by A-mao

看着女儿两年的驾照learning permission快到期了，上个周末才匆匆带女儿去路试。考虑到本市考点人多，考试也严格一些，特别带女儿去２０英里之外的一个考点。谁想到还是没过。正好这个礼拜是女儿的spring break, 老爸于是在有空的傍晚带女儿去练习了几次。于是，这个周末又带女儿去考试。

今天换了位一脸慈祥的老太太。笑眯眯的脸，让人一看就知道没问题。老爸等了十五分钟，女儿就回来了，冲老爸直乐。和霭的老太太进来，把女儿叫过去，问女儿的名字怎么念，给女儿拍照。等了两分钟，驾照就出来了：“Happy Holiday! Here is your first driver licence.”

“Perfect 17th birthday gift, huh.” 老爸对女儿说。

“Yea, I finally got it!”女儿有点兴奋了。

“Just like me, you have to work twice to get what you want--I had to try twice to get into college, to get into a graduate program, and of course, to get my driver licence. Everything can be inherited from dad.”老爸开女儿的玩笑。

女儿不是那种抓着方向盘就激动的人。两年前拿到learning permission, 去驾驶学校学了７－８堂课。平常老爸没空，一个礼拜也难得练习一次。她的好多同学前前后后都拿到了驾驶执照，她也没有特别的激动。学校有什么活动，不是老爸送，就是搭同学的车。老爸也不想催她，也希望她大点再拿执照。要不是这learning permission快到期，老爸可能还拖一阵子呢。

教女儿开车的时候倒成了父女俩交流的好机会。女儿有驾驶学校的功底，实际上并不需要老爸指导多少。所以，每次练习，都是父女俩谈天说地，从和老妈的矛盾到弟弟的捣乱，从中国美父母的教育方式到中美文化的差别，从谈股论经到个人财经的管理，从美国政治到人生哲学，拉近了两代之间的距离。相信老爸的好多理念就这么不知不觉地灌输给了女儿。

回家的路上，和女儿商量：“Do you want me to add your name into the insurance policy for my car? If so, you can drive around by yourself to your friends' party. If not, you can still practice when dad or mom go out for shopping.”

“Not at this moment. It will be costly, right? When I go to college and get my own car, I will buy insurance for myself....”