Modern AU (obviously after the strike)
He knew he had to learn at some point and yet he was terrified to. Davey was rarely one to take risks. To him, driving was a risk. A large risk at that. He had never done anything remotely close to driving except for that one time when he rode, not drove, rode in a go kart with Jack the one time that he and the boys went. Davey had gone to Driver's Ed and had passed the test for his permit. That had only been two hours ago and Jack had been texting him all day.
Jack: Did you get it yet?
Davey: Why do you keep asking? This isn't a life or death situation.
Jack: Driving is a life or death situation, Davey. I just need to know when you are driving, so I can stay off the road.
Davey rolls his eyes and lazily tosses his phone onto his bed. Leave it to Jack to say something like that. He decided to walk over to the apartment building that all of the boys lived in. Davey had no idea how Jack did it. Living in one apartment space with at least twenty other boys. Jack treated all of them like they were his brothers and that included Davey and Les. As Davey approached the door, he could hear the ruckus of an apartmentful of teenage boys on the other side. Davey walked down to the end of the hall and opened the door that led out to the fire escape. He had better luck finding his best friend on the roof than in the throng of kids in the apartment. Although, knowing Jack he could be either place. Davey carefully climbs the rickety fire escape steps as he makes his way to the rooftop. Once he makes it to the roof, he sees Jack Kelly, looking out over the city and sketching something on a piece of paper.
"Hey Jack," Davey says as he approaches the older boy. Jack looks up from his work and smiles.
"Hey, Davey," He says and then immediately asks, "So did ya get it?" Davey nods and Jack lets out a loud whoop that echoes off of the nearby buildings. Davey groans and says,
"I don't feel like this is an achievement." Jack walks over and claps his friend on the back.
"Course, it's an achievement, Davey. Ya just don't know it yet," Jack encourages his friend. Davey shrugs and says,
"I'm terrified to drive okay, Jack. I don't want the ability, and I never wanted to get my permit. There's just too many crazy people who drive and to many people who get killed because of them. I don't want to be in that position." Jack looks at his friend with a look of plain and simple sympathy.
"I nevah had dat much trouble wantin to drive. Neither did Race. Talk to Specs or Skittery. Neither of dem really wanted to drive. Specs was worried cuz he's always leavin his glasses everywhere. Bumlets just got his permit bout a week ago, so he's for shoah your best bet," Jack advises. Davey nods and says,
"I'll have to ask them about it sometime. They sound kind of busy right now." Jack laughs and shakes his head,
"Nah. Dey's just da opposite of busy. Knowin dem, dey's just roughousin or someting like dat. Ya can always talk to em. Just, uh, watch out for flyin pillows or marbles. Occasionally, dey have a pillow or marbles war. Hate to see ya get caught in da middle of it." Davey rolls his eyes, when suddenly his phone buzzes.
Esther Jacobs: David, your father wants to take you to a parking lot to teach you how a car works. Please come home.
Davey inwardly groans at the text and Jack uses the opportunity to tease him,
" Ya goil friend dat I's don't know bout textin ya again?"
"NO!" Davey practically shouts as he socks Jack in the arm. "Mom wants me to get home, so Dad can teach me to drive as soon as he gets home from work." Jack nods and says,
"I'se stayin off da streets tonight den." Davey rolls his eyes and says,
"Might be better for the both of us." Jack laughs and shoves him towards the fire escape ladder.
"Go home and get ready for ya drivin," He instructs and Davey rubs his shoulder where Jack shoved him.
"Alright, see ya later, Jack!"
"Bye, Davey." Davey runs down the fire escape ladder all the way down to the crowded street below and walks home. He runs to the room that he shares with Les and plucks a book off of the tiny shelf above his bed. Flipping to his bookmark, Davey gets lost in a book for a solid ten minutes before Les peeks his head in the door. Davey doesn't see Les, so Les silently sneaks right up to where Davey is sitting on his bed.
"Hiya!" He shouts enthusiastically.
"Aahhh!" Davey shouts in response. His book landing on his knee as he gives a startled jump. Les bursts into fits of laughter as he flops onto the small rug on the floor. Sarah, Davey's sister, pokes her in the doorway to see what all of the commotion was.
"Davey, you should have seen the look on your face. You didn't even see me and, and," Les struggles to speak as he chokes out fits of laughter. Sarah rolls her eyes and says,
"The classic Davey gets scared by Les saying hi while reading a book. Happens every time." She has a knowing look in her eye as she looks at the older of her two brothers. Suddenly, the door to the apartment unlocks and Davey pushes his face back into the book. The sound of his parents talking floats into Davey's ears as he struggles to enjoy his book.
"You're going to have to learn eventually, David. Might as well hold your head up as you do it," Sarah advises, trying to be encouraging. Les cocks his head up at Davey and says,
"Yeah, Davey? Why don't you want to drive?" Davey takes a deep breath and begins his list,
"The gas pedal is a dangerous weapon used to move something that injures people and or kills people. The brake pedal flings people into the steering wheel which make those freaky things that punch harder than Jack does called air bags pop out! You could hit a bump and blow a tire. You could hit a rock and explode your gas tank. You could get permanently blinded by a person's brights. The car could control itself and try to kill you. You could bump against the horn and make people mad. And that's just the beginning." Sarah giggles a little and Davey whines like a two year old,
"It's not funny!!!" Sarah waves her hand and says,
"Driving is not that scary. The car is not going to start randomly driving by itself unless it gets hacked by some bad people."
"WHAT?" Davey shrieks.
"Oh boy," says Les.
"PEOPLE CAN HACK YOUR CAR?" Davey shrieks again.
"Well, yeah, it happened to my friend, Violet. She managed to get the doors unlocked and she got out before anything bad happened to her though," Sarah answers. Davey gasps and Sarah says,
"Calm down. All of our cars are too old to have that happen to them, don't worry." Davey sighs and says,
"I'm not any less nervous than I was before you mentioned that." Sarah groans and says,
"Oh, Davey." Suddenly, Mr. Jacobs appears in the doorway.
"So, David, do you want to go driving?" Davey plops his book down on his face. "Well, whether or not you want to, we are going, so I suggest you get ready to go." Davey grumbles and Les beams up at him,
"Good luck, Davey. Maybe we can go see Jack later?"
"Already seen him," Davey replies, "He's too happy for me."
"David! Are you coming?" Mr. Jacobs calls from the front door of the apartment. David pulls his shoes on and ties the laces into the three perfect knots that he always does. He trudges out of his room and to the front door of the Jacobs' apartment. Mr. Jacobs calls to his wife as he opens the door.
"Esther! David and I are heading out. We will see you later."
"Have fun, you two! Be careful out there, Mayer! Good luck, David." Father and son exit the apartment. One feeling excited for his son and the great responsibility and endeavor he is about to embark on. The other terrified of what his father will put him through. Having never driven anything, Davey has no clue of what to expect. The two get into a car and Mr. Jacobs mentions something,
"Walk me through what I should do. I will take us where we are going, but I want you to tell me what the rules are for each intersection and all of the hazards there are." Davey nods. His father swings out and a car starts coming in the distance.
"Dad, Dad, Dad," Davey says, his voice level rising with each mention of "Dad".
"What, David? Yes I see the car, if that's what you're worried about," Mr. Jacobs replies as he makes the turn. His father, out of habit, turns into the lane furthest from him.
"Dad!" Davey gasps, surprised at his father's actions. "You turned into the lane furthest from you. That is not okay!"
"Relax, David. I do that all the time. It will be alright, I promise." Mr. Jacobs answers with a relaxed tone in his voice. Davey shakes his head.
"Dad, it's against the LAW. It's illegal. Something that is illegal is not okay to do. They told me this in Driver's Ed. I could get put in defensive driving class just because I turned into the wrong lane. Then you'd have to pay for it and then.." Davey goes on and on. Mr. Jacobs finally interrupts him.
"David, relax. I've been driving for years. Don't do it if you are so worried, but you will find that changing lanes in Manhattan is difficult. People don't let you in. You have to be aggressive and stake your claim on lane space for your car. That's why after you pass your driver's test. You can do this." He steers the car into an empty parking lot outside of an abandoned warehouse. After putting it in park, Mr. Jacobs takes the keys out of the ignition and hands them to his son. Davey pales considerably as the keys hit his palm. It feels as though a considerably heavy burden has been placed on his shoulders. Mr. Jacobs and Davey switch sides of the car and Davey sits down in the driver's seat. Panic instantly starting to flood his mind the moment he sits down.
"Alright, so put the key in the ignition and start the car," Mr. Jacobs gently instructs as he gets comfortable and buckles his seat belt. Davey's fingers shake as he pulls the keys up to the ignition and slips them in. Ever so slowly, he turns the key forward. "You can turn the car on, David. It's not going to bite."
"Are you sure?" Davey asks, realizing for the first time that his ability to be reasonable has left his mind. His father nods encouragingly and Davey starts up the car. It roars to life and Davey shifts in his seat uncomfortably. Mr. Jacobs begins to show him different things about the car and cars in general. Finally, Mr. Jacobs has him slip the car into drive. Davey's hand shakes as he moves the shifter. His foot firmly planted on the brake pedal.
"Now, take your foot off the brake pedal and let the car roll forward," Mr. Jacobs commands softly. Davey lifts his foot about an inch and the car doesn't move. "A little more. David, you want the car to actually move," Mr. Jacobs tries to reason with his son. Davey lifts it up and then the car rolls his forward. Davey slams his foot on the brake causing the two of them to lurch forward in their seats. Gasping at the suddenness of the stop, Davey looks over at his father with his eyes wide. "A little more gently would be nice on the old bones, David," Mr. Jacobs advises. Davey takes his foot off the brake and lets the car roll forward. He tries stepping on the brake a little more gently this time. Amazed at the results, a smile breaks out on his face for the first time that day. Davey does it three more times and eventually his father, seeing that his son has gotten the hang of the brake, tells him to put the car in park. Davey does and prepares to get out of the car. His father stops him.
"Ah ah ah, David. We are just getting started." Davey inwardly groans and nervously sits back down in the driver's seat. His father has him practice stepping on the gas pedal. The first time, he does the car gives a roar and Davey jumps.
"What's happening? The car's going to shoot off and I can't control it!" He exclaims, going into a panic. The car continues to roar as Davey has forgotten to let up on the gas pedal. Driving was not the picture perfect set of rules that Driver's Ed had made it seem to him.
"Try it again and press a little more gently," His father encourages as he notices his son's nervousness. Davey presses a little more gently and the car hums quietly. Both father and son relax considerably at the sound. "Do it again," Mr. Jacobs instructs. Davey steps off and does it again. The car hums in the peacefully quiet manner again. "Try putting it in drive," Mr. Jacobs instructs. Davey's foot slams on the brake as he does. "Easy on the brake, son. The car's not going to go anywhere," Mr. Jacobs laughs a little bit. Davey gently lets up and gently steps on the brake. The car slowly races forward and Davey slams on the brake.
"It moved," He gasps in a shaky voice as his knuckles turn white from choking the steering wheel. His father gives him a nod. Davey gently presses on the gas again and the car races forward. "Ahhhhh," He gasps, "I can't control it. It's going too fast." Mr. Jacobs chuckles.
"Son, you're only going five miles an hour." Davey nervously looks at his father and his father only responds with, "Do it again." Davey gently transfers his foot from the brake to the gas. Gently stepping down on it, he steers the car except he steers too far and hits a bush.
"Oh no! I killed the bush! I knew cars were killing machines!" Davey gasps and his father chuckles and says,
"This is actually a good time to introduce you to backing up." Davey's eyes widen. He knew that reverse existed, but the prospect of actually having to use it never crossed his mind. Davey slides the shifter into reverse and plants his foot firmly onto the brake. His father instructs him on how to steer of the bush and Davey gently keeps his foot over the brake. Davey steers the wrong direction out of nerves and the car glides into the bush even more. Finally, Mr. Jacobs says,
"Here, I think we've done enough for the day. Put it in park and I'll get it out." Davey jumps out of the little gray car and his father takes the driver's seat, backing the car out of the bush with ease. Ease that Davey has a feeling he will never have. Davey gets into the passenger seat and buckles his seat belt. His father swings out onto the road and enters the intersection just as the light flashes yellow.
"Dad! The light was yellow! You should have stopped!" Davey shouts angrily. Davey glances over at his father's speedometer and sees that his father is going 47 in a 45 zone. "Dad, slow down! You're going over the speed limit!" He reprimands. His father turns the car and comes to a four way stop. He stops, but keeps going without really stopping when he sees no one is there. "Dad! That was not a complete stop! That was a rolling stop! You could have been given a ticket or worse!" Davey gasps. After a short while, father and son arrive back at the apartment complex where the Jacobs live. Once they are inside, Davey sends a text to Jack.
Davey: I survived driving for the first time.
Jack: Congrats, Walkin Mouth! Don't ya love it?
Davey: I think I will with time, I don't right now.
Jack: What makes you say that?
Davey: I ran into a bush, and got stuck even more when I tried to back out.
Jack: Lol. That's pretty good, Davey. Nice job!
Davey: No! That was not good!
Jack: Smiling/winkey face emoji.
Davey rolls his eyes and sets his phone down on the kitchen table. No matter what he experienced in life, he knew he would always have Jack and his boys to talk to about it. His mother smiles at him,
"You made a milestone, Davey. I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Mom. I was terrified, but maybe I will learn to like it someday."
"I'm sure you will. You will get better, so did you learn anything?"
"That Dad is a terrible driver and I am even worse than he is."
"Oh, David! You will be a great driver, I'm sure of it."
Davey hoped his mother was right. He was going to be scared for his and his passenger's lives if she wasn't. Davey loved the experience of trying something new, and at the same time, he was terrified. Driving meant opening a whole new chapter, something he wasn't sure he was ready to do yet. Nevertheless, he realized that courage is what he needed. With his friends and family by his side, courage is what he would have.
AN:/ There you go! Davey is learning to drive. For those of you who have not driven, driving is not as scary as Davey makes it out to be. I loved making Davey terrified. It was pretty stinking fun, I gotta admit. :) There was some humor for you. I've been working on it for the past three days, hence the length. Hope you don't mind a long one shot. :) Jack wasn't much help in his texts, but that is how I think Jack would be. It's humorous too. So, tell me what you think! Did you like it? Do you want more of Davey's driving or not? Please comment or give me reviews! I would love them! A thank you to my two love followers, alohagirl27 and snowdropfabjous for the encouragement and just for being supportive and for being my followers. Have fun reading and enjoy the story! See you soon, friends!