Intermediate Listening Practice

Jaylen: I failed.

Maria: Failed what?

Jaylen: The driving test. I took it this morning and I failed.

Maria: Okay. What happened?

Jaylen: Everything was fine at the beginning. I did the mirror check, the signal, pulled out smoothly. The examiner didn't say anything for the first ten minutes, which I thought meant I was doing well.

Maria: And then?

Jaylen: Parallel parking. She told me to park between two cars on a residential street and I just, I don't know, I panicked. I started turning the wheel too early and I went up on the curb. Not hard, just a little bump. But enough.

Maria: That's not great, but people make mistakes. Did she fail you right there?

Jaylen: No, she let me continue. But I was already rattled. My hands were shaking and I couldn't concentrate properly. About five minutes later, I came to a stop sign and I kind of rolled through it. I slowed down but I didn't fully stop.

Maria: Yeah, that'll do it.

Jaylen: She wrote something on her clipboard and I knew it was over. We drove back to the testing center and she told me I had two critical errors, the curb and the stop sign. She was nice about it, actually. She said my driving was solid apart from those two things and that I should try again when I'm ready.

Maria: So when can you retake it?

Jaylen: Two weeks. I already booked it.

Maria: Good. That gives you time to practice.

Jaylen: The problem isn't the practice. The problem is telling my mom.

Maria: She'll be fine.

Jaylen: She will not be fine. She paid for all the lessons. And she's been telling everyone at her job that I'm getting my license this week. She told my grandmother. She told the neighbors. She probably told the mailman.

Maria: That's a lot of pressure to put on someone before a test.

Jaylen: Tell me about it. And the worst part is, she's going to do the thing where she doesn't get angry, she just gets quiet and disappointed, which is so much worse than yelling.

Maria: Listen, a lot of people fail the first time. I failed the first time.

Jaylen: You did?

Maria: Yeah. I made a left turn from the wrong lane. The examiner grabbed the wheel. It was bad.

Jaylen: Seriously?

Maria: Seriously. I went back three weeks later and passed. Your mom will be upset for a day and then she'll be fine. She just wants you to get it done, and you will.

Jaylen: I know. It's just embarrassing.

Maria: That's what nerves do. The parking lot practice is different from doing it with someone grading you. Your brain knows how to do it. Your body just froze up.

Jaylen: The curb thing, honestly, I've never hit a curb before. Not once. And I do it on the actual test. It's like my hands forgot how to turn the wheel.

Maria: Do you want to go out this weekend and practice? We can find a quiet street and do parallel parking until you're sick of it.

Jaylen: Would you do that?

Maria: Of course. I've got nothing on Saturday afternoon. We'll do an hour, maybe two. By the time you take the test again, you'll be able to park with your eyes closed.

Jaylen: Don't tell my mom. She'll think I need rescuing.

Maria: I won't say a word. Just tell her you failed, let her be disappointed for an evening, and then tell her you've already booked the retake. That shows you're handling it.

Jaylen: That's actually good advice.

Maria: I have my moments.

Jaylen: Should I tell her tonight or wait until tomorrow?

Maria: Tonight. Don't let it sit. The longer you wait, the harder it gets.

Jaylen: Okay. Tonight.

Maria: And Jaylen?

Jaylen: Yeah?

Maria: It's really not a big deal. I promise.

Jaylen: Easy for you to say. You've got your license.

Maria: Which I got on the second try. Just like you will.