Baby you can drive my car
A couple of weeks ago Dave and I drove into Boston for the day. Dave was going to work and I was going to go spend the day with my mom. He had mentioned the day before that he was thinking of having me drop him off at MIT, which is in the middle of Cambridge, which in turn would require truly embroiling myself into the nightmare that is Boston driving. Boston drivers. Ever heard of them? They're scary. I immediately started planning out what route I would take to get my mom's house. If I go this way I'd have to make a left turn against traffic at this intersection. If I go that way there's a horrifying merge. I fretted and fretted all night long and was practically frantic by the time we got into the car to go. Halfway to Cambridge Dave casually mentions he's thinking of just going straight to my mom's and taking the T. Huge relief. Angels singing. That's how much Boston driving freaks me out.
This morning finds us driving into Boston so Dave can work and I can go spend the day with my mom. A few miles from the city, he mentions he's thinking of having me drop him off at work. I immediately start plotting how I'm going to get to my parents house. Also, I'm thinking Dave's a genius because perhaps he learned after the last time that maybe he shouldn't tell me things in advance, that he should just spring them on me at the last minute so I can't waste so much of my time freaking out. Dave pulled over at MIT which left me to man the controls. I got onto Memorial Drive, actually managed to stay in my lane which is more than I can say for other people, merged for construction, got onto route 2, fielded two absolutely ridiculously huge rotaries which don't freak me out at all but which probably should, then the piece de resistance: I parallel parked. Between two cars. Awesome.
For me, driving in Boston is kind of like worrying about giving birth. You spend all of this time fretting about the pain and the epidural, so much so that by the time you're actively in the middle of it and it's not *so* horrible and you realize you *will* live, you wonder why you wasted all that time worrying about it in the first place.