So, My birthday rolls around and I take my test, which I might add I passed with flying colors, but I asked if I could drive to and from practice with my dad’s dad car. Both my parents had agreed that it was okay and I was living my best life, windows down, music up, and hair blowing in the wind! Fast forward two hours and practice is over, I get in the car and the gas light is on. Part of me wanted to be nice and put gas in my dad’s car, the other half of me was too naive to realize I could make it home without getting gas.

I knew there was a gas station right next to school so I pull up to the tank, turned off the engine, and I realized I only had cash on me so I rolled up the windows because I had to go pay inside, but I accidentally left the keys in the engine, and I close the door and went inside to pay. I should have known this was going to be a bad experience because I forgot to look and see the number of the pump so I had to run back out and figure that out. Then, I paid and accidentally lifted the premium nozzle, not the regular, and little seventeen years old I thought I could just put that one back and choose the regular…you can’t do that. So then I had to go back in because it wouldn’t let me pump gas. Finally, I pumped the correct gas, closed my gas cap, and at this point just want to go home…but.

I went to open my door and it was locked, I immediately went for my pocket and there were no keys inside. I look through the window and there they were just hanging there from the ignition, great. So I instantly start panicking, running from door to door praying one was unlocked, nope. So then I ran inside to get the attendant, who probably hated me at this point, and asked for help…he wasn’t much help. SO, I had to call my dad and before he even answered the waterworks started pouring. My dad eventually came after I sat at a gas station for 15 minutes, while crying, and having every stranger look at me. To tell you the truth I have no idea how he even unlocked the door, I think I blacked out due to stress. And I was worried about getting yelled at but instead, he laughed at me and to this day picks on me about it, so my birthday was definitely one for the books.

For any new drivers or parents of new drivers make sure you or your child knows not to leave the keys in the ignition and knows how to properly pump gas, unlike little me.