"Did you get your learner's permit? Does that mean we'll be able to take my dad's car to the beach soon?"
At a small café beside Midtown's shopping street, Gwen slowly stirred the coffee before her with a spoon. Peter, sitting across from her, said, "My uncle doesn't have much time. They found a shadow on his lung during a hospital checkup, but thankfully it's only a mild inflammation. You know, he smoked when he was young..."
"Of course. Everyone from that generation was like that. My dad too. Whenever his coat smelled like smoke, my mom would argue with him."
"Even though I got my learner's permit, my uncle doesn't have time. Without someone accompanying me, I can't drive alone on the road. I haven't even driven a car before." Peter shrugged.
"I'm not really good at driving either. You only need to pass a written test for a learner's permit. I can barely start a car now, but as for actually driving..." Peter shook his head.
"Who knows when I'll pass the road test? I hardly even ride in cars, let alone drive one."
The Parker family only had an old pickup truck that Uncle Ben used to commute to work. Whenever Peter went to intern at Stark Industries, he relied on his own webbing to swing between skyscrapers.
In the United States, people Peter's age generally only got learner's permits, which merely required a written test. But to drive alone, they also had to pass a road test. Peter had barely touched a car, and no matter how gifted he was, he couldn't conjure experience from nothing. Passing the road test was still a distant prospect.
Gwen heard the disappointment in Peter's tone and changed the subject.
"I heard Stark Industries gave you a pretty generous internship