Me Myself and IP...

Prologue
It has been 3 and a half months after I reached in the land of opportunities and I have been driving every weekend but still I didn’t have a US license. To tell the truth I was too lazy to take the test and for all the procedures….
It was during a weekend one of my friends (lets call her Miss. K) told that we will go during that week to get the instruction permit. Yeah ok.. I thought lets do it….

Chapter 1 : The first Encounter.

April 19 Wednesday /April 20 Thursday: So it was all decided (who?). During the lunch on Wednesday, 19th of April I got to know that I am going for the test the next day It seems that on Thursday the place is open till 7 PM.
So we made (let me call him Mr. NG – Mr. Nice Guy) Mr. NG to drive us to the DPS office.
We started from our work place at 4:45 PM but due to heavy traffic it was 5:45 by the time we reached. And at all the junctions we got red light .Mr. NG then observed that since all the lights were red nobody will get through.(what an optimistic thing ).
By the time we completed the forms and all the details, it was 6:30 PM .Since there was only half an hour more they told us to come next day or some other day to take the test. I was relieved because I didn’t go through the DRIVER’s MANUAL!!!!
So it was decided that we will all come next Thursday

Chapter 2 : The Cruel FINE s

April 27 Thursday: I woke up on the pleasant bright day .There was something I was supposed to do that day. But I total forgot. When I reached office Miss.K called me

Miss K: - So you all set to take the test?
Me :– Test what test ?
Miss K:- Instruction Permit Test
Me :- Oh S*** .. So this is what I forgot. I didn’t open the Manual !!!
Miss K:- Mr.NG will be taking us today same time get ready
Me :- Ok… Ok….

Meanwhile Mr.AK sitting next to me at office told that Mrs.AK has to take the test so he will also come with us.

After an hr Miss K called
Miss K :- Hey Mr.NG has a meeting and he won’t be able to come with us
Me :- mmm let me as Mr. AK he said he also coming. But I think it will be better to go next week .. I may not get through this week
Miss K :- Yeah any way you won’t get this week (@##$$@@ Miss K … we haven’t settled the account)
Me :- Abey yaar.. ok let me try this time
Miss K :- yaa
So we started at 3:30 PM and reached at DPS office at 4:15PM
I went in and started the test. There were total of 30 Question out of that I had to get at least 21 correct to get through. i.e. 70%
On the first itteration I answered all questions which I knew very well(about traffic signs.) Second iteration I answered all question I was not sure but could guess so at the end of second round I answered 17 questions 3 of them wrong so I needed 6 more correct. There were 13 questions 7-8 of them were about fines(I really wanted to know why they put so many questions on fine? was there a conspiracy to fail me?) and I didn’t have slightest clue what the answers were. So I did guess work and I successfully managed to get 10 WRONG !! in total… I FAILED Am I not supposed to feel sad? Shouldn’t I feel bad to have flunked this simple test?? But I wasn’t.. and Miss. K and Mrs. AK both passed.. hmmm…
Now I have to come again next week.


Chapter 3 - The Crucial Night

May 2nd 9:30 PM:- “Now I have to go for the test tomorrow. I have to open the manual and read and also get all necessary stuff ready.. wait a sex oops sorry!! wait a sec where is the receipt? Oh my God …."
I searched for Mr. Receipt every where but in vain couldn’t find it any where.I think it felt ashamed and ran away out of the fear of humiliation.

Chapter 4 - The Judgement Day

May 3rd Wednesday:- So having opened the manual the previous nyte and having lost Mr. Receipt I decided to take the test today. I left the office at 2:45 to the renteal agency with Mr. AK and my roomie, took the car at 3:00PM .. and alone set to DPS office . It was a 15 minute drive and the traffic was less I got all the complicated junctions correctly. But at about 2-3 miles from my destination I took a wrong turn..That was it… it was junction and junction but I didn’t have any idea where I was. Then after making some calls to Mr. AK and Mr. NG and 1 and ½ hrs of wrong junctions and roads at last I got to the right track.
When I reached the DPS office it was 4:45 PM (on Wednesday they are open only till 5:00 PM only) .
I went to the counter.A sweet lady was there.(let’s call her sweet lady- SL )
Me :- Good evening Madam
SL :- Good evening how can I help u?
Me :- (yeah I really need uer help) Madam I would like to take the test for Instruction permit.
SL :- Sorry sir u will have to come tomorrow. We don’t allow people to take test after 4:30 PM as the office closes at 5:00
Me:- Madam Pleaase I am coming form a little far away place (15 minutes drive in US… far??) and its very difficult for me to come tomorrow ..just give me 5 minutes(yeah u need that time only to flunk the test )
SL :- sorry sir
Me:- Pleaseeeeee
SL :- Ok if you are so confident I will allow you to take the test but at 5:00 PM I will stop it and if you don’t get the required marks by then u will be declared as fail.
Me :- ok madam. That’s very kind of you.
SL:- Can I see uer receipt.
Me:- (NO even I can’t find it) Madam I lost it…but I came here last Thursday and I think you will have the other copy.

-- She looked at me for a minute and because she was a Sweet Lady and because I was looking so innocent she got her copy of the receipt and allowed me to take the test—

SL :- Ok .Online or paper?
Me : - Online
SL :- u can take terminal 1
Me :- Thank you

So when I started the test it was 4:50 PM .So out of 30 Q to pass I had to get 21 right

1- Right
2- Right
3- Right
4- Right
5- WRONG
6- Right
7- Right
8- Right
9- Right
10- Right
11- Right
12- Right
13- Right
14- Right
15- Right
16- Right
17- Right
18- Right
19- Right
20- Right
21- Right
So it was 20 right 1 wrong. I needed one more right out of 9…. Seems ok and I had5 more minutes…
22 –WRONG
23 –WRONG
At this point I really got tensed I got 4 more minutes and I just needed 1 but…..
Q no 24-….. I calmed myself… took full 2 minutes.. and answered…………WHOW!!!! CORRECT….. 2 more minutes to spare… I DID IT…… YUP I GOT A TEXAS STATE INSTRUCTION PERMIT

Special thanx to Mr.AK, Mr.NG and Miss K and above all to The Sweet Lady

DPS - Department of Public Saftey

IP - Instruction Permit