Driver's ed is nothing but a hazy, nightmare-like memory. It was probably a waste of time. It's been almost five years, and you are on your third permit. Getting your license seems to become more of a wish than a goal. And not having a license at your age isn't easy:
1. Hanging out with friends is harder than it should be.
You want to meet up with your best friend from high school at the Starbucks on Main Street, but you have no easy way of getting there. I mean, you could bike, but that's a hassle. You know that once again, you will have to ask her to stop by, hopefully on the way, to pick you up. After days of planning, your squad has finally arranged to hang out late Saturday afternoon, and as the time nears, you get embarrassed, because once again, you will have to get picked up. It happens so often that they have a basically trade-off system.
2. Getting rides makes you feel guilty.
You got a part-time summer job! You are so excited, until you realize that your mom is going to have to drive you to and from every shift, so you feel guilty for even having it. You are getting paid while she has to drive you around. And if your shift goes over-time, or you are asked to stay a little bit longer, then she suffers, because she has to either wait for you, or will have to come back later. And if she can't, you are stuck waiting awkwardly as the other licensed people drive away.
3. Not Having an ID is awkward.
Your college friends want to go to the bars, but you can't get in even though you are of age. You have no ID, and bringing your passport would be more than slightly awkward.
4. Simple errands are full of obstacles.
If you have to send back a shirt you ordered online that does not fit or want to pick up a couple of books from the library, you are again depending on someone else's schedule to do simple tasks on your to-do list.
5. Helping out is impossible.
Your little brother has soccer practice and needs a ride. You have no way of picking him up. You can't help, and you really wish that you could.
6. Random acts of kindness and surprises become complicated.
Your friend just got surgery, and you want to go visit her at the hospital, or you want to surprise her with coffee with Dunkin' Donuts, then you have to ask your mom if she can take you, which is particularly awkward if you don't want her to stay.
The lack of independence, the jokes, the explanations, it all sucks. You want to be able to act like an adult, and do adult things, but that is all a little rough without a license.
