Pass or Fail, Adventure or Total Dissapointment? (An Old Post Published))

June 7, 2012
Hornel, New York

With shaking hands I pulled up to the curb.  It was the same curb I had started my motorcycle road test from only minutes ago, but now something felt different.  I had finally completed my first road test only a little more then a month after buying my first bike and I might have finally been legal.  If I passed I would go on my two month summer trip across the United States and south into Central America.  If I failed I would most certainly bury my head in shame and remain in my desolate apartment until the next semester began and the weight of those options not pressed down on my with indescribable weight.

One part could have gone better, I was so close to getting lost back there at another point, and when the truck blocked off my fathers car that had the man from the DMV in it following me I probably could have handled that better as well but while these thoughts all raced around my mine it was over for now.  After my slow speeds maneuvers the man looked at me and said only with indifference "alright," and pointed me onto my final route and I had managed not to stall, crash, dump the bike or kill any innocent pedestrians.  Now I just needed to hear the results; pass or schedule another test in an infuriating 4-6 weeks from now.

You see this wasn't the first time I had "showed up" for the test.  Four weeks ago, I had arrived for my first test on a much more nimble bike, but also much less confident in my abilities.  After getting lost looking for the starting point by confusing Maple Street with Maple City Drive I arrived well over 30 minutes late for appointment I had made only 2 days ago.  Somehow I had been able to schedule my test right away, but I knew if I failed that day my luck would not prevail for another early test.

After waiting in line for over an hour my turn finally came.  When the man from the DMV walked up and told me I could not take the test and had already failed I was heart broken and speechless.  I didn't mind driving around without a liscence after numerous people including one University Police told me that's what everyone did, however, I did want the peace of mind knowing that I was legal.  And now I would remain illegal through no fault of my own.  The man pointed out that while my paperwork was all in order the truck that was supposed to follow me with the man watching from inside had a lapsed inspection.  So without even attempting I had already failed.

This time a month later things went differently though.  My father took me to the test all paperwork for both vehicles in order and for the most part it went well.  While the man eventually lightened up he still remained mostly emotionless giving away no indications of how I was doing. In the time it took for the man from the DMV to exit my dads car and walk to me I could feel my heart racing, my hands shaking, and a strong desire to pass out in anticipation.  In my mind I knew the plan for my trip was in place one way or another, and although everyone kept asking me "What if you fail your test?", I knew that it was simply not an option.  I had too many things "riding"  (just saw that pun on the edit!) on this to let it go that easily, even though in the bank of my mind I knew that if I failed I was sunk.  I had already eaten into two weeks of my vacation and any further delay would probably be then end of my motorcycle cross country dreams.  While I didn't mind riding around town without a license, I had no desire to try crossing state lines where my bike could be impounded after any mistake in front of any unforgiving policeman. 

As you can probably tell from the number of posts after this I must have passed otherwise my journey this summer would have been pretty short.  In all honesty I've always been interested in reading a book or seeing a movie where in the very beginning you think the character has to make it otherwise there would be no story but doesn't and it all ends abruptly with no satisfying tale.  Thankfully though this was not the case for me.  I got 10 points deducted for stopping in a crosswalk (thankfully not on top of a pedestrian) that neither myself nor my father had seen but that was all.  With a flood of emotion he told me I had passed.  Now I was ready for the open road,  I was ready for the summer, and I was ready for the adventure of a life time (or at least another one).