Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine: The Driver's License
The announcement came home in both twins' backpacks on a Monday afternoon.
Dear Parents,
Your child is now eligible to apply for a learner's permit. Please visit the Department of Motor Vehicles to complete the application process. A parent or guardian must accompany the applicant.
Lina read the letter three times.
A learner's permit. Her babies were going to drive.
She thought about the first time they had ridden a bike, wobbly and scared, her hands on the seat, her heart in her throat. She thought about the first time they had ridden without training wheels, screaming with joy, her running behind them, afraid to let go.
She thought about all the times she had held on.
And now she had to let go again.
---
Lily was thrilled.
"I'm going to drive!" she screamed, jumping up and down. "I'm going to get my permit! I'm going to drive myself to school!"
Lina raised an eyebrow. "You're going to drive yourself to school?"
"Eventually, Mama. Eventually."
Lina smiled. "Of course. Eventually."
Lily ran to her room to start studying the driver's manual.
Leo was less enthusiastic.
"A driver's license," he said flatly. "More responsibility. More danger. More people on the road who don't know how to drive."
Lina sat beside him. "You don't have to get your permit right away."
Leo was quiet for a moment. "I want to."
Lina blinked. "You do?"
"Maya is getting hers. She said we could study together."
Lina's heart swelled. "That sounds like a good plan."
Leo almost smiled. "I think so too."
---
The week leading up to the permit test was chaos.
Lily studied every night, reading the manual, taking practice tests, quizzing Leo on road signs. Leo studied too, but quietly, methodically, the way he did everything.
Lina watched them both and felt a strange mix of pride and fear.
They were growing up.
They were becoming independent.
They were leaving her.
But they were also coming back. Every night. Every morning. Every moment in between.
She held onto those moments.
She treasured them.
She let them go.
---
The day of the permit test arrived cold and clear.
Lina drove the twins to the DMV, her hands tight on the wheel, her heart pounding. Ethan sat beside her, his hand on her knee.
"They're going to be fine," he said.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
Lina parked the car. She walked the twins into the DMV, hugged them both, and watched them take the test.
Lily finished first. She walked out of the testing room with a smile on her face.
"I passed!" she said, holding up her permit.
Lina hugged her. "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart."
Leo finished a few minutes later. He walked out of the testing room with his usual serious expression.
"Well?" Lina asked.
Leo held up his permit. "I passed."
Lina hugged him. "I'm so proud of you too, baby."
Leo hugged her back. "It was easy."
Lina laughed.
"That's my boy," she said.
---
The first driving lesson was chaos.
Lily drove around an empty parking lot, her hands at ten and two, her eyes wide, her knuckles white.
"You're doing great," Lina said, her own hands gripping the door handle.
"I'm terrified," Lily said.
"Me too. But we're going to be terrified together."
Lily almost smiled. "Okay."
They drove in circles for an hour.
By the end, Lily was less terrified. Lina was less terrified. They were both exhausted.
"That was fun," Lily said.
Lina laughed. "That's one word for it."
---
Leo's first driving lesson was different.
He drove slowly, carefully, methodically. He checked his mirrors. He signaled. He obeyed every speed limit.
"You're a natural," Lina said.
Leo shrugged. "I read the manual."
Lina smiled. "Of course you did."
They drove in silence for a while.
"Mama?" Leo said.
"Yes, baby?"
"Thank you. For teaching me."
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you for letting me," she said.
---
The months passed.
Lily drove everywhere—to school, to the mall, to her friends' houses. She loved the freedom, the independence, the wind in her hair.
Leo drove when he had to—to school, to the library, to Maya's house. He did not love driving. But he was good at it.
Lina watched them both and felt a strange mix of pride and sadness.
They were growing up.
They were finding their way.
They were becoming who they were meant to be.
---
The First Solo Drive
The day came when Lily asked to drive alone.
"Mama, I'm ready," she said.
Lina's heart ached. "I don't know if I am."
Lily took her hand. "You have to let me go sometime."
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"I know," she said. "I just... I'm not ready."
Lily pulled her into her arms.
"I'll be careful," she said. "I promise."
Lina held her daughter.
"I know you will," she said.
She handed Lily the keys.
Lily drove away.
Lina stood in the driveway, watching the car disappear.
Ethan put his arm around her.
"She's going to be fine," he said.
Lina leaned into him.
"I know," she said. "But I'm still going to worry."
"That's your job."
They stood in the driveway, holding each other, while their daughter drove into the future.
---
Lily came home an hour later, safe and sound.
She ran into the house, her face flushed with excitement.
"Mama! Mama! I did it! I drove alone!"
Lina hugged her.
"I'm so proud of you," she said.
Lily hugged her back.
"I'm proud of me too," she said.
Lina laughed.
"That's my girl," she said.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine