Learning to Drive

Mr. Juricich taught Rick Warford '65' how to drive, and Rick Warford taught me. And If he hadn't taught me, I might never have otherwise learned. Because everybody needs somebody, some first somebody, who'll let you slide in behind the wheel of their car that first time, and who'll then sit there watchfully in the passenger seat as you pull away from some curb somewhere and move off down some road.

Everybody.

That's just the way it goes.

But I was nervous and slow to learn, and my mother was too nervous to teach me. I was already a junior and still didn't have my licence. But Warford had taken Safe Driving from Juricich and been driving for a year, and he had his dad's new green '62' Buick Special after school and on weekends. And so it was Warford slash Juricich sitting there in the passenger seat next to me the first time I ever pulled away from a curb.

Thanks, Rick. You were a cool friend. I still remember you quoting a Juricichism when you were teaching me to parallel park.

I had successfully pulled in a foot from the curb and turned off the ignition, one day, when you opened your passenger-side door and pointed down at the curb and said: And just like Juricich would say, "Davis, 'there's your curb."

I've been driving for about 60 years now, but I've never really liked it and I'm still not much good at it. Not sure why, but I'm just not. Something to do with focus of attention, I'd guess. And stupid mistakes related to lane changes. Whenever I can help it, I no longer drive at night.

But I can parallel park with the best of them. Still. And whenever I do, I quote Juricich: "And there's your curb."

Rick Warford taught Safe Driving at Selth High School, in West Seattle, for 40 years. He was a natural at it, but he had to retire 6 years ago due to a neck injury he sustained when hit from behind by an 18-year-old driver talking on her cellphone. True story.

So... A few years ago Warford and I had the first serious quarrel we've ever had in our lives.

I was driving, at night, and he suddenly started yelling at me about making an illegal lane change.

He may or may not have been right about that, to be honest with you, but I yelled back at him that he was just over-reacting because he was paranoid these days, since his accident.

And stop your d*mn yelling.

Kind of thing.

He told me to pull over and let him out. And I did. And he walked home.

As Juricich would say: "There's your curb."

But we're still friends. Known each other too long to be anything else. By tacit agreement, however, we drive separately. And Juricich is in full approval.

TDK '65'

• Last Time Around
  
• Charlie Nevins
  
• Young Men And Fire
  
• Austin Healy
  
• Cathy
  
• David River's Birthday
  
• Han's Pavilion
  
• Muscles, Our Neighbor
  
• John Browne, Learning to Dance
  
• Your Brother Mark Browne
  
• Buster
  
• Celluloid Lies
  
• Nuked
  
• Learning to Box
  
• Dog and Goose
  
• Buses and Such
  
• Stealing
  
• Hookybobbing
  
• Stiles Old Upstairs Apartment
  
• Sign Of The Time
  
• Learning to Drive