hold on to that feeling

I am absolutely, positively, and irrevocably in love with David ?? from the Austin, Texas DMV on South Congress.

Alright, maybe love is a strong word, but people have fallen over worse reasons than finding a DMV worker who is actually pleasant to be around. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We arrived at the DMV at around 2:30 to a relatively short line on a warm, non-trafficky afternoon. Despite these good omens, I entered with a self defeatist/nervous attitude. I had failed the test three times in two different states( (1)tried to hit a lady with a baby, 2)tried to bash in the car next to me, 3) tried to take on oncoming traffic.)

Anyways, this summer my younger sister had waltzed into a DMV in Texas (a state I hadn't tried) and returned a few minutes later with her license. She, too, had a record of near misses with pedestrians and cars, and I figured Texas was probably the next state I should try – even though it requires parallel parking (unlike CA and CT).

The moment I saw my instructor/test giver, I knew this test was going to be better: He was smiling. And he was young, chatty and introduced himself, asking my name and how long I had been driving. My mother quickly informed him that I was a great driver but had been living overseas and so hadn't really had a chance to get a license. This was mostly true. He asked if I was good at parallel parking, and not wanting to unravel his high expectations, I answered with an emphatic YES, adding a "mostly" as an afterthought.

The test itself went alright – the instructor was so nice and so different than any of the others I'd dealt with. He acted like he actually wanted me to pass, and talked me through my nerves. His instructions were very laid back, affirmative, and amusing – "When you're ready, go ahead and take this left turn. You're doing really well. I've seen kids pull out in front of five oncoming cars..." And the thing is, he was just a really nice person who likes to see others succeed. I seriously almost hugged him at the end.

AAAAAAnd now I have a driver's license! WHOO.