Part 2, Chapter 14 Summary

As with the final chapter in Part 1, this concluding chapter of Part 2 is a flashback to Miles' childhood. In this chapter, Miles is in Empire Falls six years after his Martha's Vineyard adventure, trying to learn to drive from his father. Max is such an irresponsible driver, however, that the court suspends his drivers' license after a bunch of traffic violations and running over the Mayor's daughter's cat. Thus, when he signs up for drivers' ed at 16, he has no idea how to navigate a car. The other kids already knew how to drive, of course, so the drivers' education class was simply no place for someone who didn't know how to drive-at least according to the instructor, who was also the school's baseball coach. During his first lesson, Miles managed to jump a curb and end up in a resident's...