microstories
Filip
by Martine Leavitt
I don't remember walking to the driving test. I'm just there.
Okay. Weird, but okay. I'm blaming it on that weed Ben made me try a few days ago.
Also weird: when I get to driving school, nobody's there. Door open, but nobody. I wait a while, but nobody.
But then, there he is. And I know who he is, all right. I know right away.
First of all, that face, the hair – nobody else has ever looked like that. And he's got a rope for a belt. When I see that he's not wearing socks, that seals it. Albert Einstein.
"You died," I say.
"Smart kid," he says. "But perhaps not as smart as me."
"You're going to give me my driver's test? You didn't even drive when you were alive."
"That's why it was the first thing I set out to do when I got back," he says.
"But – how did you get back?"
"I just went in a straight line," he says. "So are we going to do this thing or not?"
What can I say? Only one place in town to get a driver's license, and I don't see anybody else around. I have to get my license before prom. Having your license is the beginning of freedom, am I right? It's like, suddenly the world is opened up to you. You can go anywhere. You're an official human when you can drive.
So, Albert Einstein it is.
He gives me a key chain. Dangling from it is a one-inch planet World. I know it can't really be a planet, not that size, but it sure looks real. It looks as real as real. It's damp.
"An eternal riddle, that," he says, pointing at the World.
I do all right, I guess. It's nerve wracking, having a genius sitting beside you in the car, and at first I'm terrible. It's like I have a new body and it weighs four thousand pounds. I keep thinking Albert is going to smack me down, put on his set of the brakes. But he just smiles and nods.
"I believe in standardizing automobiles. I do not believe in standardizing human beings," he says. "Besides, you're going to be fine. Better than fine."
I feel better right away, knowing that he thinks I'm doing fine.
"Where do I go?" I ask.
"Just go straight," he says.
Driving straight isn't too hard. I try to watch the speed limit and pay attention to signs.
He just sits there like I've been driving for a thousand years, his legs and arms relaxed, humming a little tune. I guess he's relaxed because he's already dead. Can't kill him. But anyway, it relaxes me to see him so chill.
"Am I gonna pass?" I ask.
"Yes," he says. "You already passed."
"Awesome!" I say. "I can't wait to tell Meredith... So, should we go back. I should probably get back to school."
"I love to travel, but I hate to arrive," Albert says. "Let's keep going."
"Well, I should probably get back to school."
"You've already been to school, Filip," he says in a kindly way. "School is out for the day, now."
"It is?" I remember that I don't remember going to school. I don't remember going to the driving school, either, for that matter.
"Let's go home," he says.
So we drive. I drive. I drive in a straight line, into forever.
