Beast on Wheels
I know that for many people driving a car is the easiest thing in the world but there are also a lot of people for whom that car represents a major and in some cases indomitable beast. It has been an indomitable beast for me for many years and getting back behind the wheel feels like a monstrous battle.
Funnily, I had no real problem with getting behind the wheel as long as there was my driving teacher next to me. She had her brake, she’d lunge into the steering wheel, she gave advise, she talked me through it and I was not really scared.
Even during the test drive with my car to be I was not scared, since a good friend and experienced driver was sitting next to me, and even though he had no brake and did not lunge into my wheel, he again gave advise and talked me through it. No big deal.
So, today, I challenged the beast alone, since I wanted to keep in practice and get some more experience before I’ll pick up my car to be.
I ordered a rental vehicle at Nippon Rent-A-Car and asked for the same class as the Suzuki Swift (which will be my car to be) in the silent hope I’d get a Swift. In that same class are also the Honda Fit, Toyota Vitz and some others, so chances for a Swift were rather low.
I had not been tense before any of my driving lessons, but today I was tense and went with wobbly knees into the rental shop. My knees got every wobblier when the dude from the rental company explained about what to do in case of an accident and all these things. Then he went outside to get the car and yes! Even without asking for it, he came up with a silver Swift. I interpret that as a good omen 
Walking around the car together with the rental dude and checking for scratches, of which it had none, lowered my tiny bit of confidence again though.
Nevertheless, no way back and I settled into the thing and off to the road.
It’s always better for me to have a purpose or a goal and so I had already in advance decided to drive to the Costco in Zama city, some 22 km from my place. I had programmed my iPhone with Google maps and the non-highway route to the place, which seemed easy enough, just down national road 246 most of the time.
It felt WEIRD to be alone in the car, and that feeling of having to handle the beast all by myself no matter what was quite overwhelming. Also weirdly, or maybe not, I think the tension is higher for me if I’m not riding “my” car. I can do to my future car whatever I want, but this beast I have to deliver back in the same condition as having received it, which increases the pressure for me. I’m handling other people’s property, scary!
The ride to Costco was tiring, loads of cars, loads of traffic jam, loads of stop and go and it took me over an hour to get to the place. I drove into the easiest parking slot (something straight, nose first) and was very happy about that and did my shopping.
Then came the awful task of having to use the rear drive and doing some maneuvering to get out of the parking slot and down the ramp of the parking house. It being before x-mas and a Saturday afternoon had of course the effect that it was super busy in the shop and the park house. I do not act well in the car under pressure and the waving and waving guard-man did not help to easy my nerves. He gesticulated something at me, I did not understand him, did not go back far enough to catch the curve, had to set back once more, more gesticulating from the guard dude, I’m stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake even twice (though, without hitting anything or anybody) and, more or less, the dreaded panic hits.
Note the deliberate switch here to present tense to increase the tension 
The guard man looks at me as if I was totally insane and is still gesticulating and I don’t know why, but then I manage the curve and am on the ramp with wobbling legs – aaaaaa! Down the ramp and approaching the exit, I finally notice why the dude gesticulated at me. I have forgotten to switch on the lights! Jeez! Damn!
I manage to get the lights on (it’s pitch dark here at the moment at 17:00 by the way) before I am on the real road. Luckily there is stop and go until I reach the 246 again, which allows me to calm down a bit and to start laughing at my panic attack in the parking house. Jeez, that guard-dude must have thought; revoke that woman’s license!
The road is full and lots of stop and go until home, then, the challenge to get the car into my parking space. I fail twice and curve around the block to redo it… at the third time I make it. Hallelujah!
After unloading the shopping another fat task – refilling the tank and delivering the thing back to the rental company. Luckily there are some gasoline stations here which are still manned and I drive to one relatively close by and let them do the job. I’m surprised that those lousy 45 km in total needed 12 liters of gas. I suppose the stop and go is responsible for that and my still horrible driving style.
I have this horror vision that I will bump into something on the last few meters before the rental place but hallelujah again, I make it and am able to deliver the beast in unscratched condition back to the company who owns it. I am a ton lighter as I leave the place and bicycle back home! lol
After this acid test, I feel a bit better about driving my future car around alone. The Swift rides very smoothly, though the beast has quite some power under the hood, 1200cc after all, double for what I was originally aiming for (mini cars have only 660cc). You feel the beast’s power when you step on the accelerator after all and one day, when I’m more experienced and used to driving, I want to test a car with “real” power once. The Swift I rode was maybe the 2010 or 2011 model and my future beast is even a nudge more modern and has a cooler interior.
One way or the other… a big day for me it was! The best is conquered! Well, more or less… And man, tonight I will sleep well, I know that! lol.
