A Three-Point Turn

Chapter 1

"You know, hardly anyone ever needs to do a three-point turn anymore," said Justin, trying to help Becky calm down.

"Oh, so it's not a useful skill AND I am probably going to fail the driving test because I can't do it anyway," Becky said, raising her voice for emphasis. "That should make me feel like a million bucks when I flunk."

Justin was riding with Becky so she could take her driving test. He had volunteered for the job because he thought she would be less nervous with him than with their mom, but so far, he wasn't sure he was making any difference.

"Slow down, your turn is coming up here," he said, looking ahead.

"I know, I know," she replied, "I've been here before remember—the last time I flunked."

Justin was pretty sure if he had let her miss the turn, things would only have deteriorated further, but he wasn't sure he was fond of being the scapegoat for Becky's anxiety.

"Listen, you need to take a few deep breaths," he said, hoping he could help her at least relax a bit. "Being nervous won't help you with the three-point turn or anything else you have to do. Hey, did you just take that turn without your turn signal on?" This was going to be harder than he thought.

"Stop yelling at me," Becky replied, clearly frustrated, "I can't concentrate."

"Look, you need to stop and get yourself together here," Justin started. "It is not just about passing the driving test. I don't want to get in an accident, so pull into that parking lot."

Becky drove into the office building's parking lot where Justin was pointing. Justin knew they were less than a mile from the licensing office, and if she continued in this condition, he'd be having this same discussion three months from now when she tried the test again for the third time.

"You need to get a grip," he started after she put the car in park, "because you have studied and practiced driving all year. You know this stuff inside and out, backwards and forwards. What are you so nervous about?"

"I don't know, I don't know," Becky wailed, resting her head on the steering wheel. "I just get so tired of failing."

Listening quietly as Becky sobbed, Justin realized this was about much more than a driving test. He also knew if he didn't find a way to help Becky things would just get worse.

Chapter 2

Justin took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. Becky was an unbelievably consistent straight-A student. It was Justin who got the bad grades in school, and Justin who had to repeat every math class he'd ever taken. It was Justin who wished he could get the grades Becky got. Some things came easier for Justin: He was athletic, handy with tools, and good at making the best of whatever life threw at him. Mom called him her "lemons into lemonade" kid. But for the most part, Becky succeeded easily, whereas Justin had to work and work to just get a passing grade.

Rather than having Becky catalogue all the things she supposedly "failed" at, Justin decided to try an alternative approach, one that wouldn't remind him of all the ways he had failed.

"Okay, Becky, let's assume for a moment you fail this test again. What is the worst thing that could happen?" he asked.

"I would be the oldest kid at school without a license and be humiliated," she replied. Justin thought he heard a bit of panic in her voice but continued with his plan.

"Yes, but won't we still have to drive to school together for at least one more year anyway?" he asked.

"Yes, but..." she started.

"And who will know, if you don't tell anyone except your friends, that you don't have your license? You know Mom can't afford another car just for you, right?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"So what difference does it make, really," he said. "Another three months to wait in the grand scheme of your life doesn't seem like all that long, right?"

"I suppose not," she said.

Justin could tell she was breathing more slowly now. "Besides," he said, "I would miss all the practice driving with you," and for good measure he reached over and pinched her arm.

"Ow," she said, hitting back at him, "that hurt."

"So let's go do this, okay?

"Okay," she said. Becky cranked up the car, backed slowly out of the parking spot and drove up to the parking lot's exit. Justin noticed, as they waited for the traffic to clear, that she had remembered the turn signal.

Using both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of "The Three-Point Turn," write a short essay explaining how Justin is able to convince Becky that flunking the driving test will not be all that bad.