Last Saturday evening, my family attended a party at a fancy restaurant called Jinwei in Liuyan. It was a get-together of my parents with their friends.

At the party, my father succumbed to pressure to drink with his buddies although he knew he would have to drive back home later. When the social gathering was over, Father was a bit tipsy. Therefore, he asked Mother to drive home. She refused. For one thing, Mother is still a student driver; she has not passed the driving test yet. For another, there was the typical bumper-to-bumper traffic found on a weekend evening on the street at the time. My father had no choice but to be at the wheel in the end.

On the way, we were extremely edgy. Once a driver is caught drunk driving, the penalty will be harsh. While weaving in and out of the traffic with great caution, Dad said to me, “Son, watch out for the police. Give me a signal as soon as you see an officer or a police car. I will change seats with your mother. She shall take the wheel.”

For a long time, there were no police around in sight. We breathed a sigh of relief. As we were nearing some traffic lights, however, a policeman popped up out of nowhere.

There was simply no time for Dad and Mum to stop, get out and change seats. Turning to Mum, Dad cajoled, “Honey, please come over and take the wheel.” Inside the car, they swapped places and Mother took the driver’s seat.

Mother went ahead tentatively. When we came to where the policeman was standing, he reached over a breathalyser, saying, “Madame, please blow into it.” Mother followed the instructions. Since Mother had not drunk at all, we were let go after the breath test. Strangely enough, the officer did not ask Mum for her licence.

Although Mother could get the car moving on the road, she had not got her papers. Honestly speaking, Mother’s driving skills still left a lot to be desired. She had a couple of close shaves along the way. Therefore, our nerves did not vanish until Mother had stopped the vehicle completely at our tower block.

Back home, Mother lost her temper with Dad. “Should you drink again, man,” she snarled, “there is no way I will help.”

That night, Dad slept on the sofa.