28 “Oh my gosh,” Mom says. “Are you O.K.? Good grief! Would you look at that?” We both jump out of the car. The bumper has only a small dent. The brick pillar has a scrape on the corner, but the globe looks fine. Luckily, it is made of plastic. We try to place the globe back on the pillar, but it is too tall and we give up.

29 We stand there for a long time. Finally we get back into the car with me in the driver’s seat—serious, sad, and shaking. Tears, not sweat, roll down my cheeks. I wipe them with Mom’s tissues, and with her encouragement I start the engine. “If you fall off a horse,” she says, “and don’t break anything or get hurt too bad, then the best thing to do is to get right back on the horse.”

30 As far as I can see, there’s no serious damage to the car. I drive home slowly and pull carefully into the driveway.

31 We get a ladder, walk to the Logans’ house, and put the globe back on top of the pillar. “I think you have a good chance of passing your driver’s test, Jill,” says Mom. “You’ve now had a dose of reality—and, believe me, a little fear will actually help you. You’re going to pass. I know you will.”

32 “Do you think so?”

33 She hugs me.

34 “Thanks for taking me driving. Uh, Mom, can we go tomorrow?”

35 She nods.

36 “Around noon?” I ask, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I can tell from the look she gives me that she knows I’m joking.