Harmless, and Yet...

 

Not Sean's car

I meant nothing by it.

It was supposed to be funny. Sean told me he was going to drive to me for the first time in his life.

It would, effectively, end over a decade of trucking him to and from his other home.

The days of having to meet at the salt shed at the ramp off the northbound Taconic State Parkway onto New York Route 301 to do "the handoff" were over.

But it also meant that Sean -- my child, who was in no rush to earn his drivers license (unlike me) -- would have to travel that very same Taconic Parkway. After all, it's the straightest line between his two homes.

The Taconic has terrified many a driver, especially the stretch Sean would be driving.

It's narrow and windy (and has actually been improved, if you can believe that). It glides past Peekskill Hollow Road, curves through Clarence Fahnestock State Park, moves past Pudding Street, which is going through major construction, and heads up into Dutchess County.

So as proud as I was of Sean, who casually mentioned he drove to college the other day, I was also nervous.

Somewhat playfully.

Thinking I could have some fun with it, I texted and messaged a few people, before putting the very same thing on Facebook.

As you can see, it was all for naught. He soon texted me to say that his car hadn't passed a New York State inspection, and I relayed that to my followers. He needed better wiper blades and his brakes need fixing.

Again: my post was all meant to be lighthearted. 

So that meant that I had to finish a longer-than-expected day at gig number I've Lost Count (the new videographer one) and make my way up to Fishkill to get him.

I got there around 8 p.m. and he climbed into the car.

"When will your car get fixed," I asked.

He said it would be handled, but then...

"Did you put something on Facebook about it?"

Um...uh oh?

In the end, I guess it wasn't a big deal but it was enough of a deal that it cycled all back around to me. Guilt ran through my mind.

"Honestly," I told him, "I was trying to be the 'nervous dad.' It was supposed to be funny, and I made sure to say that it turned out to be a false alarm!"

"It's OK," he said.

The idea was to make people laugh and I guess some did.

But I guess the joke was on me.

"I'm enjoying driving," he told me. "I wasn't going to take the Taconic anyway!"