the current chapter I'm still on. What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?" She inquired.
"Probably read a little more from the dictionary and one of the other books I'm currently reading. While his work comes across a little cynical, I still think Ernest Hemingway's stories are quite good." He replied.
"Which one did you start reading again?" Mia asked.
"The Old Man and the Sea. So far, it's interesting." Adar told her.
"That's one of Dad's favorites by Hemingway. Pretty sure he read it at least a dozen times in his lifetime." She said.
The two of them walked into her office.
She went to take a seat at her desk and opened her laptop. Though instead of going straight to his go-to spot on the couch at the back of the office between the tall bookshelves he stayed by her desk.
"There is something else I would also like to share with you." He says.
Mia turned her swivel chair to face him as he leaned a little against her desk.
"Yeah?" She asks.
"While I do enjoy reading, I was thinking at some point, I would like to try doing some writing myself. I'm just not certain yet if I wish to write stories or memoirs. I have so many stored away from my lengthy previous life. Being here, I wouldn't mind putting them down on paper." He admits.
A soft smile slowly appeared on her face.
"Then I'd say, go for it. Because surely whatever you have to write about will be interesting and unique. Whether it be about stories never heard here before or memoirs of your life." She tells him.
"Have you written before in the past?" She added.
"Yes, though mostly journal logs about things that have occurred that stood out in life. I always found it to be peaceful and a good escape from life's distractions or hard times." He replied.
"I can relate to that. Writing can be a great distraction. It was for me after the first time I was assaulted. Just like dancing, writing gives me a chance for my mind to delve into another world. Ones filled with many different amazing sights, adventures, and creatures." Mia says.
"In a way, you kind of described Middle Earth. For it was filled with many different and unique sights and creatures. Though I cannot say that there were any adventures there, at least not for me. But still, many things that most would say are noteworthy." Adar said.
"I can believe it. All the places you have described and been to during your life there do sound amazing, and you are a good storyteller. Very good with descriptions and details." She informed him.
"Thank you. A lot of my…children thought so too. When I was still a captive down in the depths of Utumno, there were plenty of times when I was free to visit them, I would spend my time telling them stories." He says, with a nostalgic look, as if he is currently remembering a long-lost memory of actually sitting down with his actual offspring and telling them all kinds of different and alluring stories.
It's been a long time since he had thought about them. Any of them. They all died out long ago, cursed with mortal lifespans. It was painful for him to watch each and everyone of them grow old and die before his eyes. Even more agonizing watching some of them die in battle.
Mia noticed a sad look cross his face when he talked of his children.
This is probably the second time he has ever mentioned them. The first time he talked of them was when he told her the whole truth of who he was in his past life on Middle Earth and about his not so humble beginnings, after he was captured by Morgoth.
She figures; it must deeply hurt him talking about them.
Mia didn't blame him. They say it's hell if you outlive one of your kids. But having to endure outliving all of them, as a parent, that had to be agonizing for Adar as well as both tragic and traumatic.
She reaches over and lightly grasps his hand closest to her and gives it a light squeeze.
He found himself squeezing her hand back, appreciating the comfort and support. It seems she could read him as easily as he could read her.
"And I'm sure, they fully appreciated and loved your stories." She softly says.
Adar gave her a sad smile, "Yes, I do believe so as well. Utumno…was certainly no place for an innocent child. The stories gave them a sense of comfort and hope. Even when…there was none. It was also my way of…trying to shield them from the ongoing horrors occurring down there in the dungeons."
Mia was silent for a moment, before speaking.
"You say there was no hope. But in a way, it was just as important that they still at least believed in it. Perhaps to them, you were that hope. Because despite all the atrocities going on down there. You still showed them that at least someone still cared for them and loved them." She told him.
"And I did. Every single one of them. Including the ones that were stillborn or died a few days or months after their birth." He said.
To her, it was just another reminder of how hard he had truly had it. Even though she tries not to make comparisons, Mia does believe his life of hell was a thousand times worse than hers. While her hell lasted for mere minutes, his lasted for well over an age.
Still, it made an idea hit her.
"Maybe if you decide to write stories, they can be geared towards young children. As I told you before, all authors write books for various age levels. Some write books strictly just for adults. While others write ones more aimed at younger readers. Like kids, teens, and young adults. As you already know, the ones I write are geared towards preteens and teens." She informed him.
Adar gave her a more lighthearted smile this time.
"I suppose that isn't a bad idea. I may give it some thought and consideration. Perhaps, you can even help give me ideas on how to incorporate certain material for those age groups." He suggested.
"Sure. Whenever you feel ready to start writing one day, just let me know." She replied.
"Thank you, Mia." He said.
"You're welcome." She says.
They didn't walk much longer. He knew she wanted to get started on writing and he didn't intend on taking up too much of her time and delaying her from doing so.
While Mia turned back to face the laptop screen, Adar walked over to the couch and sat on it. The dictionary, the Hemingway book, and his laptop still sat on the small wooden coffee table in front of the small couch.
He picked up the dictionary and started with that one first. He'll read a certain number of pages in there, before switching to the other book.
At the same time, he had begun thinking ahead a little about what he may want to eventually write about. While some ideas floated around in his head, he would still like to get opinions from Mia too.
Until Next Time