As I got into the frightening machine, my heart began to race. My thoughts were flying in every direction. I honestly did not know if I would survive this. I closed the door. At this point, I knew I was in for it. I remembered the sound of my seat belt as I clicked it into place. For some reason, this sound terrified me. As I turned the key, my stomach felt like it had dropped down to my toes.

I then pulled the gearshift into reverse. This was a good sign in my opinion! At least I was not going to go forward! Then, I slowly pulled out of our long driveway. It felt like an eternity while doing this! Once I was off the driveway, I turned my wheels, pulled the gearshift to drive, and began my journey forward.

I apprehensively pressed the pedal down when my dad exclaimed, “Are we going to move any time soon?” I just shook my head. I feared that if I spoke, I would surely lose my sanity.

I now pushed the pedal down a little harder. I quickly glanced over to my dad to see what his expression was. I was not sure why I did this. It was a very imprudent thing to do. However, I was not thinking too clearly at the time. My dad yelled, “Keep your eyes on the road!” I just nodded again.

When I finally reached the stop sign, I actually felt proud of myself! I know I had not traveled far, but still I was in high spirits. I turned my left hand signal on and I was about to pull out when a car came zooming by! The trepidation became even worse. I was not sure if I was going to make it through this little journey of mine. I began to panic. I had to remind myself to breathe in and out because I was so petrified. I just was not sure if I was going to make it. I felt tremors running through my veins. It was not a superb feeling. My dad exclaimed, “You have to get control of yourself!” I shook my head in protest. There was no way that I was going to be able to ‘get control of myself’. My dad was crazy if he thought I was going to calm down. I guessed he could see that I was about to lose it, so his voice calmed down and he said, “Don’t panic Natalie; it’s going to be okay. You just have to get control of yourself.” I started breathing more evenly and I took a deep breath in. I composed myself enough to make that dreaded left hand turn.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I was on the main road! I felt like jumping for joy, but surely, that would cause some problems. Therefore, I just pressed my foot to the pedal and continued. I was gaining more confidence as the road wore on.

At this point, I was beaming with content. I had made all the correct turns, signaled, and I even stopped when I was supposed to! It was very magnificent in my book! My dad even commented, “I am honestly surprised. I thought you weren’t going be able to do this.” I knew he meant well, so I took it as a compliment.

When I reached my destination, I let out a laugh of delight. I was honestly bewildered that I had lived through this fearsome ordeal. In many ways, I had learned so much from this occurrence. I learned to be a more competent driver. It has made me have faith in myself. For my first time on the road, I believe I did a superior job! I should have never doubted myself. It would have made the total experience much more enjoyable.