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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 2018 WWW. UNWLA .ORG 9 Driving Lessons with Mama by Chrystyna Prokopovych , Br. 88 I sort of learn ed to drive i n my early twenties , but just barely enough to pass the driving test and get my driver’s license, which I used only for proof of age and identif ication. Times were simpler then, and it was easy to get where I needed to go using public transportation or my feet. At some point , however, it became necessary for me to really start driving , so my mother decided to teach me her system of driving. Now my mother was far from a confident driver , and she definitely did not enjoy driving like my father did. She drove out of necessity , and that was going to be my attitude toward driving too . It might be hard to believe , but I managed to reach the ripe old age of 31 before really learning how to drive. My first lesson was in Lehighton, P a., where my parents had a country house, so it was country roads around a small town. W hen we started out , my confidence was low and I drove very slowly. Mama’s rule number one was “D on’t worry about the guy behind you. If he hits you , it is his fault. He can stay calm or pass you. It is totally up to him and not your responsibility. ” So w e drove around and wound up in town at a four - way stop sign where I would normally turn lef t to go home. And this is when I learned Mama’s rule number two : “D on’t make left turns! You can get wherever you are going by making a series of right turns. Left turns can be dangerous unless the coast is completely clear. ” But a fter a few lessons , I st arted making left turns at small intersections. But never on big roads. Many years later I was driving somewhere with m y husband , the experienced and confident driver as a passenger in the car. As we approached Roosevelt B oulevard, a road in Philadelphia w ith six lanes of traffic where I was to turn left, I said, “Please don’t laugh but I am going straight across the boulevard and will then get back to it by making right turns and then turn right back onto the boulevard .” I expected some snide comment about my driving but instead I got, “Of course! I do that all the time; this is a very danger- ous intersection.” Eventually, t he small - town lessons in Lehighton came to an end , and it was time to head back to Philadelphia. This meant driving the turnpike which was scary enough , but the trip also included the dreaded tunnel. Back then there was only one two - lane tunnel , and t his meant that there would be cars in the second lane going in the opposite direction from me. How would I make sure I stayed far enough fro m the wall of the tunnel and also not go over the line into opposing traffic? Once again, m y mother had a perfect solution — Mama’s rule number three: “M ake sure you are directly behind a huge truck before you enter the tunnel. Stay right behind the truck. I f opposing traffic does not hit the huge truck , they certainly won’t hit your little car. ” So a s soon as I saw a truck , I got and stayed right behind it even though it was going pretty slowly. This really paid off in the tunnel. Having a big truck in front of me gave me confidence , and the fact that it was moving slowly made me feel better about my own speed. If anyone behind me thought I was too slow , they w ould just blame the truck driver . The tunnel was my biggest fear but merging onto the highway was n o laughing matter either. As we got onto the ramp , my mother gave me rule number four: “ Turn off the radio and crack open your window.” I did not understand but did as I was told. She was right in everything she taught me so far so who was I to question he r advice. Mama then explained the reason for the rule, “You can only see so much in your side and rear view mirror so you have to be able to hear a car that comes out of nowhere so you can react quickly.” To this day when approaching a merge , everyone in m y car knows to stop talking until we are safely on the highway. Some years ago they built another tunnel on the highway to Lehighton, so both lanes in the tunnel are now traveling in the same direction and I no longer look for big trucks to drive behind. The remaining three rules are still observed , at least to some extent. Even though I did not teach my children to drive (my husband was much more qualified for that job) , I made sure I passed on my Mama’s Rules to them . Last Sunday my daughter Renya was dr iving. As we approached the merge onto the turnpike , her children were making noise and I heard her say, “Quiet ! I need to merge. I will let you know when you can talk again.” Mama’s Rules live on. Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter alm ond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. – Mark Twain
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