Taking life by the wheel

Taking life by the wheel Some years ago, my girlfriend at the time's father used to pronounce over the dinner table his idea of what maketh the man: "Only losers can't drive by the time they're 26," he would say, drumming his fingers on the table and placing formidable accent on the word "losers". Every few days, I get a call from the driving school: "Sir, why have you not started your lessons?" I do not know. But that part is proving harder than I expected. Watching friends be overcome with uncharacteristic rage is enough to put anyone off. But I suppose I'll never know until I am actually behind that wheel. Something overtook me; enough to blur the reality that I'd have to relearn and retest all over again when I eventually head back to Europe. How do my accomplices remain so calm throughout, I wonder, and I often ruminate on how I'd react if a monstrous 4x4 with a "Baby on board" sign in the back window pulled out in front of me. But I have noticed that things society dictates you do early grow in magnitude as you age. I think the longer one spends as a passenger, the less desirable learning to drive can become. There's now a learner's license with my name on it waiting in Al Quoz - I just need to pick that up and get started. See, from the passenger seat, I'm in a position to observe the full waltz of lane-changers and tailgaters that make traversing these roads such a scream. What I haven't told them is that there is some impenetrable barrier that's developed in my mind and is preventing me from getting started. What kind of driver will I be? That's what troubles me most. I know this because, with 27 years looming, I recently snapped up a voucher for driving lessons in a few reckless clicks. But I do think that letting something that you do want to do slide is the first step along that road. Taking life by the wheel Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 01/05/2012