There was another car in the parking lot next to my father's truck, an old generation yellow passenger car with gray decorative stripes on the sides. The seats were covered with dark brown leather covers, and the interior trim was made of high-quality wood material. On the roof, above the front seats, there was a rectangular glass sunroof with an opening mechanism.
– What do you think? Do you like it? – George said proudly with a smile, crossing his arms over his chest.
– Am I going to drive it? By yourself? – Michael answered the question with a surprised question.
George: “We'll take turns. 50-50. Half the road you drive, the other half I drive.”
Michael: “A-F-I-GET! How long are we going to be traveling for?”
George: “About 600 kilometers. We have to deliver it to a powerful businessman in New Hampshire. It's his car. It broke down and he left it here for repairs. It's a legend, even if it is a bit old! We'll take the truck back. I've already caught the next order. We'll have to deliver it to Lockfood City. We'll hitch a ride home from there. But that's not far from here. Think of it as your first little real adventure.”
Michael moved closer to the car to get a closer look at it, “Dad, thank you so much! I won't let you down! And Fred, will he be guarding us?”
George: “There's no need for that. We'll manage on our own. And remember, this is just the beginning of your journey. It's only going to get more interesting from here. All right, let's go get some rest. We have a long road ahead of us tomorrow.”
He put his arm around Mariana's waist. His parents went slowly into the house, talking about the day ahead, and Michael stayed near the car for a while, imagining in his head how he would drive it very soon.
“Six-speed manual transmission, all-wheel drive, interactive dashboard, top speed can reach 360 km/h. It's a beast of a car! I can't even believe that tomorrow I will drive it!” – Michael thought to himself, stroking the car on the roof. He spent about thirty minutes near the car, looking at it from all sides, and then went to his room to rest. His head was full of thoughts about the day ahead.
The morning began with an alarm clock. He had to wake up early, because the car had to be delivered only up to a certain time, and it took about six, seven hours to get there. Even taking into account the capabilities of the car, George was an advocate of quiet driving and preferred to perform delivery to the destination extremely carefully, without leaving any visible damage on the object. Therefore, Michael did not have to count on high speed. On the highway – a maximum of 120 km / h, on the highway – 90, within the city – 50. Mariana fed the family with scrambled eggs and bacon and gave them some sandwiches for the road, putting them in plastic containers.
George: “Don't forget to bring your learner's card with you so the police won't have any unnecessary questions: why are you at 14 already driving a car?”
The point is that depending on the chosen direction, the child was granted certain privileges related to education. For example, Michael studied at a transportation school, so he had the right to drive cars and some trucks under the supervision of an adult from the age of 14. But this was possible only if he had a student card, confirming that he was a student of a specialized school. Others had to wait until they were 18 years old to complete a six-month course in driving a passenger car.
