License

I mentioned the other day that I got my Texas Driver's License on my 14th birthday.  I hadn't planned to do that, it just happened.  Here's how:

My pal Val Jahnke, who had earned his licence the month before,  had given me a ride to the DMV exam office - there was only one for the entire city of Houston, and it was in a residential area just north of Hermann Park - so I could take the written exam.  

I aced the written test, and when I came out, Val handed me the keys to his parent's car, and said to go on and take the driving test while we're here. Their car was a 54 model Oldsmobile 88, with power brakes and power steering, and I had never driven a car with either of those features.  I was nervous about that, but we figured the worst that could happen was that I would fail and have to come back, which was what I was planning to do when I went in to take my written exam to begin with.

Well, to my surprise, I passed!  

The examiner only gigged me for failing to use a hand signal when I pulled out of the parallel parking space.  We had a brief discussion about that.  I had turned on my left blinker, and figured one or the other ought to be enough.  I'm still pretty sure I was right - almost nobody ever uses hand signals anymore - but I didn't argue long, since he told me I had passed anyway.