Driving Ms. Charlotte

I learned to drive in 1997 on a ’91 Mazda Miata, a ’66 Volkswagen Bug, and a ’95 Dodge Caravan. Two of those cars are standard transmissions, so I learned to drive with one hand on the stick, and one on the steering wheel. Only once in my entire life have I driven with two hands on the wheel: during my driving test to get my driver’s license in 1997. Until Wednesday afternoon. On the way home from the hospital in Tomball (Methodist- Willowbrook), I drove with my hands at 10 and 2 so that I could maneuver around whatever obstacle had the nerve to cross our path. I could have out-maneuvered Jeff Gordon in the name of protecting the newest addition to our family. Even more, as Margaret, Charlotte Madison, and I came home as a family for the first time, I drove with the cruise control set so that both feet were poised to come crashing down on the brake in an instant with the full force of my entire body if anything or anyone made the mistake of impeding our progress. It’s amazing how not even the mundane things in life (i.e. driving) are left untouched by the birth of our first daughter.