The First Ding

This morning Mee was up bright and early and wanted to make the 10 mile or so trip to her village to visit with her family. I no longer like to make these trips to the village and get out of it any time that I can. There is just absolutely nothing for me to do except read and today I wanted to read in the comfort of my home, under my own fan, in my own living room. Was just not in the mood today to smell cow manure and be feasted on by mosquitoes.

The narrow lane leading to the village.

So the decision was made that she would take the truck out alone for the first time today. As she is a new driver, she takes her time, follows all the rules and if any thing is over cautious. I suspected there would be no problems as she only had to travel on non congested city streets and then a rural two-lane road with normally light traffic until the turnoff to her family’s home.

Note how close the cow pens are to the house.

Our only major area a concern was when she reached the lane, which goes to her village. This is a one-lane deal with a one-meter drop off much of the way on both sides to rice fields below. There is no room to pass should you meet another vehicle. If another is met, someone has to back up and that is an area where her driving skills could use a bit more practice. Therefore, we agreed that she would take a good long look before taking off down the lane to ensure another vehicle was not headed her way. This turned out to be no problem and she traveled this constricted area with ease.

The actual ding.

The problem arose when she attempted to pull into mother’s yard. She didn’t swing out far enough and dinged the right side rear fender. You can barely see the ding, in fact there’s not even a dent in the sheet metal, just a gouge in the paint. However, she is earth shattered. Her first new truck, her first time our alone, her first ding. All I can do in comfort her, help her get her confidence back and ensure her there will probably be more to come. God Bless Her.

Publishers Note: Still trying to figure this photo posting business. It's all new to me. For any possible readers please bear with me.