Woman driver

I’ve always been pretty good at learning things. In nearly everything I’ve done someone has commented that I learn quickly or that I’m good at it. Of course I’m not good at everything, I tend to be okay at most things and the things I’m not good at I tend not to enjoy so I don’t bother doing them.

Driving doesn’t seem to fit into any of these categories. It’s something that I don’t mind doing but I’ve never been good at it. I don’t see a real problem with my driving except that I seem to be a bit terrible when other people are in the car – maybe I’m that bad all the time but when someone else is there it’s harder to laugh off. It took me five goes to get my driver’s licence. Yep, I failed four times. One of them was for breaking a road rule that I didn’t know about (when turning left into the left lane of a three lane road both the left and middle lanes need to be clear) and obviously it can’t have been that perilous a situation because I didn’t notice myself do anything particularly silly. The guy said if it weren’t for that I would have passed. That instance isn’t really an excuse though because that was the fourth time I went for my test… that doesn’t sound right. Maybe I only failed three times. Whatever it was you get the point that I’m not a good driver.

Last night was a primo example. I drove into the city to pick hubby up and go to his brother’s 21st dinner. I thought the driving wasn’t too bad, except that I had no idea which lane to be in and I followed a bus onto a part of the road that no one is supposed to be on (indicated by the stripes). However, even that part of our trip stressed hubby out. Then we couldn’t find a park, which was quite stressful. We took another trip around and easily found a park (in the $20) area and the attendant told me to park in front of the black Audi. This is what I thought he said anyway, I believe his actual words were “before the black Audi” my brain interpreted it as in front but he meant behind. For some reason hubby understood what he was saying (a guy thing I’m sure). So I reversed to in front of the Audi and the guy started saying that women drivers are a worry (in a friendly way, he wasn’t nasty at all) and I thought he meant I’d pulled in too tightly and wasn’t going to make the park. Eventually I got the message that he wanted me to park behind the Audi, but that confused me more because the boom gate was behind the Audi, I didn’t know why I’d want to park next to that. I started to park next to the gate and everyone was still making talking noises at me that I didn’t understand. So I got out and hubby parked the car. Behind the boom gate.

It was a really horrible start to the night and it took me a while to shake the stressed out, annoyed, embarrassed feelings. Apparently it took hubby longer because he didn’t get rid of them until after we left. I don’t know if it’s my fault for being a crap driver or his fault for not letting his stress go. Oh well, either way I think he’s going to make me drive more on our short distance trips so I get lots of practice driving. I hate that though because I feel like I’m being tested every time we go out. I wish I was less self-conscious. On the birght side, at least I have a licence and can drive myself somewhere when I need to. I haven’t damaged our car and I’ve been driving it for two years. :sheepish: