Driving Cinderella

Kristine Atterbury, Contributor

Cindy stood next to the old Nissan and chewed her nails anxiously. She craned her head to peer through the glass windows of the driving-test centre. Past the long line of people extending almost to the front doors, she saw four or five people behind the counter. The examiners.

Soulless creatures who chewed up hapless new drivers, and spit them back out, with no hope, no chance, and no licence. Inside her pocket, the faded driver's permit burned a hole through the heavy denim of her jeans.

If she went back to work on Monday without a licence, she was screwed. She might as well clear off her desk as soon as she got there. Her boss hadn't minced words with her on her first day. "Get your driver's licence, or you're out."

Now here she was, three months and two failed tests later. She couldn't afford to buy her licence like most of her friends had. She couldn't even afford driving lessons, and her stepmother refused to teach her.

"Are you crazy?" she had snapped. "It's bad enough I give you a discount on the rent. I don't have time to teach you things you should have learned long ago. If your father was still alive, he'd be ashamed."

Cindy snapped out of her reverie when she saw the examiner walking towards her. He was younger than most of them, tall, with broad shoulders, and a shock of black, curly hair. He might have been good-looking if he didn't have such a sour face. His brows were heavy and his eyes squinty.

Cindy straightened her back and smiled at him brightly.

"Hi!" she said. "I'm Cindy."

He stepped past her and opened the passenger door. "Permit, please."

She swallowed and pulled the permit out of her pocket. He looked at it, nodded, and got in, slamming the door shut as she scrambled to get in the driver's seat. While she fumbled around, adjusting the seat and mirrors, he sighed, leaned back, and recited in a bored voice. "Follow my instructions and turn where I ask you to turn. I will not ask you to do anything dangerous or illegal. Please turn on the vehicle and make your way towards the exit."

Cindy tried to calm her breathing. This was no big deal. She was not going to fail. She was not going to lose her job. She was not going to have to live on the street after her stepmother kicked her out for not paying the rent. Everything was going to be fine.

"Miss, this is a driving test. You have to actually drive the vehicle for me to test you."

She slowly backed out of the space. When she turned around and got to the exit, she waited until the road was completely clear before inching out.

She heard a muffled groan and looked at the examiner, startled. He had his head in his hands.

"Miss Walker," he spoke with great patience. "Please drive at a regular pace. I really hate to have to fail someone within the first 60 seconds."

She blinked with embarrassment and pressed the accelerator in frustration. The car lurched forward, and she had to slam on the brakes to avoid colliding with the red Suzuki in front of them. "Sorry, sorry," she mumbled. He didn't reply.

Alex closed his eyes and counted to 10 slowly, in his head. Only 10 more days in this place. Only 10 more days of driving around with spoiled, empty-headed, pretty little rich girls who never bothered to actually learn to drive before they showed up at the centre, expecting to get a licence simply on the merit of a cute smile and a nice pair of legs. He glanced at Cindy Walker, her shapely brown legs practically shimmering in the glare of the sun coming through the untinted windows. Her hair was short and jet black, cut into a pixie style that fit her high cheekbones and smooth, dark skin. She had a great smile too but it wasn't going to work. She had already failed the test.

Cindy felt the examiner glowering at her and tried to distract him. "So," she said, as she swerved to avoid a pedestrian. "I just realised I don't even know your name."

"Alex Prince. That was a stop sign you just missed."

"Right, right. How long you been working at the test centre? You seem kinda young."

"It just temporary. Watch out for - neva mind."

"So what's your permanent job?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm a promoter. Starting ma own company."

"Wow, really?"

She seemed sincere so he nodded. "We throw the Player's Ball every year. Very glamorous event. You probably heard about it."

She shook her head. "I can't afford to dress up and go to a ball. But it sounds like fun."

She sounded so wistful that he turned to look at her and she flashed him another grin, her smile wide and warm and real, and he felt dizzy for a second. It felt as if she could see right into him, her eyes full of life and warmth as they looked at him and - his stomach suddenly lurched - not at the road!

His eyes faced front and he saw the red light. Too late, he yelled "Watch out!" and she slammed on the brakes, swerving to avoid the white Camry that was right in their path, narrowly missing it and lurching to the side of the road, coming to a sudden stop that Alex felt down to his bones.

The silence that followed was almost deafening. He blinked and moved his neck from side to side, checking for any sign of injury. Beside him, Cindy was breathing in short, sudden gasps.

Outside, the driver of the Camry had slowed to scream curses at them before speeding off. Alex bit back his anger as he touched Cindy's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he demanded. She nodded shakily, her eyes filling with tears.

"Get out of the driver's seat, please." His voice was deadly calm. She unclipped the seatbelt and got out, leaning against the car for support. While he walked around the vehicle, checking for damage, she took several deep breaths and tried not to cry. This was it. They would never give her a licence, ever, and she was going to lose her job and her home. Her father's home that she had lived in all her life. Despair washed over her as she stood by the side of the road, looking around, helplessly. Just another stupid girl who couldn't drive.

A silver Subaru slowed and pulled over a few feet in front of them. Alex looked up from examining the tyres as a well-dressed woman in heels got out, followed by twin girls who looked like younger versions of her. Behind him, Cindy made a strangled noise.

"Cindy?" One of the girls laughed as they approached. The woman's eyes merely passed over Alex as she came to a standstill in front of the car.

"What happened?"

Cindy shrank back almost imperceptibly, but Alex saw it.

"I was doing my driving test, and I kinda had an accident."

The woman turned around and looked at the car, her gaze flicking to Alex, then back again to Cindy.

She shook her head, then walked back to her car without saying another word.

The girls backed away, smirking. Then one of them clutched the other's arm.

"Hey! Are you Alex Prince?"

He gave a curt nod.

"Oh, my gawd!" the other one squealed. "Can you get us passes to the Player's Ball tomorrow? All the tickets are sold out!"

He looked back at Cindy, standing hunched and miserable next to the car.

"Sorry," he said, turning back to them. "All the passes done."

They pouted with mirrored expressions of disappointment, then ran to the car, giggling as they went.

After the car drove off, he motioned for Cindy to get in. Inside the car, she looked so hopeless, he found it hard to hold on to his impatience.

"It not that bad," he said. "The car not damaged."

She nodded, blinking furiously.

"You can come back and try again in a few weeks, yuh just need some lessons."

She didn't reply.

He felt awful. She had seemed so happy at the beginning of the lesson. She was a terrible driver but he didn't want her to cry.

"Don't cry," he said feebly.

"I'm not."

He sighed and pulled over to the side of the road. He put the car in park and looked at her.

"Who was that woman?"

"Stepmother."

He didn't ask any more because it seemed like there was a long story behind all of that.

Feeling awkward, he put his arm around her shoulder, and her skin felt warm and soft, so he left it there.

She turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with feeling, her mouth soft and round and vulnerable. She leaned forward very slightly and he felt the urge to kiss her wash over him with surprising force.

A smile quirked at the corner of her mouth.

"You going to kiss me?"

He laughed and ran a hand over his unruly curls. "Maybe."

"Does that mean I pass my test?"

He scowled. "No. I can give you some lessons, for free. God knows you need them."

She nodded, grateful. Then her face turned suspicious. "What do I have to do for free lessons?

Starting the car, he grinned. "Just come with me to the ball tonight."