As expected, when she just came downstairs and hadn’t even spoken a few words to her grandmother, she saw a familiar car drive into the yard, slowly decelerating and coming to a stop. “Grandma, I’m leaving now! He’s back!” The girl waved happily to her grandmother and ran to the living room door. “Go on, go on!” Her grandmother got up from the sofa, watching the light figure with a face full of smiles. Seeing them finally together made her genuinely happy.
Agnes was like a happy little bird, flying directly towards the car! When Tom got out of the car, Agnes had already opened the passenger door. “Hello, Mr. Kitten, I missed you so much!”
“Wait a second!” Tom walked around the car, came to the girl, and smiled gently. “I missed you too.” Then he took her arm, “You need to sit here; we are practicing driving, not just taking a ride.” With that said, Tom had already led her to the driver’s seat. “It’s okay, I’m here with you, don’t be afraid.”
The girl turned her eyes to him, clearly feeling some pressure. “Get in the car,” Tom said softly. “You drive me to watch the sunset. We’ll go along the river towards the suburbs where there are fewer cars. You’ll be fine.”
“But…”
“No buts, get in the car.”
Reluctantly, Agnes sat in the driver’s seat. Tom bent down and helped her fasten her seatbelt. “The first step in driving is overcoming fear.”
“Do I really have to drive out?” Agnes was a bit flustered. “I just started learning; let me practice on a main road later.”
“It’s fine,” Tom reassured her. “With me here, there’s nothing to fear.” He closed her door and got into the passenger seat after a moment, fastening his seatbelt as well.
Then he turned to her and said, “Don’t be afraid, drive confidently.” He pointed at a button, “This is the start button; press it.”
Agnes didn’t grab the steering wheel immediately; she was genuinely nervous. This was an expensive luxury car! She didn’t even have a driver’s license yet! Even if she had one, she’d still be scared to drive it at first.
“When did my Bubu become so timid?” Tom teased gently. “Even if this car gets damaged, isn’t there another one at home? Just drive it; as long as you press the gas pedal lightly, nothing will happen.”
Agnes really wanted to practice but was still very nervous… She took deep breaths to adjust herself.
“Step on the brake first,” Tom instructed.
Agnes tried to regulate her breathing and gripped the steering wheel with both hands while pressing down on the brake with her right foot.
“I’ll help you shift gears.” With that, Tom started the car and shifted it into drive.
Then he said, “Now slowly release the brake to get a feel for it. Don’t be afraid; try turning the steering wheel as we move out.”
Agnes listened attentively and followed his instructions. The car actually started moving.
“Isn’t this great?” Tom’s encouragement gave her significant confidence; he was so gentle and patient.
Holding onto the steering wheel firmly, Agnes finally showed a slight smile of relief.
As they drove out at about 30 mph, she managed to control it steadily.
“Do we need navigation? Where are we going?” Agnes asked seriously while driving without taking her eyes off the road.
“No need; turn right when we exit. With me here, there’s nothing to fear.”
The gate of Fritz Manor was wide enough that even a novice like Agnes could navigate out by turning once.
Following his instructions, she drove out and turned right.
“You can speed up a bit,” he said. “Press the gas pedal lightly; there are few cars on this road. Stay close to the edge; I’ll keep an eye on things for you.”