Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Phillip. Be sure to check out About Dan here.
Phillip is a computer nerd who suddenly discovers a liking for track. Everything would be fine except for his father.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Phillip Home) (Last) (Next)
The Next Step
Phillip hopped off the bus at the corner of 28th and Iris. He checked his watch; it was time to complete Step Four of Operation Liberation. If there wasn’t a long line, he’d make it to work on time. He surveyed the large parking lot in front of Albertson’s; it was nearly empty and badly in need of repair. He jogged across it; his target lay on the other side of the grocery store in a small mini-mall. He reached the door, holding his breath. When he’d been here three months before, the line had stretched into the mini-mall. It didn’t today. He walked quickly past the used book store, the travel agency, the real estate office and the beauty salon, noticing none of them. His destination lay at the far end of the mini-mall on the right. He stopped at the door to gather his courage. There were only three people ahead of him.
He stood in line and looked around. The testing area was to the left. Those waiting for test results were on the right. A woman behind the counter was just snapping a picture of a teen Phillip’s age. He looked relieved.
"Next!" came the disinterested voice of a middle-age clerk.
His heart in his throat, Phillip approached the counter. He pulled the card from his front pocket and handed it to the clerk.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, I’m not here for that. I’m just turning this in. I don’t want it anymore."
The clerk looked at him with disbelief.
"No, really. I don’t want it anymore," repeated Phillip.
"Just a minute. I have to check." The clerk went to confer with his supervisor. The two of them came back.
The supervisor spoke. "I understand you don’t want this anymore."
"Yes."
"You know that if you turn this in you’ll have to go through the whole process to get it back, test and all, including fees."
"Yes."
The supervisor considered this. "Ok, if that’s what you want. Do you want to have an ID card instead?"
"Uh, sure, why not? How much does it cost?"
"Ten dollars."
Phillip pulled out his wallet and counted out the bills.
"Wait over there. We can use the same picture."
Phillip moved to the waiting area. Five minutes later his name was called. He grabbed the ID card and headed out the door.
Step four of Phillip’s plan was complete: his learner’s permit was history. No more driving.