Skip to main content

The date of my written and road test was approaching and I had been studying the driver’s manual. Based on what I had heard from friends who had taken the test, some questions were tricky and during the road test the testing officer would order you to perform illegal moves, for which he would fail you if you obliged. Amir, who had taken and flunked the written test, gave me some last-minute advice and told me about his experience.


“Some of the material wasn’t even in the manual. I just guessed or tried to use common sense about it but I figure I got them wrong. One question was about whether you’re permitted to stage mule racing contests on a public street. I think I said no although I perhaps should have gone with the choice where it said you can with prior permission. Another was asking if during bus rides between different cities the bus driver is allowed to turn off the interior lights at night. I said yes because a lot of people sleep during the long rides, especially at night.”

The following day after I checked in, the officer gave us some instructions about the duration of the test, the number of questions and how to fill in our bubble sheet. To discourage us from cheating he also mentioned that there were different question sets being circulated amongst us and thus copying off of those around us would probably not help. He finally instructed us to flip over our question sheet and begin. After glancing through the questions, I realized I had received the exact same test that Amir had taken. Knowing that he had failed his, I gave answers different than his to the questions he had run by me even if for some I found myself agreeing with his responses.

Once time was up and our answer sheets collected, the officer took a few minutes to correct them. He then called up those who had flunked and gave them each a sheet with their new test date on it. I was one of them.

As I left the testing center, I gave Aunt Ensi’s house a call from a pay phone and spoke with Parisa. “I’m coming over to your house and I gotta pick up Mercedes tonight,” I said, referencing the movie “License to Drive” regarding my failed test.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"My parents, brother, and I left Iran in 1980, shortly after the revolution. After a brief stay in Italy, we packed all our belongings once again and headed west to the exotic and the unknown: Vancouver. We had recently been accepted as landed immigrants, meaning Canada graciously opened its doors and we gratefully accepted; we arrived at Vancouver International Airport on my 10th birthday, three suitcases and one sewing machine in tow. After respectful but intense questioning at immigration, we were dropped off at a hotel on Robson Street, which was then still a couple years shy of becoming the fashionable tourist hub it is today. We were jetlagged, culture shocked, and hungry, so that first night, my father and brother courageously ventured out into the wild in search of provisions. I fell asleep before they returned. The next morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. and ravenously feasted on a cold Quarter Pounder with cheese and limp French fries that had been left by my beds...
Post a Comment
Read more
One day I took the minibus back from school. It was completely packed yet I somehow managed to squeeze myself in. I knew sooner or later some people would get off and per the unwritten rule of busses and minibuses everyone would gradually move towards the end of the bus and thus save me from getting crushed against the door. We had only travelled a short distance when the minibus stopped to let some passengers off. Another passenger and I stepped down to allow them to pass and as we stood there the passenger suddenly exclaimed, “What happened to my wallet? Did someone just steal it?” I wasn’t sure if he was serious or just making a not-so-comical scene about not identifying which pocket his wallet was in, however, it soon became apparent that his wallet was indeed missing. Initially I briefly considered the possibility that he might have suspected me as the pickpocket and thus directed the earlier conversation towards me. Once we were back on the bus though he repeated his commen...
Post a Comment
Read more
Stacey was a nurse so Kurt knew she would be able to give him a pretty good idea of how critical it was. On the other hand her knowledge of medical jargon could make her words seem foreign to Kurt. “He’s sustained two injuries. The first one was right on impact, his brain was shaken around pretty badly. It might have even rotated and perhaps nerve fibers were stretched and veins and arteries might have torn too. The second one is an open wound where the skull broke. The brain is exposed in that area. He was probably hit by some kind of sharp object during the collision.” Stacey unsuccessfully tried to disguise a horrifying yelp that she let out. “It's possible the area around the wound is undamaged. He might be facing long-term disabilities. He’s lost a lot of blood and his blood pressure has really dropped from the trauma. He’s really weakened by the blood loss. Plus there’s the loss of oxygen to the brain. The damage may be catastrophic. And then there’s infection…” “When w...
Post a Comment
Read more