Driving Lessons
Title: Driving Lessons
Characters: Michael Scofield, Lincoln Burrows
Category: Humor, Pre-Series, Drabbles
Rating: G
Summary: Lincoln is teaching a young Michael how to drive a stick and he has to recall his uncle's advice.
A/N: This came to me the other night as I was driving home.
Disclaimer: I don't own Prison Break or the characters, so please don't sue me.
Any errors made are my own.
The car lurched forward and died. A sigh rang out through the car as a very frustrated Lincoln sat in the passenger seat and a 13 year old Michael sat behind the wheel. They were in the deserted parking lot of an old abandoned grocery store in Lincoln’s three hundred dollar junker.
“Try it again but this time Mike, don’t just let the clutch out right away ease off of it.” Lincoln said while using his hands to exaggerate his point. They had been practicing start and stop for the last hour and Michael had only managed to get the car moving once without killing it right away or barking the tires then killing it.
The clutch went in and the car roared to life. “Now just ease off the clutch.” Lincoln watched Michael’s left foot as it started ease off the clutch. “Give it gas! It’s gonna die. ”
Michael’s foot pushed the gas pedal to the floor and immediately let off the clutch. The engine revved high then lurched forward and died.
“Okay.” Lincoln could feel a headache coming on as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to think of what his uncle had said to him when he was learning to drive a stick. “um…”
Michael sat in his seat, just as frustrated as Lincoln, because he couldn’t figure out how to drive a stick. “Let’s just go home, I’m never going to get this.”
“Not yet. Now listen carefully, I was just as bad and it took me a while too. Uncle James tried telling me once that it’s like a dance, but seeing as I didn’t dance that didn’t work for me. He ended up comparing it to fighting and seeing as I was good at that it worked. When you’re fighting and you really want to put some power behind your punch what do you do?” Lincoln looked at Michael who just shrugged his shoulders. “You shift from foot to foot. You’ve got pressure on both feet but you are giving one a little more and another a little less, in order to balance yourself.” Lincoln’s eyes shifted to his brother, “Do you want to try again?”
“Sure,” he said knowing he didn’t have an option.
“Okay, start the car.” The engine rumbled to life. “Now, keep your foot on the clutch and push down a little on the gas.” Lincoln listened carefully to the engine as it revved. “Alright, reduce the pressure on the clutch, slowly.”
The car began to roll forward. “That’s it! You’ve got it.” Lincoln sighed inwardly thanking his uncle and his lessons for finally coming in handy.
A very excited Michael sat beaming as he steered the car around the parking lot.
“I think you’re ready for the freeway now.”