Driver's License
Ryou sat in the driver’s seat of the car as Akira and Kodamon, Kei and Terriermon, and Rion and Guilmon climbed inside and shut the doors. He looked at everyone nervously, then grimaced.
“I really, really hope I don’t get pulled over…” he said.
Akira raised an eyebrow. “Why? The worst you could get is a ticket, right?”
“Well…” Kei spoke up, “not exactly. It’s because he doesn’t have his real license yet. He’s only allowed to drive with a licensed driver in the front seat!”
Akira looked flabbergasted. “Then why is he driving at all? None of us have a driver’s license!”
Rion sighed. “Because he already has a license in the Philippines!”
The car was silent for a few horrifying moments. “Is…” Akira said slowly, “Is that a good thing?”
Ryou answered by starting the car and backing out of the driveway. He drove the car tentatively down the street until they reached the main road.
So far, so good.
Before they reached the first traffic light, the trouble started. Everyone let out a scream as Ryou veered left, narrowly missing an Ogremon standing in the road. The driver in the left lane honked his horn, only to be batted away by the Ogremon’s club.
Ryou zipped through the next intersection, passing a group of PolarBearmon playing hockey with several crashed cars and nearly colliding with a line of cars turning from the opposite direction.
They emerged onto a clear street and Akira leaned over, recovering from the shock.
“Ryou!” she shouted, “What the hell?”
“It’s not my fault!” he shouted back, swerving to dodge a lunging Kyukimon that nearly sawed the car in half. “All these Digimon…”
“Watch out!” Kei screamed, pointing in front of them at a Meramon throwing fireballs at the surrounding cars.
Ryou swerved again, missing being hit by a fireball, then dodged a car that exploded into flames. He made one final turn into a neighborhood and sighed in relief as the roads ahead were clear.
They nearly passed a large house with a neatly-kept yard, and Ryou brought the car to a screeching halt. He turned around. “Everyone still alive?”
“Somehow…” Akira said faintly.
“Nope…” Kodamon said at the same time.
Kei laughed hysterically, while Terriermon still had his eyes covered with his ears.
“Just fine!” Rion said cheerfully, while Guilmon looked incredibly carsick.
Everyone watched as Ryou exited the car carrying a plastic bag full of food and knocked on the door of the house. The door opened to reveal an older woman with graying black hair in a bun. She smiled as Ryou handed her the bag, and turned to wave at the car. Only Rion waved back.
When Ryou returned to the car and closed the door, Kei spoke up.
“The next time you deliver something to your Tita Linda, can’t you just send it through the mail?”
Ryou chuckled. “I don’t think it works that way, Kei.”
He started the car, and everyone braced themselves for the harrowing trip back.
Notes:
This piece was inspired by the crazy local drivers in the Philippines when I visited there in the summer of 2006.