Driving testers...
... are a grumpy bunch. And they're not much for conversation either.
Get on the wrong side of them for your test, and they continually haunt and criticise your every move you make in the car.
A series of unfortunate eventsI'd like to say, in advance, that it was my fault for not checking my cars' Warrant of Fitness a couple of days before my test.... Yeah, my registration is up to date, but the WOF wasn't. Normally, I get them both done at the same time, like with my last car, and... yeah, I was stupid enough to let it slip by. Silly me.
So what happens when a guy can't use his car for his driving test? He :
(a) Sits the test anyway, and hopes the tester doesn't see the overdue date on his WOF. Acts as if nothing wrong happened, with constant big smiles and calm reassurances of "Yeap, this cars gotten me through the toughest of times, theres really nothing wrong with it, passed all its WOFs, yeah, got it a couple of years ago, and, uh, nothing wrong with the WO- I mean with the car, its sweet...". Gets weird looks from tester.
(b) Cries in car miserably, and tries to get the WOF done in the 20 minutes he has before his test. Drives so fast to the workshop that he goes back in time and rips up the space and time continuum. Also destroys all spatial dimensions in this world, and humanity as we know it. Sort of like a very large rip in the pants of the Universe.
(c) Decides to do the easy thing and changes the test to another date. Realises that he'll rack up an extra $71.50 for changing at the last minute. Also realises that he's a poor Uni student. Spends next few weeks by sidewalks like this :
(d) Goes to mommy for her car. Rushes to her workplace, and runs inside her office to exchange keys (she needs to pick up my bros after school, so she'll need a car i.e. mine). Runs back outside, starts car and drives off. Is nearly out of the carpark when he realises that he's still got the remote control for his car, and his mom won't be able to get into the car without it. Rushes back into the office, tries to rip off the remote control out of key ring. Rushes back out, and again, is nearly out of the carpark before he realises that he left his *IMPORTANT* sheet of paper for the driving test in the glove compartment of his car. Runs back inside, gets the remote, unlocks his own car, gets the *IMPORTANT* sheet of paper, runs back inside, gives mom the remote. Is nearly out of the carpark before he realises... Oh no, wait, thats it. Drives like a madman to the AA, killing all but a select few on the road. Realises that he won't need the *IMPORTANT* sheet of paper for the test. Considers banging head on concrete wall. And the stupid tester arrives late anyway.
Needless to say, (d) was the real outcome.
I could've pulled off (a) but, chances are, they'd check it anyway.
(b) is just implausible. I would never cry.
(c) was the next real answer. I'd don that Darth Vader costume any day!
So it all pretty much went like this:
Driving Tester (DT): *finishes 20 minute long speech about procedures, etc., I wasn't really listening, just nodding and the usual "Yeap. Right. Gotcha."
Me : Ok, so, lets go.
DT : Alright, I want you to exit the car park, and take a right, and then a left out onto the road.
Me : Sure. Ok, w-
DT : You do not need to talk at all, just listen. I'll give you directions in advance. I'll tell you when you need to commentate to me.
Me : ... *hushed* ok...
*Exits the AA, and drives up Whitford road. Constantly looks around to each mirror and in front of me and at my blindspot and then to my mirror and then to my holy shit the instructors looking at where I'm looking better pay attention to the rear view mirror-
DT : Please stay within the speed limit please.
*BY THE BEARD OF ZEUS! I didn't realise I reached 60kms already! By Odin's Raven!*
Me : Uh, yeah, I got this car from my parents, see, this funny thing happened to me tod-
DT : I will not stress this again, YOU do not need to talk at all. I'll tell you when you should talk to me.
Me : (GREAT KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS YOU'RE ANNOYING!)
DT : Did you say something?
Me : ... (Wow, I screamed so loud on the inside, she heard me! I gotta do this more often :p )...
*After most of the driving, identifying hazards (I pointed out a low flying sea gull as one. Needless to say, the DT wasn't too impressed. But still. Imagine driving into a sea gull.), and doing a U-turn on a road off Sandspit Rd, she instructed to go to Whitford Rd.*
DT : From now on, you have to commentate to me every hazard you see, when I say 'Now'
Me : ... *Silent thumbs up*
DT : Okay, now.
Me : Uh, theres a really big massive truck oncoming quite fast, I might slow down just a bit so that the guy might adjust. Sign says passing lanes are gonna merge. Slippery when wet. Comfy speed round this corner's 55ks, whup theres a-
DT : Okay, thats enough.
Me : ... (Is it me or does she constantly cut me off mid sent-
DT : Now, again.
Me : -ence... uh yeah oncoming traffic travelling kinda fast, theres a truck signalling right, probably trying to pull out but since-
DT : Enough.
Me : *Internally combusts*
*After making another U turn on Whitford Rd, drove back to the AA*
DT : Ok, well, you seem to be driving quite well. Aside from the start when you exceeded the speed limit. You're lucky I was kind enough to warn you beforehand and let you drive on. Could've just asked you to go straight back to the AA. Turn your car off please.
Me : Well, I was trying to tell you tha-
DT : I better give you your license before I start having second thoughts.
Me : ... Oh, right, haha. Heh. Hoh. Oh, you mean that wasn't a joke?
DT : ... No, it wasn't.
Me : Uh... (Think! Something to say!) Wow, haha, lucky we beat the rain, huh?
DT : ... *Continues scribbling on pad*
Me : Well... (OMG what is that rancid smell!?! Lady! Take some chewing gum on ya next test will ya?! Suffocations not my preferred way of dying!!)
DT : Sorry, did you say something?
Me : Yeah, beat the rain, huh? Wish there'd be a bit mor-
DT : Here ya go, thats our temp license there, wait for the real one to come in the mail. *exits car*
Me : ... -e sunshine. Then we'd be happy. Happy like the little animals in Bambi. Yeah. Biatch. And by the G*Screams, sounding something akin to a war cry and an angry elephant*
And thats the story of how I got my full license.
Now I gotta get back to writing about Schizophrenia for Abnormal Psychology.
Fun.