"Okay, so what do you do first?" Amelia asked her son.
"Umm, put the car into drive?"
"No! You adjust your mirrors and the seat. You haven't even buckled your seatbelt! Okay maybe you aren't ready for this."
"Mom, I can do it don't worry." Scout affirmed as he buckled his seatbelt and moved the mirror accordingly.
"Okay, make sure your foot is on the brake. And the use the handle to move the car into reverse. Then you can put your foot on the accelerator lightly. And look over your shoulder and through the mirrors while you back out to make sure no ones coming." Amelia said holding on tightly to the roof handle and turning her body to be able to look out the rear view window.
"Okay." Scout put more pressure onto the accelerator than anticipated jerking the car back suddenly. He quickly put his foot on the brake stopping them.
"Alright that's enough put the car in park and get out." Amelia instructed trying to keep her cool. Scout did as his mother told him and he made his way to the passenger seat while his mother took the drivers seat.
"Mom, we didn't even make it out of the driveway." Scout said once his mother was seated.
"Because you don't know how to drive."
"Well isn't that why you have to teach me." He regretted what he said after his mother gave him 'the look' that told him now wasn't the time to be snarky.
"Your father will have to teach you. You're too reckless for me." Amelia said once she safely backed the car out of the driveway and onto the road.
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"Are you excited to drive?" Link asked as he parked the car in an abandoned baseball stadium parking lot.
"Dad? Why are we at the old Mariners stadium?" Scout asked as he got out of the car moving over to the drivers side.
"Because on the off season when no one was here this is where my dad taught me how to drive." Link said sitting down on the passenger side casually. "So you know to buckle up obviously. And then adjust your seat and the mirrors. Your mom always has them lowering cause she's so short, so you'll have to move it up."
"Wow, okay your a lot calmer than Mom." Scout noted while doing what his father instructed.
"Yep." Link said popping the 'p'. "Okay dokie so now put your foot on the brake and put the car into drive. Once it's in drive you can put your foot on the accelerator."
"Like this?" Scout asked cautiously allowing the car to move down the empty parking lot.
"Yeah, so now put your turn signal to the left on. And you can then turn your wheel so you can go down the next row of parking spaces. And you'll just keep going up and down the rows." After Scout completed going up in down the rows Link asked him to park in one of the spots.
"Am I good on that side?" Scout asked as he finished maneuvering the car into the spot.
"Yeah looks good little man. How about over there."
"I think so."
"I think that was pretty good for your first time, don't ya think?" Link asked his son, proud of him.
"Yeah, I feel pretty good about it." Scout smiled unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Wait, don't you want to drive home?"
"Really? I'd be out on the main road."
"Do you think you can?" Link asked sitting up.
"Umm, yeah I think so."
"Alrighty then, let's do it." The roads were relatively clear for the odd time of day. So the drive home was uneventful, Link only having to remind his son of a couple of rules. As they pulled up to the house, Amelia was just getting out of her car coming home from a night shift.
"You let him drive?" Amelia asked as the two stepped out of the car.
"Yeah he was doing a good job and he was ready for the road." Link said ruffling his sons hair.
"Well, it's kinda soon. I mean this was his first time really driving a car. And you let him on the main road?" Amelia asked nervously.
"Nah Mom, it was good. I was pretty good, Dad said so." Scout smiled at his mother, excited to be driving. "I'm gonna go get ready for my lesson." Scout said walking into the house.
"Link, that was a little reckless. I mean I know he has his permit and can, but it's a little soon this is all moving very fast don't you think?" Amelia asked walking closer to Link.
"Mils, I know him growing up scares you and I don't blame you. He's gotta learn how to drive though, and he's pretty good. I mean once he gets his license we won't have to go get him at band practice at 11 o'clock at night. And he never gets into the car till closer till 12 because he's talking to someone or helping someone. Or at 4 in the morning after a marching band competition."
"I like doing those things for him. He depends on us to pick him up, and when we're driving that's when he really opens up and talks with us." Amelia responds, a tear running down her face. Not accepting her son was growing up.
"He'll still depend on us. He wants to learn to drive though. And we can't hold him back." Link smiled walking closer wiping her cheek of her tears.
"He's growing up."
