It all started when I went to take my driving test.

It was a beautiful day. I went out at eight-thirty in the morning and I drove to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, where the test was going to take place. While I was driving, I was thinking about the test and how wonderful it would be to get a driver’s license.

When I arrived at the registry, I saw other cars in line and I got in line too. A few minutes later an officer came towards me. I thought this was very strange, because in Italy it is the civilians who give the driver’s tests, not officers. I was so scared. The officer looked at my documents and told me to start the car and drive. To dispel my nervousness, I tried to make conversation with the officer. I asked, “How are you?” But he didn’t answer me. Instead, he told me to keep driving and to turn left at the traffic light. I felt completely lost. When we came back to the registry, he told me to pull over. I didn’t know what he meant, so I said to him, “I’m sorry officer. I don’t understand.” He didn’t answer me, so I continued to drive and circled around the registry twice. As I was getting ready to drive around the third time, he held the steering wheel and said very calmly, “Just stop the car please.”

He looked at me and I thought I had failed the test. I was so nervous! But to my surprise, he turned to me and said, “You passed the test.” I was so happy and relieved that I called my husband immediately and I told him the good news. He congratulated me and when I got home, he took me out to dinner. Everything was wonderful!

Barbara Ligato came to America two years ago from Italy.  In the future she would like to take some courses. She is an intermediate ESOL student at QCC/Assabet Program