Fairy Tale Buster

Recently, Laura passed the driver's test to receive her licence.  She had been driving with a learner's permit for 1 1/2 years so she had never been alone in the car.  We were so accustomed to that it took a couple weeks for us to come up with an excuse to send her off on her own to run an errand thus making her maiden solo voyage.  We sent her to get milk from a local farmer.  The trip is about 5 miles one way.  She went and returned without apparent incident.  At least that is what we thought. Today, she finally leveled with us about the fatalities she caused.

Today as I was driving to church I had to dodge a turtle crossing the road.  Laura must have had a frightful flash back because she started to talk. I glanced in the rear view mirror because I was certain I had hit the innocent slow stroller.

"You didn't hit him, Mom," Laura piped up. "If you had, you would have heard a thump."

"Oh? How do you know that?" I inquired.

"I never told you," Laura confessed, "but I hit a turtle on that first trip to the farm to get milk. That wasn't as bad as the rabbit I hit a little further down the road. He ran out so fast that I couldn't even swerve."

"Let me get this straight.  You hit a turtle when you were on your way to the farm and then you ran over a rabbit, too. All this on your first trip?"

"I figured the race was finished, and the fairy tale was done. I'm just glad that didn't happen to me when I was taking my test with the state driving examiner.  The state driving test says if there is an accident with a casualty or death the tester is to automatically fail the testee.   A squirrel crossed the road while I was taking my test. The tester was shouting at the squirrel, 'Run little squirrel, run!"

Now we all have the lingering question.  Does roadkill disqualify a student driver from passing the road test in Missouri?  We have decided to get Peter's learner's permit to start moving toward an answer.  Meanwhile, it may take us a few years to have the courage to get him to the licence test, insurance rates and all.  So much for the fairy tale ending...