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"I Learned To Drive When I Was Six..." Mid-Grade Contract in negotiation When I was six years old, my family regularly visited my grandparents, who lived in Houston. Every morning, my grandfather, a massive, boisterous man, got up at 4 a.m., woke me up, and, on the deserted streets, taught me to drive. The traffic lights blinked in the dark. For a magical hour or so, the city was ours. As the sun rose we headed for a nearby coffee shop, where we met my grandfather's friends. These larger-than-life guys would ruffle my hair and clap my grandfather on the back with great hearty thuds. They would talk about the news, the weather, and the stock market, and they always included me in their complicated, mysterious conversations. I took immense satisfaction in contemplating the fact that, while other kids were asleep, I was learning to drive and keeping company with my grandfather's friends. I knew they were giving me a gift by treating me with a respect I hadn't yet earned. I did my best to live up to their expectations. The result was a long, satisfying relationship with my grandfather. As I grew older, I found myself coming to rely on the quiet sense of confidence that my grandfather instilled in me. This wonderful man valued me, so I learned to value myself. This quiet confidence helped me through the years in ways I never could have foreseen as a child. I have cherished friends now who live all over the world. I have had not one but two amazing jobs that few would even dream of. And why shouldn't I? After all, I learned to drive when I was six. |
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