....more clutch

So today was the first time I sat in the passenger seat. Oh, not ever, of course I sometimes let other folks drive. But this time the driver was my son. How he had the nerve to get old enough to drive, I have no idea, but he did. And while his dad is really the auto freak, I am the one who is around all the time, so of course, I'm the one who gets to sit in the passenger seat. And be calm. And encouraging.
And did I mention that I drive a stick, yep. Manual transmission. Clutch. And not a great one either. It's been iffy on first gear, oh for maybe you know....A YEAR!
But you know what? I like my kid. And he's a sensible person. And he did pretty well. There was the one squealling of tires, but he's right, I didn't really explain that you had to let off the clutch really slowly....not pop off. After that it was pretty smooth.
I know tomorrow he's going to be grown and gone and the day after he'll be winning a Nobel Prize, or a Pulitzer, or a Grammy, or an Oscar or something. Maybe he'll even win the love and respect of his friends and family, and maybe if he's really lucky, someday he'll sit in the passenger seat, too.
I'll miss him, but then, that's the whole point, isn't it?