I know what you are thinking. It’s crazy that a second semester senior doesn’t have her license. Trust me, I have my excuses. But I am finally getting my license this Friday. I totally am not skipping periods 3-5 for it! School is important but I have been waiting way too long for this. The last two years without my license has quite literally been a nightmare: I felt bad having to rely on friends. Even with my parents, it sucked not being able to make multiple plans in a row since I would need to be picked/dropped off multiple times a day. Because I work at a movie theater, I also work late sometimes, and I feel guilty every time my mom has to stay awake to pick me up after midnight. So, here are the things I am going to do when I get my license, the people that I pick up, and the places I will go!
#1, Pick up a hot chai tea latte from Starbucks and pick up Louisa
Out of all of my friends, Louisa has taken on the burden of driving me around the most. Whether it was taking me to Starbucks, library study dates, or just any group gathering with all of our friends, she has always been willing to help
. Therefore, she has to be the first person I say thank you to! Hopefully she can’t read this because she is in Hitzeman’s class but I would pick up her favorite drink from Starbucks (which is a chai tea latte) or maybe I will get her chicken tenders from Raising Canes or MAYBE I should get her a Mcdonald’s sprite and chicken nuggets. It is going to feel so nice to be able to do the same things she has always done for me. She deserves it so much.
#2, Just get Izzy out of her house
Izzy has frequently told me that I am the reason that she leaves the house. Whether it be because I am planning most friend gatherings or because I am obviously the coolest person ever and she only wants to hang out with me, I can see her location so I know she isn’t lying. Whether, we’re getting food, bothering our friends, or hitting up the functions, I’ll be getting Isabella off the screens. Maybe I will help her get more Vitamin D!
#3 Take Matthew and Soohyun shopping
Although Matthew is a bit better, their fashion sense is ABYSMAL, truly an artist’s tragedy.
While I could just them shop online, I feel a thorough in person, correction is what is needed and what is most effective. We’ll make an extensive trip to the mall, basically replacing their existing closets and maybe we’ll burn the old ones on the way back. They need to get out of their basic style and develop their own unique style. Matthew needs to stop wearing sports hoodies and sweatpants and Soohyun needs to expand his purchases past Abercrombie and Fitch. The clothing industry is filled with possibilities, but these two have stopped at the same two stores
.
#4 Drive Grace to work
Grace has been working at Lil Pops for quite sometime but I still have never been. “The food there is so good, Meg”. I frequently get Lil Pops fomo. This way, Grace gets a ride to and from work and I can cash in on her employee benefits. Win win win win win. Something tell me she will be opposed to this when she reads this.
#5 Drive Ivy to the DMV
She is an 18 year old who has no form of identification. Is that even legal?
#6 Drive Shan to school
This has been a request of his for a while. Paying him back for our Tuesday rides. Maybe I will make him pay for my Starbucks on the way!
#7 Drive Zach to a golf course
This is to make up for the fact that he could not come to Hilton Head with us over spring break and play in the really famous golf course there! Sorry we univited you, Zach 🙁 
#8 Drive Kathryn and Celina everywhere up and down Ogden
In conclusion, I am so grateful for all of my friends who have driven me over the last two years! I can’t wait to be a more useful human being :)))))
Hi Meg.
I was a little shocked when you told me that you got your license. No offense, but I had low expectations for you. This isn’t necessarily because I doubted you (I did a little bit), it’s more because I have low expectations for all my friends who have yet to get their license.
I’m glad you took the initiative to actually get your license. This significantly raises my opinion of you. Seniors who still don’t have their license despite being more than able (Ivy and Celina, I’m looking at you) don’t deserve anything. It’s also admirable that you’ve given this so much thought. I bet if you asked Ivy and Celina whether or not they have plans for after they get their license, you’d get a blank stare in return.
This is kind of the end of an era really. I didn’t drive you around much (so thanks for the mention), but I heard so much about it. I know Louisa drove you around almost constantly, but I think I heard more about you parking Shan’s car in the morning. Has it occurred to you that he was just using you? I think you can consider him paid back already.
I look forward to (and expect to be) cruising up and down Ogden soon.
Hi Meg! Congrats on getting your license, I’m really excited for you. I think it’s really sweet that you thought of ways in which you can pay people back for giving rides and that you personalized it to each person; since I — as you mentioned — am also license-less, this post also inspired me to think of things I could do if I got my license during the summer. I am hoping that, if I make it a priority and spend a lot of time driving, I’ll be able to do so this summer; like you said, I feel guilty making others drive me, and it would be nice to have that greater freedom. One thing I’ve been trying to do is be more independent and be more comfortable spending time alone, whether it’s shopping in a bookstore or eating alone at a restaurant, and being able to drive would be a nice way to expand what I’m comfortable doing alone as well as of course give me an easy way to spend time with friends. I would also probably want to drive my friends around in thanks for all they’ve done for me, and like you mentioned, would want to get Louisa a nice Starbucks drink, take Grace somewhere fun, and drive Kathryn literally anywhere she wants to go because she has always been very generous to me.
Hello Meghana.
Thank you for the token feature. Almost makes up for the stinging disinvitation from your Hilton Head trip. I almost cried last week when I was watching PGA Tour highlights at the RBC Heritage, which is the famous tournament that is played at Harbour Town, knowing that it COULD HAVE BEEN ME out there tearing up the links. Woof.
I’m happy you’ve taken this momentous step in your near-adult life. Getting a driver’s license forces you to grow up fast. I hope you will be a STREET-smart driver and not the kind I typically find myself raging at on the roads. I’ve had mine for almost two years, but I still feel like every week, I lose more and more trust in the driver’s education system for producing sensible drivers. I trust that you will exercise good judgment out on the roads. The last thing the world needs is another illegal lane-changer and lethargic below-the-limit snail.
As your licenseless era draws to a bittersweet close, I’m proud to say that although I did not drive you around frequently, the times that I did, I got the job done. SAFELY and EXPEDITIOUSLY. Thank you for defending me against the reckless driver allegations last semester, I am glad we BEAT THE CASE. I look forward to sitting in your backseat soon. But no pressure.
With much love,
Zach