Monday, October 22, 2012

thoughts of driving lessons

shared by Marlo R. Beall, her sister

My sisters and I all learned how to drive from our dad. Like most teenagers, we practiced driving on cars that were automatic, rather than stick shift. Both our mom and dad could drive stick, and for a while our family even had a black Mitsubishi pick-up truck that was stick.  

Some of us learned to drive the pick-up, although I was never very good at it. But Cyn, just like most things that she tried, was pretty good. Driving stick was more fun than stressful for her.

During the time that we all lived together, Andrew bought a car from one of our good friends; it was a Saturn sedan that just happened to be a stick shift. The only problem was neither Andrew nor I really knew how to drive it. So Cyn became our driving instructor.

I have fond memories of the three of us in the Saturn (which we had affectionately named "Venus"), practicing driving in the empty parking lot of the Culver City Costco. I recall Andrew and I switching off, trading seats between the driver and passenger side, while Cyn would give us directions from the back, her head poking out between the two front seats.

I remember one instance when Andrew and I were frustrated with each other's driving ability, and Cyn just started giggling. Andrew and I stopped talking, both looked at her curiously and asked what she was giggling about. She said something like, "You guys are so cute. You talk to each other to the point where you almost get mad at the other person, but then you don't get mad. It's neat."

Well, thanks to Cyn, Andrew drove Venus for several years. Cyn borrowed it a few times as well. I however, never did quite get the hang of it. But I know that it wasn't because I didn't have a good teacher.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

thoughts of good sushi

shared by Andrew Beall, her brother-in-law

At some point while Cindy, Marlo and I lived together, Cyn decided she wanted to get a job as a server. I'm not sure how she found this particular job, but in no time at all, she was starting work at a nearby sushi restaurant in Culver City.

Marlo and I were concerned about the extra workload it would add to her already busy schedule. However, Cindy always found a way to make it work. The new job turned out to be a very positive experience for her. She enjoyed meeting and making new friends with her co-workers. Marlo and I ended up dropping her off and picking her up at the restaurant, but most of the time we didn't mind, as we could tell Cindy was actually enjoying her self. We also got to eat sushi with great service!

The group of employees at the restaurant was pretty tight knit and friendly. I remember that they would sometimes hang out together after closing time in the restaurant. And a few times, they would even go out to a bar or two together.

Looking back now, I realize that this was just another in a long line of serendipitous events that made up Cindy's college experience. I'm glad we got to share that time with her.