“It’s Your Lucky Day!”

Finally a few words of encouragement in the ongoing quest to obtain a Bermuda driver’s license. They were spoken to me by a friendly man at the TCD (the island’s version of the DMV in New York, see above) when I showed up to buy a copy of the Traffic Code Handbook, a 54-page study guide to help prepare for my written test. For those of you not familiar with the licensing process, it comes with a few hurdles. There are requests for character references, mandatory doctor exams, weeks of waiting. But then came a glimmer of hope: my permit to reside here was finally approved, which meant I could legally take the written exam and begin walking the long road to car ownership. But first I needed that handbook. It was incredibly hot that day. Folks were perspiring through their shirts and fanning themselves with the newspaper, so it was no surprise that the heat was also stressing the power grid. Sure enough the TCD lost all power, just as the rest of Hamilton had for an hour or so. I didn’t imagine this would cause much of a problem—all I needed was a $2.65 handbook—but in addition to everything else in the building, the power loss knocked out the electronic cash register. With only a twenty-dollar bill in my pocket, I was faced with forking over all of my money or making the long trip back to town another day. Fortunately here’s where that nice guy comes in. “It’s your lucky day,” said the well-dressed fellow as he handed over the handbook free of charge. “Thank you very much sir!” was my reply in all sincerity. It might take me a few more weeks to get that license, but at least I’m one step closer.