I was ready – or so I thought. I cruised into my second driving test, confident (or trying to convince myself that I was) that I wouldn’t repeat the misI take of my last test: scraping the barrier in front of the spot I was supposed to be backing into. Now, one month later, I was a much more experienced driver, a much smoother driver, and a much safer driver. I would without a doubt pass this test with flying colors.

Okay, I’ll admit it: I was still nervous.

As the stern-faced instructor barreled into the car, I offered her a tremulous smile, intent on transforming her dry list of monotonous instructions into something a tad more cheerful. Surprise! No such luck.