Two months ago, I visited my mother and that visit changed..........that twinkle in her eye whenever she comes home after a spin in her car.

Two months ago, I visited my mother and that visit changed her life. I had gone home as usual over the weekend. I noticed that she was not herself. She complained that she felt empty now that all my brothers and sisters are away from home.

"Why don't you take up a new hobby?" I persuaded. In the past, we could always excite one another with a new project. Once, she had called me to sign up for a cross-stitch competition. We spent the following three months stitching our 'masterpieces'. We didn't win anything but it gave us a sense of satisfaction and the pieces are now proudly displayed in our homes. I thought she could take up something like ceramic painting or flower arrangement this time, something that could lift her spirits and keep her occupied.

To my utter surprise, it turned out that there was one thing that she had always yearned to do: drive a car. "It's all your fault," Dad accused me. Now, if you knew my mother, you would understand why all of us felt a little horrified at the thought of her behind a steering wheel. She was always getting lost in a supermarket and she couldn't tell left from right. My father tried to dissuade her from learning to drive but to no avail. "I'll drive you anywhere you want to go. Haven't I always done that?" he tried again. But her mind was made up and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. Since I was the one who inspired her, I was given the task of getting her a driving instructor.

A week later, there she was in the driver's seat of a Kancil, a huge 'P' on either side of the windscreen, proclaiming her status to the world. My siblings and I gathered to give her moral support. Beside her sat a smiling Mr Maniam, a charming instructor in his fifties. She started the car and went jerking down the road as we waved goodbye. My dad gave me a reproachful look.

An hour later, they jerked back. Mr Maniam looked beaten and my mother tried to smile but her smile hardly reached her eyes. I sent her home and invited Mr Maniam home for tea. He confessed that in his long career, he had never taught someone like my mother. "She zigzagged from one side of the road to the next. She would signal left and turn right, ignoring traffic lights and any other road signs. Even a lorry had to make way for her. Aiyo!" he exclaimed. It took two cups of tea and some of my famous chocolate cake before he calmed down. I made him promise that he would not give up on my mother.

So, for the next few lessons, they developed a routine. I would wave goodbye to her and an hour later, I would send her home while Mr Maniarn came to my house to recuperate. I would hear more of the crazy things my mother did, nodding politely and sympathizing with him. Some days, it was so bad that he refused my tea and went straight home. Once, they came back and Mr Maniarn had a little bump on his forehead. "Emergency brake lesson today?" I asked as I handed him some ice.

The driving test day finally came. She was a total wreck and she called me to come and prepare lunch for my dad. She bathed twice and sat waiting for Mr Maniam. We felt nervous too but we tried not to show it. To our amazement, mother passed with flying colors. She proudly drove Mr Maniam in her Kancil to my house and made the announcement. Mr Maniarn looked happy to get out of the car and out of her life.

Today, mother is happily chauffeuring her neighbors and grandchildren around. Anyone who needs a lift can always count on my mother. I can see that she enjoys her newfound freedom and there is that twinkle in her eye whenever she comes home after a spin in her car.

Summary: I asked my mother to take up a new hobby. When she wanted to learn driving, Dad blamed me for starting it. We felt worried a she has a poor sense of direction. Dad tried to dissuade her from driving but she was adamant. I got her a driving instructor. On her first lesson, we gave her our moral support. Later, her instructor complained that she drive him crazy with her driving. I had to calm him down and pleaded with him not to quit. I continued to sympathize with him after each lesson. On test day, I prepared lunch for Dad as Mother was nervous. We tried not to show our nervousness. To our surprise, she passed her test and her instructor was happy that it was finally over.