How My Dad Never Passed A Driving Test

No, he did not get into trouble

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

I used to love it when I was in the car with my Dad. I used to think cars were on an invisible track on the road. My Dad was always calm and patient. He never had an accident all the years he drove.

He drove us to the beach on summer days, at around 4 PM. The water was warm then and people were leaving. He could spot birds of prey even while driving. My sister and I would struggle to see them.

When we moved to England, twice a year Dad drove us back to our home in Germany. It took twenty four hours with the ferry. My sister and I slept in the back, though I watched the street lamps as we left Brussels behind.

I went with Dad to fetch a car from the factory. I don’t know why, but it had to do with his being an army officer. I was five. I accepted what was and felt special. I never asked about why or how.

Whenever it was just me with Dad in the car, he loved to make me laugh. Once, on the downhill near our home, as no traffic was around, he braked to slow down and moved his foot away. I giggled.

My Dad cycled and walked a lot. The car was for family outings and going to Germany. We got driven to Brownies as it was after dinner time, and sometimes I was fetched from the stables four miles away. Otherwise I walked, and met Dad half way.

My Dad never took a driving test. He joined the army aged seventeen. One day, he was ordered to move a lorry. ‘I don’t have a driving licence, Sir’ my Dad replied. He was ordered to move the lorry and see his officer the next morning.

In the office, he was asked to sign his driving license. I mentioned this in comments to someone here who thought my Dad was in trouble. How does obeying an order get anyone into trouble? He was issued a licence.

I would drive anywhere with my Dad. And he made a great passenger too. My mother? She scared me to death. My daughter is a great driver.

My Dad drove us to beauty spots away from where we lived as where we lived would swarm with people on vacation. We visited my parents’ friends, so boring, but our walks at beautiful places were legendary.

As a family we drove all over Europe, then I did so as a single woman, a married woman, and a mother with my daughter. I gave up my car soon after my daughter passed her test. I want to lessen my carbon impact on the Earth in anyway I can.

My memories of journeying with Dad are many and so happy.