Bucking Bronco

Dear Boo and Bubble,

I was watching TV the other day and a Subaru commercial came on where the father is trying to teach his two sons how to drive a stick shift.  As the car starts and halts and balks down the street while one of the neophyte drivers tries to master the art of the clutch, my mind raced back to the time when great granddaddy Schaefer dared first to instruct great uncle Bryant and then me in that very same endeavor.

At the time in SC, anyone of the age of 14 could take the written test for a Learner’s Permit.  This allowed you to actually drive a car as long as a fully licensed driver was with you.  But first, you had to learn to drive and that was best done somewhere other than on the roads.

Bryant passed his permit exam and excitedly anticipated getting behind the wheel of Mamaw Mary’s Volkswagen Beetle for his first lesson.  I was eager to tag along and, for some reason, Granddaddy Schaefer allowed it.  On a Sunday afternoon, we drove out to what used to be the Stone Manufacturing plant off of Poinsett Highway in Greenville and pulled into the parking lot.  Since it was Sunday, only a skeleton crew worked in the plant which meant the lot was a wide-open tarmac of asphalt and painted lines – the perfect spot for learning to drive.

I sat in the back of the Beetle as Granddaddy and Bryant switched places up front.  My serious, somber, soulful big brother slid into the driver’s seat as granddaddy began.  He showed Bryant the various positions on the gear shift and explained their progression.

“Now, Bryant, the clutch pedal is the key to this car.  You must have it pushed in to start the engine.  The car won’t go unless you release the clutch as you press on the gas pedal.  You’ll start out in first gear.  Once the car gets going fast enough, the clutch can be out all the way.  But, when you shift to second, third and fourth gears, you have to put the clutch back in.  And, when you come to a stop, you have to put it in as well or the engine will cut off.  Understand?”

Bryant sat there, frozen, his hands just off the steering wheel as if scared to touch it – like it might burn him if he did.

“I think so.”

“Well, it sounds complicated, but it’s sort of like riding a bicycle.  Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never forget.  So, let’s just do this.”

 Bryant pushed in the clutch and turned on the ignition.   

“Okay,” Granddaddy cajoled, “Push on the gas and let the clutch out slowly.”

Bryant pushed on the gas.  The car emitted a roar like that of a jet, all the while staying totally stopped.

“Let the clutch out, son.”

Which Bryant did – so fast that the Beetle lurched forward with a couple of violent leaps and then cut off.  The force was such that it threw me to the floor in the back.  I started laughing.  Not a good thing.  A crimson tide ran up the back of Uncle Bryant’s neck that signaled his total chagrin that I had been invited to come along.

“Beth, stop that,” Granddaddy warned.

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay,” he turned his attention back to the task at hand.  “That was fine for the first time.  You just have to not push so hard on the gas and not be so fast with the clutch.  Let’s try it again.”

Bryant started the car again.  It roared once more as he pressed on the gas.  He lifted the clutch.  The Beetle began to move forward slowly and then started bucking and bucking and bucking down the parking lot like it had just been let out of the gate at a rodeo.  After about the fifth buck, the car belched a huge sigh and stopped. 

I broke out into uncontrollable giggles from the back seat.  I could only imagine what we must have looked like to the cars passing by on Poinsett Highway.

“We’re not leaving here until you’ve figured it out, son,” Granddaddy reassured Bryant and then turned to look at me.  “So, take your time.  And, as soon as you get it – YOU’LL be the one driving us home.”

Well………………THAT was a sobering thought.  Sure snapped me back!  My life was now at stake.  I figured I better get on the support team.

Bryant practiced and practiced for another hour or so until he finally got the hang of it, smoothly starting the Beetle in first gear and moving it through the rest and bringing it to a stop without the engine cutting off.  He drove us home safely and felt a great sense of accomplishment.

But, he never forgot my laughter at his expense.  And, believe me, he got his revenge.

….to be continued.