by Bryan Sherwood

Created on: March 09, 2009

Priceless moments in a person's life generally include times when their parents, the ultimate role models, temporarily shed their grace in a single, blundering moment.

It all started when our family friend Mr. Huo decided to do our family a favor and teach my mother how to drive. At first, my mom hesitated to agree. However, she eventually consented as the rest of our family egged her on. After a few moments of discussion, my mother and Mr. Huo decided that making slow rounds in the neighborhood would be the best way to begin. Mom was nervous at first, but soon got the hang of it. The lesson started off a seeming success, as my mother swiftly mastered the most basic driving skills. Delighted, she quickly progressed under the direction of Mr. Huo.

Unfortunately, the lesson took a speedy turn for the worse. Dear ol' mum's confidence suddenly drained away into nothingness when a large United Postal Service truck rolled into the neighborhood. Unnerved by the sight of such an immense vehicle headed her way, my mother hastily hit the brakes.., or at least tried to. In her anxiety, she accidentally floored the accelerator, causing the car to fly up the curb of a nearby sidewalk and into the neighborhood garden. The car halted abruptly as it crashed into a small tree. The tree, in all peculiarity, had not burst into flames or anything of the sort (as I had expected from such a forceful crash). The truck driver burst out laughing and started slapping his thigh. In between his seemingly uncontrollable spouts of laughter, he asked my mother and Mr. Huo if they needed any help. Embarrassed, my mother shook her head and thanked the man, who kept laughing all the way out of the neighborhood. The lesson had definitely turned out in quite an unexpected way.

Thankfully, none of the resulting damages were very severe. My mother and Mr. Huo managed to escape physically unscathed. The tree, on the other hand, had not been nearly as lucky. Slumped over in a rather pathetic stance, it had been partially uprooted. My father took the liberty of repositioning the tree, binding it tightly with wire to help it regrow. The car, surprisingly resilient, survived with only a few scratches as evidence of the ordeal it had been through. The biggest damage, however, had been inflicted on my mother's ego.

... No matter how impeccable or composed one may seem, the fact remains that we're all only human.

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