Changing Seasons

Actually, I've never thought of myself as particularly brave
there is a certain acceptance of risk in everything one does
more so in my occupation than many others
but brave, no. Dumb, yeah, dumb may be a better word

It has been almost twenty years and I have seen it all
people who pull up behind a parked car at the curb in residential
stop and wait for a person not there to drive forward
then after a few moments glance at me with a quizzical look

Drivers who can't figure out how to put the car they came with
into gear, or drive on the wrong side of the road, or stop at the
end of the entrance ramp to the freeway, or stop in the middle
of the freeway. Did I mention the word dumb?

In my twenty years and thirty thousand times out on the road
there have been some accidents, the worse a few years ago
when the fore mentioned stop on the freeway led to being rear
ended by a semi. Driver and translator OK, head bump and rib for me

Yet still I carried on toward my goal to work full time until 70
then part time to stay busy and earn a few bucks until I tired of it
but a month ago something happened which made me reconsider
the young lady I was testing hit a 9 year old running across the road

Spotting him from the corner of my eye I yelled STOP, she slammed
her foot on her brakes but nailed him while the car was still moving
flying to the side of the road he escaped with just a bloody nose
a voice inside my head started to say - hey buddy, watch the clock

It is surprising how fast plans and priorities can change
although it is common for me to have to grab the steering wheel
to keep someone from turning left in front of on coming traffic
since hitting the child I've twice had clients freeze while turning left

Then early this week a woman whose daughter was translating for her
while slowly merging into a left turn lane was not going to clear the
semi truck stopped in front of us. When I said STOP she put her foot
on the gas and turned back to the right, slamming us into the truck

As the Vietnamese lady, her translator daughter and uncle Tran who
had been waiting for us at the test site but when getting the phone call
ran two miles to get to us, were crammed into the cab of the wrecker
brought by another Vietnamese, I began to wonder if this was a sign

Walking over to the police cruiser I asked for a ride to our test site
and while sitting on the hard molded plastic seat in the Plexiglas
enclosed back seat (which if you were wondering, does not open
from the inside) I decided that this test location was for the birds

Beginning the first of the year I will no longer be working there
although there is certainly risk whenever one is out driving with
someone trying to get their driver's license, my new location will
be much better, as will be working three days instead of five

So what to do in my partial retirement? Jackie has already suggested
checking out gyms where I can sweat off those handful of M&M's
and I do have a few projects that have been on hold because of time
but my mind has been thinking of stories to tell and books to write