LEARNING TO DRIVE

[Donovan]

When I was 17 and a half, give or take, I returned to my father's home after he kicked me out in a mutual show of force on my 17^th birthday. He'd moved my little brother out of state and used my social security number to wreck my credit so I couldn't get utilities. So I went to where he was, set about planning to take my brother, and after a couple months trying other plans I ultimately waited until pop brought home the bar receipts and winnings from his three day bender, stole his car keys and the money, and literally drove a car for the first time while stealing it and my brother out of town and out of state. Learned to drive on the way to the school. Then I killed a squirrel. Whoops. My first outing lasted from Wichita to mid Nebraska where we panicked and ditched the car. Which was pretty stupid in hindsight. Made it all the way through Omaha, up the state line between Iowa and SD, and back across I-90 to a little town called Chamberlain before they caught us. All on foot.
There is so much more to this story, but the question was how I learned to drive. So...

You are lucky you weren't killed. Oh my god, that is a story of survival on so many levels.

Sadly, this same sentence can be applied correctly to a great many of my "better" plans throughout my life. Forethought of possible consequences never was my strong suit...