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him as he looked over his shoulder and then began to work his way backward through the maze.
    What started out as an exercise in frustration had steadily improved once they’d realized the car mirrors needed adjusting to Alec’s height rather than his mother’s. Angie resolved to remain silent this time, hoping for the best, but prepared for the dull thud of the back wheel bowling over a hapless cone. Alec unnerved easily, and she didn’t want to make things any more difficult on him.
    As the car rolled to a stop, Alec shifted his gaze side to side in hopeful uncertainty. “Did I make it?”
    She grinned at him and gave a thumbs-up. “Didn’t even touch one.”
    Relief washed over Alec’s face, accompanied by what she thought might be some newly acquired confidence.
    “Okay, one more time. Just to make sure that wasn’t a fluke,” he said, eyes locked ahead in concentration.
    He took the course again, relying on his mirrors without being reminded. By the end, his grip on the steering wheel caused his fingers to go white from a lack of circulation, but his effort was a marked success. Alec looked both amazed and pleased as he put the vehicle into park.
    “You’re pretty good at this. That was a lot easier than when my mom tries to coach me.”
    “That’s just because she’s your mom.” Angie laughed.
    “Now let’s go do the exam, while I still remember what I’m doing,” he said with an edge of nervousness.
    “That’s probably a good idea.” Angie hopped out of the passenger seat. She then went about walking the course, collecting the orange cones into stacks. Glancing back toward the tiny church, she spotted Claire making her way to the car — her long, floral sundress swishing around her ankles. Offhandedly, Angie thought it made the woman look like a walking bouquet. But then again, she didn’t consider herself any reliable judge of good fashion sense.
    “Do you think he’s ready?” Claire called out.
    Angie nodded. “He thinks so. He wants to go now, if you’re done with practice.”
    Claire clasped her hands together at her bosom in what Angie took to be a culmination of enthusiasm and anxiety. “Let’s go then. Jump in and start praying, sweetie. This is his last shot.” She confided the last part with a lowered voice before pulling open the passenger side door.
    Angie gave Claire a reassuring smile and got into the back seat, where she listened to mother and son have a detached conversation about Alec’s weekend guitar lesson. To Claire’s credit, she seemed to make an effort not to cause him further apprehension by bringing up any last-minute tips on driving etiquette. Judging by the tension she noted in Alec’s hunched shoulders, it wasn’t working.
    Fortunately, the drive to the Department of Motor Vehicles was a short one. Angie soon found herself standing outside with Claire at the far end of a brick building, watching Alec and the balding examiner get into the red Dodge. Behind the DMV was an enormous asphalt lot laid out with orange cones.
    “Oh, I can’t watch.” Claire pressed her pallid palms to her cheeks as she turned away. She began pacing up and down along the front walkway.
    Angie folded her arms and leaned her shoulder into the corner of the building, gaze following Alec’s car as he worked his way through the lot. She focused, wishing she could help her friend through sheer force of will. “Please…keep him calm. You know he can do this,” she prayed under her breath. The car left her line of vision for several long moments as it wove through the farthest back portion of the lot.
    It seemed like very little time had passed before the Dodge pulled back round to the front of the DMV. She couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad sign. When Alec got out of the car looking as straight-faced as his humorless examiner, disappointment began to prickle at the edge of her mind.
    Claire managed to stay put until the man jotted something down and handed Alec a piece of