Marlin stared intently at his phone as the faint hum of the engine warmed the car. Clothes? Check. Wallet? Check. Keys? Well, the car is already on-- check.
As far as Marlin knew, he had done all that he could to prepare for his dinner with some friends. In fact, although the dinner was planned for 6:30 and the trip to the restaurant only takes 15 minutes-- rounded up of course-- Marlin was already in his car a few minutes before six.
Marlin shifted his car into gear and was about to pull out of his driveway when he got a sudden alert from his phone.“hey mar mar, can you pick me up? my older brother went out with his girlfriend so I need a ride :( “
It was Sarah, one of the people going to the Red Lobster dinner. Faint perspiration appeared on Marlin’s face as he considered the request. A read receipt had already been sent, so ignoring the text was out of the question. Rejecting it would also be a dick move, so Marline would be forced to accept. It’s not like he had a bad relationship with Sarah or anything-- it’s just that he had never driven anyone in his car before.
Marlin sent a quick reply: “Omw.” Then, he turned right out of his driveway, passing the car from earlier that was now parked on the street.
Getting to Sarah’s house was pretty easy because she lived nearby. After a few more right turns, Marline stopped his car in front of a young lady standing on the sidewalk.
“Hiiiii Marlin! Sorry for making you pick me up on such short notice,” she said with a smile.
“No problem, hop in,” Marlin replied absentmindedly.
Sarah got into the passenger seat. Marlin would have noticed that she looked pretty cute, but he was too busy thinking about how to get to Red Lobster.
Marlin started to drive, determined to turn right at the next street.
“Okay, so to get out of here you should turn left here,” Sarah said.
Marlin was already close to the intersection, and turned right instead.
“Whoops, I’ll just turn around up there.” As Marlin turned right again, Sarah began offering a polite apology.
“Sorry, I’ll let you know further in advance next time.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll just go out the way I came in. Where do I go afterwards?”
After a total of three right turns, Marlin was travelling back the way he entered Sarah’s neighborhood-- just one street down.
“Okay, so you turn right and then get on the freeway. Take the first entrance-- you know, the one on the right-- and then it should be a straight shot to Red Lobster.”
“Okay, got it.”
“And I don’t mean to criticize your driving, but couldn’t you have just made a U-turn after the first right turn? You didn’t have to go all the way around my block.”
Marlin felt some moisture start to accumulate beneath his jacket. Even though the AC was on full blast, it still felt a little stuffy in the car-- but he couldn’t roll the window down because they were about to get on the freeway.
“Oh, that… well, uhm, I’ve never driven anyone before. So I was just a little nervous, that’s all,” Marlin explained in a rather unsmooth manner.
“Ohhh okay, I get it. Well, I think that you’re doing a great job!” Sarah encouraged, realizing her mistake.
After that, the two had a calm conversation during the ten-minute drive on the freeway. So much so that Marlin missed the exit.
“Oh shoot, I think I passed it.”
“No worries, I think that you can just take the next exit and make a left.”
Marlin’s blood turned cold. Unlike the rest of the journey, he could not avoid this left. It was the most obvious optimal route to take. Marlin was glad that he applied so much deodorant because if he didn’t Sarah would be getting marinated in his sweat smell right now.
As Marlin pulled up to the intersection, he noticed that he was the only one turning left as well. Everyone was watching him.
The light turned green.
It was a protected left turn.
He could do this.
With the unfamiliar motion of turning the steering wheel to the left, Marlin made a very jerky left turn to head towards Red Lobster.
Once the turn was complete, Marlin exhaled in relief, releasing a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. He glanced towards Sarah, who was staring at him with cock-eyed skepticism.
Once Marlin safely arrived at the Red Lobster and parked the car, Sarah reached out and touched his arm. It was wet like laundry fresh out of the washer.
“Marlin… I know that it’s not ME making you this nervous. Are you… are you AFRAID of LEFT TURNS?!”
Marlin sighed.
“Ahahah! No way!” Sarah started giggling uncontrollably.
Sarah tried to control her laughter when she saw Marlin grimace and shake his head.
“I’m… sorry…” Sarah managed to squeak out. “I don’t want to invalidate your problems. But… why are you so afraid?”
Marlin sighed again. “It’s just that… if an accident happens while I’m turning left, it will be my fault. And when you turn left, you have to momentarily get in everyone else’s way. And in a residential area, it’s often difficult to get a good scan of the area before turning left-- not to mention it’s unprotected.”
Sarah opened her door and stepped out of the car. “Marlin, everything you’re saying makes sense. But you have to understand that other people have the same concerns and are able to make left turns regardless. I hear you, but not making left turns is unhealthy.”
Marlin locked the car and started walking towards Red Lobster. “I guess you’re right. I’ll just try it by myself in a parking lot.”
Sarah suddenly stopped and frowned. “By the way… How did you pass your driving test?”