A young woman recounts her experience getting her driver's license on a scorching summer day in her Australian country town. She describes the excitement of the day, the familiar comfort of her family's car, and the anticipation of finally being able to drive herself to the beach.
I always knew how to do it. I mean, I’d been doing it since I could still list my age in single digits. But now I was about to show my local constable, a fairly young-looking bloke in a slightly ill-fitting uniform, that I could do it legally.
The river and the beaches not far from my dairy farm community were our summer playgrounds. It’s where we all went. My family, my school friends, my knitted-bikini-clad tribe and just about every tourist who made the trek up the highway from their city homes.Credit:The communal plunge into cool water was beyond words. More a sound. Like the high-pitched buzz of a cicada on cue, I would simply make a noise as the water snapped the sun’s rays and washed over my bare skin.
I arrived early for my 10am appointment and angle-parked at the kerb outside the local police station. The young constable who was to put me through my paces appeared wearing his revolver and a slight smirk as he opened the passenger door and sat beside me. I don’t know what he thought. If I were to guess, he was probably wondering about my clutch work as he observed my high-heeled cork wedges.“Head to the main street,” he said. “Let’s see how you go.” Simple enough.
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