Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Tao fastened his seatbelt, took out a cigarette, and asked Luna, "Want one?"
Luna nodded, and the two smokers started puffing away.
"I arranged with my coach earlier while I was doing my makeup. He's free this morning, so we're going to meet him," Luna said as she backed the car out of the garage. "Did you bring your domestic driver's license and passport?"
Li Tao patted his pocket. "Yes, I have them."
The car slowly pulled out of the community. There was no one around; only a few birds chirped, and occasionally, a squirrel or raccoon could be seen.
They drove out of the community and along a quiet street towards the main road. Sunlight streamed through the car window, lighting up Luna's carefully made-up profile. She was focused on driving, occasionally glancing at the navigation.
"So, what's your coach like?" Li Tao asked casually, exhaling a puff of smoke.
Luna smiled. "His name is Terry Zhang. Back home, he was a sports teacher in middle school, but he switched to being a driving instructor here. He's a nice guy, from Guangdong. He never scolds anyone and is very meticulous. He has three daughters, all quite attractive."
Li Tao raised an eyebrow. "You seem to know quite a lot about him. You even know his family details."
Luna nodded. "Yes, here, driving lessons are one-on-one. There's no fixed practice location; it's all done in the community and on the streets. When it gets boring, we just chat."
"Are we going to his house now?" Li Tao found a bottle of water in the car, twisted off the cap, and discarded his cigarette butt into it. "Homemade ashtray. Just toss yours in here too."
Luna glanced at Li Tao and smiled slightly. "Thanks, that's thoughtful." She finished her last puff of smoke, tossed the cigarette butt into the bottle, and pressed the gas pedal, accelerating gradually.
"We're not going to his house. Terry said he'll be at a café near his place. He mentioned that the government is doing road work in front of his house and it's very noisy," Luna explained.
Li Tao nodded. After passing a few intersections, the car turned into a quaint town-like area. The buildings on the roadside had a vintage feel. They passed a gas station and finally stopped in front of a nostalgic café. The café's sign was hand-painted, slightly faded, but still clearly read "Old Timer Café" in hastily written English.
They pushed open the door. Soft blues music played inside, creating a retro and quiet atmosphere. A few wooden tables were scattered around, and some customers were talking in low voices. By the window, a casually dressed middle-aged man was focused on his tablet, with a steaming cup of Americano beside him. Luna nodded in that direction. "That's Terry."
Li Tao followed her over. Terry looked up with a familiar smile. "Luna, you got here quickly." His gaze swept over Li Tao with a hint of scrutiny. "So, this is your friend? He looks quite energetic."
"Yes, Terry, this is Li Tao, my friend. You can call him Danny," Luna said as she pulled out a chair and sat down. Li Tao followed suit, nodding slightly, looking a bit reserved.
"Hello, Coach Zhang," Li Tao said respectfully.
Terry smiled, pushed his tablet aside, and shook Li Tao's hand. "No need to be formal. Just call me Terry. We're all friends here."
He took a packet of cookies from the table and handed it to them. "Have some snacks to tide you over. Even though I love coffee, my favorite treats are these old-fashioned snacks."
Luna took the cookies, opened the packet, and took a bite. Li Tao also tried one and grimaced at the overwhelming sweetness. He didn't like sweets much but could tolerate them. However, these cookies were so sweet that they hurt his tongue. He looked at Luna, who was eating calmly, and fought the urge to spit it out.
"I heard you have a driver's license from back home. I'll scan your license and passport for translation and notarization. It'll be ready today, and then you can start driving. I'll also take you to get familiar with driving here and check your skill level. Don't be nervous." Terry took a sip of his coffee, his gaze focused and friendly. "By the way, have you driven a manual transmission car before?"
Li Tao hesitated, then nodded. "I've driven a manual car, but just occasionally. There are more automatic cars back home now." Hearing the coach's question made him more anxious, recalling the nightmare of the three-point turn in the driving test. He thought to himself, "Oh no."
Terry became serious. "You haven't driven a manual car much… this…"
Li Tao's anxiety spiked, fearing that the coach might ask him to start from scratch.
But then Terry's tone shifted. "That's actually great because there are no manual transmission tests here. It's all automatic."
Seeing Li Tao's stunned expression, Terry laughed. "Haha, I was just joking. I think you're too nervous. How was that? A bit of a shock?"
Li Tao's mouth twitched. "By the way, coach, how do you charge?"
"Translation is $50, notarization is $100, and driving lessons are $70 per hour, with a maximum of two hours per session, but one hour is usually enough. For the driving test, it's $220 for a car rental at a nearby testing center. If you think you're not ready, you can go to a further town, but it will be more expensive," Terry glanced at Luna. "This is all covered by the money you gave me, and the test center fees are separate. Since you're Luna's friend, driving lessons will be $65 per hour, and you'll get half an hour free for the first session."
Although it felt like Li Tao was getting a significant deal, he still felt a dull ache in his heart: converting this into RMB, it's too expensive…
Despite this, Li Tao was mindful of social etiquette. He got up and ordered a coffee for both Luna and himself to go, then paid for Terry's coffee and cookies.
"You're quite considerate," Luna said with no formality, taking her coffee and teasing him.
Terry stood up. "No need to be so formal next time. Luna told me you're new to Canada, and you'll be spending more money. Let's go, we'll drive for half an hour, and I'll go over the rules with you."
Outside the café, Terry walked to a Lexus and opened the driver's side door, indicating for Li Tao to get in.
Li Tao asked, "Huh? Am I driving right away?"
"Why not?" Terry looked at him as if it were obvious.
Luna opened the back door. "It's fine, this is a training car. The passenger seat has a brake, so don't worry."
Li Tao sat in the driver's seat, looking bewildered. Terry said, "First step, adjust the seat and mirrors."
Li Tao did as instructed. Terry continued, "Before you start the car, I need to tell you that the most important thing here is safety. During your test, you need to show the examiner that you are very attentive to safety. Do you know how to demonstrate that?"
Li Tao shook his head, and Terry explained, "Check the rearview mirror every 5-8 seconds, frequently check the side mirrors, look at blind spots when changing lanes, and make sure your head turns noticeably, not just your eyes. Make sure the examiner sees that you're looking. Slow down and observe at intersections, check blind spots when turning. Also, be aware of right-of-way—pedestrians have the highest priority. Straight-through is the highest, right turns are second, and left turns are third. That's about it. We'll cover more when you're driving."
Li Tao took a deep breath, placed his right hand on the steering wheel, and used the other hand to turn the key and start the engine. The car jolted slightly, then the engine ran smoothly. Terry looked at him and said, "Don't be nervous. Just drive slowly. Focus on stability, not speed."
Li Tao lightly pressed the accelerator, and the car moved forward slowly. As he pulled out of the parking space, he felt his hands slightly sweating. The car drove along the quiet streets, and Li Tao periodically checked the mirrors according to Terry's instructions, fearing he might miss something. Luna sat in the back seat, observing silently and occasionally taking photos with her phone without making a sound.
After a few minutes, Terry suddenly said, "Turn right ahead, check the blind spot." Li Tao exaggeratedly looked right, confirmed no cars were coming, and carefully signaled and turned. Terry nodded approvingly. "Good, that's what you need to do. Make sure the examiner sees these actions during the test."
Li Tao felt a bit relieved, but the next moment, he saw a pedestrian crossing the road ahead. He immediately slammed on the brakes, stopping the car abruptly. Terry smiled. "Good reaction, but try to slow down a bit earlier next time to make pedestrians feel safe. Remember, yielding to pedestrians is crucial here."
Li Tao nodded and tried to relax, though his grip on the steering wheel remained tense. After a while, they drove onto a wide two-lane road. Terry signaled him to change lanes. "Signal, look at the blind spot with your head turned a bit, then steer."
Li Tao followed the instructions and successfully changed lanes. The maneuver was a bit awkward but without mistakes.
The car continued smoothly for over twenty minutes. Terry occasionally pointed out minor issues, which Li Tao noted. When they returned to the starting point and parked the car, Li Tao felt his back was drenched with sweat. Terry smiled and patted his shoulder. "You did well. Just be a bit bolder. You're much better than I was during my first driving practice."
Li Tao gratefully smiled. "Thank you, Coach."
Terry nodded. "Just keep practicing. Once you get the rules down, you'll pass the test smoothly. The test isn't about how good your skills are but about how well you follow the rules. And don't relax just because you have a license from China. Most of my students who fail the test already have licenses; they have too many bad driving habits that are hard to change."
Luna added with a smile, "That's right. A classmate of mine had a license back home, but she didn't pass, while I did."
Terry said, "Oh, you mean that little Taoist? She's really something. She failed the G1 test seven or eight times and came home, fuming, to message me and cry about it for a while."
Li Tao asked, "Isn't the G1 equivalent to the first driving test? You can't retake it if you fail seven or eight times?"
"Of course not. You can take the G1 test anytime, and if you don't pass, you can pay to retake it right away. She failed seven or eight times and went home, but it wasn't that the staff wouldn't let her take the test," Luna said, suppressing a laugh. "It was just that the testing center had closed, hahahaha."
"That's right. When I was teaching her last year, it took a lot of effort. In the end, I felt a bit embarrassed charging her," Terry added with a laugh. "I heard she's back in China now. Do you still keep in touch?"
Luna's expression dimmed slightly before she replied, "Yes, we're in touch. We chatted just yesterday."
"Does the Taoist also study abroad?" Li Tao seemed to just grasp the key point from the earlier conversation.
Luna nodded. "Of course. It's 2024; you shouldn't have stereotypes about people like her. She studied Taoist culture in China and is now studying psychology here."
Li Tao asked with interest, "With such a unique personality, does she adjust well to life abroad? A Taoist's daily life must be quite different from ours, right?"
Terry added with a smile, "She always liked to wear those wide Taoist robes while practicing driving, and sometimes it felt like I was teaching someone from ancient times. I remember once, after the test, we went to celebrate, and she actually pulled out a package of yellow talismans, saying she wanted to give them to me for safety. I kept them in the car; maybe that's why nothing bad happened this year."
Li Tao responded, "Really that mystical?"
Luna said, "Maybe, but isn't it said that the stronger a person's aura, the better? Even if these talismans don't really work, they can provide a psychological hint, and a small psychological hint can have a big impact."
After a brief chat, Li Tao and Terry exchanged contact information and agreed to practice driving after Li Tao finished the G1 test. Terry mentioned that his partner would deliver the notarized license to Li Tao later that night.
Li Tao thought of the house at 20 and Jack's disappearance and suggested meeting at the community dog park, so he could also walk Kiki.
Back in Alex's car, Li Tao said to Luna, "I didn't expect you to know a Taoist friend."
Luna's expression became slightly awkward. "Yes, let's quickly buy what we need and head back. Maybe Darius is already up."
Li Tao got back in the car and watched as the street scenes outside the window gradually turned a warm golden hue in the sunlight. Luna started the car, and the music inside flowed gently, creating a much more relaxed atmosphere than before.
"You're still close with that Taoist friend?" Li Tao brought up the topic again without much sensitivity.
Luna's face showed a slight awkwardness. "We're okay."
Li Tao wanted to ask more but noticed that Luna had turned up the music volume. He was genuinely curious, having never had close contact with a Taoist in his 27 years of life.
Luna took Li Tao to a large supermarket. The store was bustling with people, and the wide variety of products left Li Tao a bit dazed. They went to the shopping cart area where Luna grabbed a cart and pushed it ahead.
"I'm buying some food," Luna said as she walked, "Just follow me. Put whatever you need in the cart, and we'll settle the bill later."
Li Tao nodded and followed Luna. They first went through the food section, picking up some bread, milk, and fruit. Then they went to the household goods section, bought some cleaning supplies, and Luna headed straight for the snack aisle, filling the cart with instant noodles, chips, and spicy snacks.
"Is the apocalypse coming?" Li Tao stared at the overflowing cart in astonishment.
"This is for staying home, and since we're already driving, we might as well buy more," Luna explained. "And this isn't even much. I used to push two carts by myself."
Li Tao sighed, "You can always tell me if you need something, and I can help you buy it. Or you can just ask for Alex's car keys. There's really no need to buy so much at once."
Luna rolled her eyes. "Forget it. We'll talk about your car when you get here. I just feel like Alex's car is as unlucky as that house."
After finishing their shopping, they pushed the loaded cart to the checkout counter, paid the bill, and Luna drove them back to the community. On the way, they continued chatting about various topics, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
When they arrived home, they happened to run into Ashima and Dev, the Indian siblings who had just returned.
"Are you off work?" Li Tao greeted them first.
Ashima nodded wearily, "Yes, it's Friday, and since it's a long weekend, we got off earlier. Dev came to the store to find me after work, and we just got back."
Dev rubbed his temples. "To be honest, we didn't sleep well last night."
"What about Marc?" Luna asked.
"Don't know. We've been out since the morning shift and haven't seen him since yesterday when we got back," Ashima said with a grimace. "By the way, do you have any idea about that damn rule?"
"Not yet. Darius is injured, and when we left, he was still resting. Anyway, we need to follow the rules. Tomorrow is Saturday, so according to the rules, we should have a gathering," Li Tao said.
"Right, if you see Marc, let him know too. We'll also message him to make sure he doesn't miss it," Luna added.
Dev looked a bit worried. "Okay, send our regards to Darius. We're going to shower and then have dinner with our friends tonight."
Li Tao nodded. "Remember the rules and don't stay out too late."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the Indian siblings headed back to the basement. Li Tao and Luna made several trips to carry all the bags from the car into the house.
While Li Tao and Luna were still busy unpacking, they heard slow, heavy footsteps coming from upstairs. Li Tao and Luna stopped their tasks to see Darius, looking worn out and limping as he came downstairs.
"You're finally back," Darius said.