The Outside Lines (boyxboy) - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Nathan's POV
I've been studying all week and I felt like I was finally ready, but that didn't stop me from going over all the information I accumulated several times. I sat in bed surrounded by a sea of notes and paper as the sun set. The light in my room fought with the orange glow of the sunset for dominance. The mellow scene increased my focus. I wanted to sink into the sheets and doze off so badly right about now, but the idea of getting my license was far more enticing.
Tomorrow's the day I repeated to myself over and over, as I ate the salmon pasta I'd made for dinner. Even as I was about to drift off into a slumber that was the only thing occupying my mind.
It might seem a little obsessive, but to me, having my own means of transportation is vital. For many reasons...
As soon as daybreak hit I was up and out of bed. I strode for the bathroom, pulling my cover to the floor as I hurried along. I didn't bother picking it up, I went straight for the shower. I soaped myself up and washed it all away. I curtained my waist with a cream colored towel that was hung in the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and returned to my room dressing myself as if I were in a race.
I ate an entire bowl of breakfast cereal in under a minute. My hastiness rivaled that of a child's. It was when I reached my mom's room, about to knock, that I realized we didn't have to be out of the house for another 2 hours.
I stood there scratching my head feeling like a fool.
I sat just outside the apartment playing my guitar. My active mind was reviewing all the steps, techniques and rules of driving again. I had to get my permit renewed at eight, take my driver's test at eleven, and hopefully catch Jerold to see if he'd still be willing to sell me the car.
"Mom, we have to get going soon." I urged as she ate her breakfast.
"Don't worry we'll be out that door in a few minutes." She said, accompanying a weak chuckle.
She paused her meal, looking over to me. "Y'know, I don't think I've seen you this excited for anything." She mused with a smirk.
"Yeah, I know what you mean." A smile grew on my face.
"It's nice to see." She smiled back, returning to her food.
Mom finished her breakfast, grabbed her keys, and we set out to the nearest Driving Department.
It's been quite sometime since I rode in this car. The all too familiar humming of the engine, the worn breaks, the faint scent of licorice lingering about. It was all bittersweet. It reminded me of the constant hours mom and I spent on the road during our move.
We reached our destination. The Driving Department was located in the same town as the Black Day Cafe. I wanted to stop by and give Lauren a visit, but I had to focus.
-
I aced my permit renewal as expected and rejoined my mother in the parking lot. We talked about an assortment of things while we passed the time. I pestered her to let me borrow the car for an hour so I could put all my studying into practice before taking my test. She was a little reluctant but decided to trust me.
I started out a little rough, but quickly familiarized myself with it. While I was busy messing around in the parking lot my driving instructor came out of the building. My mom greeted her, me joining shortly after. She seemed... rather crabby to put it nicely. Her impatiences and judgmental stare were a little unnerving. I tried my best to stay on her good side.
She guided me to the driving course and showed me the car we were using. The tense atmosphere fogging up the inside of the vehicle made it hard to breathe.
Her criticisms and harsh commands lessened as time went on though. By the end of the test she was like a totally different person.
"Your son's a fast learner." The woman smiled to my mother.
"You think so? I've always thought the same." As if on cue they looked over to me, both wearing slight smiles. I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed.
"You know, usually I have to deal with block heads, or people who don't seem to take driving seriously, but your son is a natural." She complimented.
"So I take it he passed?" My mom inquired, a growing smirk present on her face.
"Yep. Just head up to the front desk and hand them this and you'll be all set." She handed me a slip of paper.
"Thank you." I offered a smile of gratitude. With one more smile she disappeared into the building.
My mom wore a proud look, parading through the front door, and to be honest, so did I. I signed a few pieces of paper, gave them my information and moments later one of the people behind the desk came over with my license in hand. I studied it for a good minute, almost as if it were my newborn child. Noah can't get pregnant though so that's a poor analogy.
I physically facepalmed, realizing what had just gone through my head.
"Is everything alright?" One of the employees question, noticing my unease.
"Oh..." I looked over to the three people watching me and cleared the egg lodged in my throat. "Ahem, yeah, everything's fine. I was just... remembering something." I tried to play it off with a chuckle. They seemed to buy it well enough. I sighed, making sure keep my emotions mentally caged this time.
"Ready to head home?" Mom asked, readjusting her purse over her shoulder.
"Wait, can you take me to the Wailings? I want to see the car." I asked her.
"You want to do everything today, don't you." She raised a brow but agreed to it.
I jogged back to mom's car, kicking up gravel along the path.
-
"You're in a good mood." My mom pointed out. I didn't realize it but sometime while going through my notes I'd started humming.
"Oh uh, I guess so." I chuckled, slightly embarrassed.
-
"My gosh..." A hushed voice escaped my mom when we reached the rich neighborhood the Wailings resided in.
"I know. That was my first reaction as well." I chuckled at her parted mouth and widened eyes.
"You'd better marry into this family so we can live easy." Mom joked. It was a little awkward for me since I hadn't told her I was interested in Noah. I'll tell you soon, I promise.
"Do I just drive up here?" Mom asked, pointing her small finger to the extensive driveway spanning the Wailings vast property. I nodded and she continued forward.
The car came to a quiet when my mom shut off the engine. She parked in front of the impressive house. We exited the vehicle, mom being the first. I just saw her standing there, gawking at her surroundings. Green spanning every corner the eye could see.
"How did you say you and Taylor met again?" Mom asked, her gaze still everywhere but on her poor son.
"I just talked to her in the halls one day and we quickly became friends." I didn't go into detail about how he almost blew someone's house up.
The front door to the large stone house opened, drawing our attention.
"Oh, June, Nathan, what a pleasant surprise." Jerold greeted, making his way over with a quick in his step.
"Hi Jerold." Mom greeted back. "My son was adamant about finding out if you're still selling your car, so I we stopped by." She explained, a bashful smile drawing at her lips.
"Oh right! It is in fact still up for grabs." He informed.
"Follow me." Jerold waved us over as he made for the garage. He pulled out his phone and did something with it, suddenly the garage door was lifting.
"Dang." I exclaimed under my breath, impressed.
He lead us to the back of the garage, and there it was, sitting right in front of his gesture.
I was stunned at how nice it looked. If anyone was more impressed than I, it was my mother. She stoodly frozen, almost mummified as she scanned the sleek blue car. There were a few dents and scratches on in but that was hardly an issue.
"Something like this is easily worth a couple grand. Why are you practically handing it away?" My mom questioned him.
"This one's a little old. We've accumulated several more vehicles after I purchased this one a few years back." He explained, inspecting the inside of the car. "Plus, any friend of Taylor's in a friend of mine. I would've offered it to Noah but he doesn't drive."
Mom looked over and smiled at me, I couldn't read what was on her mind, but I knew she was happy.
"Is Taylor here?" I asked, pointing towards the house with my thumbs.
"She went out awhile ago, It doesn't look like she's come back yet." Jerold answered, now going on to inspect the bottom of the car.
"That's a shame, I wanted to stop in and say a quick hello." I frowned.
Aw well, I'll catch her tomorrow.
Jerold finished inspecting the car and handed over the keys after having me sign a piece of paper. I had to turn the piece of paper in to a Driving Department and then the car would fully belong to me.
Jerold gave me instructions on how to operate the car. But before we left he invited us in for a drink. Mom's same reaction to exterior of the house replayed when we stepped inside. It was as if she were a child lost in a candy store.
Mom met Tessa who just came from upstairs as Jerold was rummaging through the fridge. I ended up with a bottle soda, the same kind I had last time I was here, while the adults settled for tea. They seemed to be hitting it off once again. They got deep into business talk and politics, my uneducated brain was having trouble keeping up. I could tell mom learned a lot from my dad's experiences though, both good and bad.
After some time my mom finally decided it was time to head home. She threw me an apologetic look when she saw me silently sitting in the corner of the room. I lifted myself up off the small chair I was sat on and gave her a reassuring smile. It made me happy to see her breaking away from her usual routine and meeting new people, so I had no problem waiting for her.
Jerold and Tessa walked us out, saying their goodbyes. Jerold gave me a few more pointers before I entered my new car. I was profusely thanking him the whole time we were here. He was probably sick of it at this point.
My hand reached for the sleek handle of the car door, a satisfying click filling the air as I popped it open. I bent over and slid inside, melting into the grayish seat. Knowing this car belong to me and sitting in it felt surreal. I put the key in and started it up. The engine was quiet but had a meaty texture to it.
"Alright, I'll see you guys again soon I hope." Jerold tossed up a wave.
"You most certainly will." Mom chuckled. She waved to the couple before disappearing into her car. She turned around in the driveway and drove off, me following slowly.
I made certain to be extra careful when pulling out onto the road. From there it was smooth sailing. I popped on the radio and drove home in bluish evening sunset.
-
Later that night my mom and I made chili for dinner and ate it from the comfort of our couch, TV on and all. When I looked over to the sleepy woman sat beside me I realized I hadn't spent this much time with her in a single day since I was in middle school. Back then my mom and dad would always take me around our local town and we'd do fun things together as a family. That was before my father got wrapped up in his chaotic work.
"I'm heading to bed now." I offered a weak smile, placing my hand over my mother's.
She smiled back. "Alright, I suppose I should be getting ready for bed myself."
The bluish light covering the room disappeared when mom shut off TV as I headed for the stairs.
I laid in bed, awaiting tomorrow. I stretched my legs, reaching the foot of my bed and threw the worn puffy gray blanket over my chilly being. I turned on old film to aid me to sleep. It was a while since I watched a movie in my room like this. The funny thing is that's all I ever did a few months ago, before I started leaving the house, before I had any friends.