L.A. DRVNGBook NowIt's funny how things work out. I was standing outside the Culver City DMV waiting for a client when a man named Bruno walked past asking some guys nearby about renting a car for a driving test. I recognized the accent immediately.
"Are you Brazilian?" He turned around: "Yes!"
He needed a car for his son Matheus's test the next day. We set it up for the Inglewood DMV.
The following morning we met early, ran the simulation, and Matheus was sharp — composed, precise, clearly ready.
Then the examiner failed him anyway, citing an error on an unprotected left turn.
I was not convinced. When I questioned the examiner about the specifics of the maneuver, he struggled to describe it clearly. We escalated to a supervisor, who helped us schedule a new test for the very next morning — this time in Santa Ana, Orange County.
I was already booked for that slot. Matheus went with his father. I wasn't worried — I'd seen him drive. He didn't need me anymore.
He passed. Then he drove all the way back to Culver City on the 405 during rush hour.
That evening I got to shake his hand, say my piece, and take the photo. Moments like that are the best part of this job — especially when you get to meet a whole family of compatriots who, like so many of us, are building a life in a country that wasn't theirs by birth.
Best of luck to the whole Chagas family.
