The Test

Several months ago my father was involved in a fender bender in the parking lot of the Shop Rite of Branchburg. He received a ticket for careless driving and that set off a chain reaction. First he had to see an eye doctor and his family doctor to certify that he was fit to drive. They did and he sent the state the results. The state then sent him a letter telling him that he would have to retake the state driving test to have his license renewed. Did I mention that Dad is 90? Did I mention that he has never used a computer?
Chris, my sister , took Pop to motor vehicles the first two times. The first time he failed the written test but passed the vision test. The second time he passed the written test but then failed parallel parking. The examiner said that He did not understand her directions.
So today was my turn. Pop picked me up at 9am and drove me to the Camp Kilmer facility in Edison. He originally told me that we would be traveling there via route 287 but he actually listened and we took the back roads.

Pop failed parallel parking again. The facility uses cones instead of real cars and Pop kept backing into the space. He just could not remember what real parallel parking is. He never hit the cones, he backed up perfectly but did not realize that his car should be going in the same direction as the cones. He was parking his car like he would at Shop Rite.
The examiner gave him four tries and then in frustration said, "Sir, I am sorry but you failed."
Pop was more than a little frustrated! He can practice parallel parking and go back for one more try. If he fails for a third time his license is suspended until the time that he can pass the test.
At lunch, after he had had a cigarette, he said that maybe he would just give up and turn his license in next Wednesday.
A life transition that we might all have to make someday! Poor Pop!