Road Test

The phone rings.

–       Hello? Hello?

He puts on speakerphone.

–       Frank! I was wondering if you were still alive.

–       Are you still driving, Frank?

Straight to the point.

–       I just turned mine in. I’ve got memory loss now, you see.

At Dad’s age, you get a letter in the mail asking for a doctor’s note. Dad got a second letter directing him to take a simulated driver’s test.

–       I passed the test.

He says.

Actually, he didn’t pass and he didn’t fail. He was issued an obligatory road test.

– Close your eyes and goose it.

He says.

I’m waiting for oncoming traffic to pass on the Pat Bay Hwy so I can turn left.

When we arrived at the office for his road test, I opened the door and he said,

– Screw it. I don’t need it anymore.

– I’ve been driving since I was 16. I had a good run.

He says to Frank.

–       I turned it in before it becomes a problem. My daughter takes me where I need to go.

Dad no longer drives to church, the local grocery store or the ferry to pick me up from Vancouver. We’re making it work.

– Home James and don’t spare the horses.

He says when he’s ready for a nap.