A drive to remember


So, we are on our way back from no-words-to-express Pondicherry. Just less than ninety miles away from home now. Here I am seated on the navigator’s post , an L board looming right in front of me and a “Baby on board” warning label 3 feet behind me – a constant reminder of who is driving the car!


My eyes roam just a couple of metres beyond the right-angled-red-tape, where a truck marches on the highway at 30kmph. An easy overtake, even for an amateur. Piece of cake, really. So, our man with a straight back (and I mean STRAIGHT) and hawk eyes, slightly short sighted, steers slightly to the right, and then peeps further more to the right, comes back to home position and says, “I think we should let it pass first before we overtake.” Yes. There was an ambassador approaching us, half a mile away, huffing and puffing. But hey, whatever you say, Sebastian!

So I put my counting skills to test and I reach 47 Mississippis before the ambassador passes us.

Now, steer right. Peep. Steer further right. Peep. No one ahead. Stupid grin. Onto the right lane. Slight push of the right foot. And then, “Damn! Curve ahead!” Right foot switches places. And Baaaack Home Baby!

Yes. I haven’t driven a car more than once, but every time I glanced to my right, I was gaining some self-confidence.

This time we move onto the right lane in one go! A two wheeler is just visible at the horizon. “Ha. Only a bike!”, he says. The pedal is pushed. Slowly. Two more voices from the back join me, “Yes, you can do it man!” Now, we could make out the colour of the bike. And hey, it’s a pulsar. With a TN number plate – same as the truck to my left. We are almost there – just a little more pedal push and a left steer, that’s it! And then, the bike did exactly what I was praying it not to! Headlights flashes twice.

What goes around comes back around…

Looking to my left, I realized that I could actually count the number of nuts/bolts on another automobile, while moving backwards - relatively speaking. We settle comfortably behind the truck. Again. As the bike passes us, the Dude gives an understanding smile to the 3 passengers. We all just look at Sebastian.

“Hey, he flashed man!” (Ignore the innuendos in your head.)

“Whatever dude”

I’m sure our man was just fucking around with us. He had to be.

Now, if you were worried with our overly-concentrating-self proclaimed-decent-driver, you should definitely see the frustrated version.

“I’m going to go past this shit RIGHT NOW, no matter what!” He did get the shit part right at least.

So, swing to the right, a bit too much, but it’s fine. This time it’s a bus moving towards us, far away, it’s fine. And, it’s moving slower than the truck beside us, so it’s got to be fine. Right? Our man is quick to flash the headlights first this time. A ma-jor confidence boost! 32…34…35kmph. I feel proud. Now I could see the truck’s number plates, on the FRONT side. The bus was still far away. All is well that ends well.

10 seconds later…

I am back to what I am good at... Wondering about the future. As I gaze out of the window to my left, I look at the setting sun and the dark moving clouds, trying to erase the past 20 minutes out of my memory, trying to ignore the TN number plate pricking the corner of my right eye, and praying, really hard, that I reach home before dawn.

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