Chapter 10 - Page 137 - Rhasha Drives

    “Hurry Jim,” she said, “how do I stop?”

    The stop sign was getting closer and Rhasha hadn’t slowed down. Jim was afraid they would go across the main road and plow into a tree. Rhasha was just as scared. She clung tightly to the steering wheel.

    He quickly turned off the ignition switch and pulled the emergency brake. The jeep came to a stop about ten yards from the stop sign.

    Jim’s heart was pounding. He rubbed his face with his hands. Rhasha was in tears.

    “I’m so sorry, Rhasha,” Jim said. “That was my fault. I should have shown you where the brake was. I’m not much of a driver’s education teacher.”

    Rhasha opened her teary eyes and looked at Jim. She tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a sob. He calmed Rhasha by giving her a big hug. Then he gave her a five minute crash course on how to stop the jeep. When he was confident Rhasha understood how to stop the jeep, he instructed her to continue driving.

    By the time they arrived at the waterfalls, Rhasha’s driving had really improved. She was feeling very confident, until she tried to find a place to park. When she came to a stop, she tried to put the gearshift in first gear. It slipped into third, instead. When she let out on the clutch, the motor died. She quickly started the motor and put it in first gear. With Jim’s instructions, she parked the jeep and turned the key off with a sigh of relief.

    In front of them, water cascaded one hundred feet down the side of a mountain into a clear pool, then flowed along a rocky riverbed that in places meandered around large boulders. The air was filled with the roar of hundreds of gallons of water crashing into the pool. Further down the river, the water turned into rapids as it continued down a rocky incline.