"Fourth Time’s A Charm" by Kimberly C

      Everyone’s failed at something at least once. For me, I had failed at a particular thingthree times. It was a rainy and gloomy day (which is probably not the best time to take an important test); I had just driven to the DMV, in West Covina with my dad. After checking in for my test, I anxiously waited inside the car (where the instructor was going to meet me). This was going to be my third time taking the behindthewheel test and I was scared that I was going to fail once again (because I would have to retake my permit (written test) again. As I waited, I practiced my arm signals and asked my dad questions about the test, in order to reassure myself that I would be okay. The instructor walked up towards my window and greeted me.I greeted her back, and then she proceeded to switch places with my dad, who gave me a thumbsup. So, I did all of the preliminary things to do before driving , such as my arm signals and pointing to various things inside the car. Then, I started my test. As I was driving, I was thinking positive thoughts, such as “I’m going to pass” or “Third time’s a charm.” I backed up alongside a curb, drove in a parking lot, in a business area, and in a neighborhood. I felt great. This was actually the first time that I had finished the components of the test since I was cut off short for my prior tests. When we reached the DMV, I was smiling and was so happy that I was about to get my license. However, to my dismay, the instructor said, “I’m sorry to say this, but you failed.” Immediately, my smile turned into a frown. “Why?” I asked. She then proceeded to say that I had failed because I was going under speed limit. I protested and said, “But, it was raining. ” She just looked at me (for maybe a good five seconds), took my permit and wrote “3XF” in big red letters all over my permit. Then, she left the car and went to another prospective kid that wanted their license. My dad practically skipped to the car in happiness because he thought I passed (most likely due to the fact that my test took longer than five minutes). Once he got in the car, he noticed that I wasn’t smiling and that I didn’t say anything. That was when he knew that I had failed again and made me sit in the passenger’s seat, since I wasn’t allowed to drive because I was very emotional (I wasn’t crying; I just felt a whole mix of emotions hit me). After that day, I reflected and told my parents that I want to do my permit again. So, I redid my permit the week after I failed the behindthewheel test. I realized that it would be much more practical to not rush my next test. Just because a lot of people I knew had their licenses, doesn’t mean that I should force myself to conform. I didn’t need to do something that I wasn’t ready to do. So, I decided to make sure that I really knew everything there is to know about the test. I knew that I barely practiced for the prior tests and decided to practice more often with my parents and even asked my neighbor, who was a retired bus driver, to help me with my driving. Once, I asked my friend to show me a route around the Fontana DMV. From all of this training, I knew that I was ready. I scheduled my fourth test in September, four months after my last test. There was no way that I was going to fail now. After all, I had put in many, many hours to prepare for the test. This time, it was a sunny day and I felt good about myself. I drove up to the Fontana DMV and checked in again. I’m pretty sure the lady at the check in counter knows me by name, since I had taken all of my permits and first two driving tests there. The instructor approached me and introduced himself. My mom, who had came with me because my dad thought he was bad luck to all of my driving tests, left the car and the instructor sat in the passenger’s seat. Slightly nervous, I took a deep breath and then started driving. After about ten minutes, the instructor gave me directions back to the DMV. I started panicking because the test was too short and I thought I had failed. As I drove back to the DMV, I was listing all of the possible things that could’ve gone wrong in the test. When we got back to the parking lot, the instructor said that I passed and with no mistakes either. I looked at him in shock because I thought I failed. I guess miracles do happen. The fourth time’s a charm.