1 Wild Drive, 2 Phonecalls, 3 Fights, 4 Rounds and one hell of a Climax!

Every Sunday when i open my eyes there are distant chances of waking to a beautiful morning. My morning begins with a list of my incompetence in doing most of my work. But today the difference was i had a so-called-date. Its not a DATE-date but somehow it was a date to remember.

But as luck would have it for me i got a bundle of household chores to finish. And to top it all our friendly neighborhood electrician dropped by. And mind it when an electrician visits us he isn't allowed to leave before 3hrs. My family has this tendency of decorating house every now and then and have a load of drilling and wiring to do. But the amusing part was the FNE (friendly neighborhood electrician) he was a 45 something fellow and i guess by his talks he was very young at heart. Not that he was fast or something but he used to call my dad Uncle, mom- Aunty and my sis DIDI ha ha ha a. i could have laughed it off but the asshole started calling me Chotu. i felt so embarrassed hearing him call me that, that my friends laughing at my BATA chappals felt like nothing.

And as per my FNE's request i had to chauffeur him to the shops he wanted to visit. The only difference being that he had an umbrella to keep himself dry and i was wet in the rain throughout. Somehow i managed to pack him off by 2.30pm. I was already late for the DATE. Now the interesting part was that this friend of mine liked long drives, so i thought i would surprise her by taking my car (i mean my sis's car) along. Another interesting part is that my sis became an integral part of the whole schema of things.

People who know my sis and even those who don't swear by her attitude towards life and the 1.5% of her life -thats me. She has a peculiar behavior which can be used as example to study in psychology. To convince her is a real challenge, cos most of the time you end up convinced that you were wrong. But this time i had the Trump Card with me. I begged, i emotionally blackmailed and then begged a little more for her to lend me her car. And she was so busy exploring her mobile that she agreed. (She got a new one yesterday)

So here i was, the car keys in my hand and the world at my feet. Literally, cos when i drive many things do come under my feet, i mean the car. With the mission accomplished i called up my frnd and was notified that the so called DATE-date had to be cancelled. Hah wat a Joke, especially after all the efforts i went through. So i thought, and thought and then started fooling around cos i had nothin better to do.

BUT WAIT, Rewind back to 2 weeks when i ditched my friend Shahid, and went alone to see Terminator 4. So i had to take him out this time. And i also got a call from another friend of mine, Dinesh for the same. so i clubbed them both and planned to watch the movie @ VASHI.

Now my DAD had to leave for Airoli and it falls on the way to Vashi so finding the golden opportunity i asked my sis if i cud take the car. And to everyone's surprise she agreed. I couldn't believe my ears. Had i gone deaf, NO! So i got ready in seconds and got ready to leave. It wasn't that i was so eager to leave but the fact was that my sis could change her decision any moment. so i thought it wise to leave before it happened.

I dropped my Dad and left for Vashi to meet Dinesh. He was surprised and couldn't believe that i drove all the way to his home. Neither could I but i had. And for some reason i was feeling a lot confident. :P So i parked the car at his place and we left to book the Tickets for the Movie, TRANSFORMERS 2. I was very excited and had been waiting for the movie since long so i rushed to the mall only to find the whole Booking place crowded. So i rushed upstairs to another counter only to find that the first two rows were available. Looking at the cost of the tickets and the type of movie, First row would have been a shame. So i booked the movie for 10 pm.

Now, i have this tendency of taking decisions and then remembering some small-tiny facts, like the car. I forgot to mention that wen i begged my sis for the car there were conditions applicable. I had to come back home by 10pm. So i now had this gigantic task of convincing my Sis for the same. so i called home and the battle began. My Sis started shouting at me and demanding me, to bring back the car and then go for the movie. I knew there was time in my hand but not that much either. All my attempts to convince her went futile. so finally i had to run back home and drop off the car. Luckily, Shahid reached on time and i asked him to drive back. Actually he didn't give me an option. He took the keys and started. So we drove all the way back from Vashi and thats 30 kms from my home, just to drop the Car.

Somehow we successfully managed to reach home and to my surprise i found my Dad standing below. When he saw us he was curious and before he could ask me i told him that i came back to park the car. On hearing that he stormed away home uttering something. I parked the car and came to my apartment.
Now, i forgot to introduce my mom to you. She is a self proclaimed hospitality expert and a great homemaker. When i came home my mom was preparing dinner and since i was supposed to be at the movie i had said that i would eat from outside. But now that i was home, she insisted me to eat before leaving. But then she saw Shahid. Now her instincts wanted to treat him to a lavish dinner and what we had was a normal one. So she got furious at me, scolding me that if i had told her earlier she could have made something good for Shahid.

I was getting all the more late for the movie and to top it mom didn't seem to stop. Hearing all the commotion my Dad arrived. Only to add to it. He was least bothered about the movie or dinner but he was mad at me cos i came through Airoli and i didn't pick him up on the way. Now, how the hell would i know that? My sis too joined in to add to the fire and she started yelling at me and reminding me what kind of a fool i was to go watch a Movie in a theater 30kms away from home when its playing in the mall nearby.

So i was in the center of the triangle being bombarded by each of them, sticking to their motives and not bothering about the other. Finally i managed to say sorry a million times and got them to calm down. I looked at the watch and it was 9.15pm and the show was at 10pm. so i had to rush and i convinced my parents to let me go and we bolted.
Hah! we had just thought that the worst was over. But No, halfway to Vashi i remembered that i had forgotten my wallet, License, Bike papers and that the bike was on Reserve Fuel. It was too late to turn back so we hurried to a petrol pump. Managed to fill the bare minimum amount of petrol and were about to leave when the clouds started pouring on us. Time and again the rains lashed us and when they didn't the Buses splashed mud over us to remind us of the same.

Wet from head to toe we reached the theater with air of triumph in our hearts. But our luck was tested again when we found out that the movie was to begin 10 mins late. We didn't give up we waited while the air conditioning seriously made us shiver. Then the doors opened and finally we made it to the MOVIE!! I loved the movie, Megan Fox radiated enough heat to keep me warm throughout. With me and Dinesh checking her out every single second. The whole experience was enthralling. When the movie finally finished we were lost in a completely different world altogether. Its a must-watch i would say, and actually i wouldn't mind paying for watching Megan again and again.

It was 1am by the time we left and the skies were open. The drive back home was one of the best, with the great blue sky and a perfect environment around and Me n Shahid zooming around in the bikes. I guess all's well that end's well. But this isn't the end. I reached home at 2.30am and unfortunately both my cells died out. So with great hesitations i had to ring the bell.

DING DONG!
Two minutes of silence and then i found myself again in the middle of a Triangle being constantly bombarded with all kinds of swears. The result, i had to sleep on the couch and woke up late the other day with a back pain and NO lunch for office. Great Day i would say?!

Charge-able

The bike halts and i get down, check my belongings and am just bidding goodbye to my friend when he gets a call! A few seconds into the call and the battery dries out. He looks at me and grins and i pretty much make out what's next. i offer him my cell to make the call and he readily accepts. the next thing i know he swaps the sim cards and hands me over his phone and tells me pretty convincingly "Tu charge karke rakh main baad me collect karta hun". i stand and wonder what's happening and meanwhile he bolts ahead and vanishes into thin air.

Hmm so, i guess i have no choice left! i carefully inspect the Mobile and take it home.

Close encounters of the 7th kind!

[12:27 am 14th Aug]

The rains are just bout to pour and the skies are dark... add to it the flickering street lights, well what do i say "couldn't have been better". its almost half past twelve and where am i ? Not sleeping with my eyes shut in a cozy bed but waiting at a bus stop with strangers and looking at the urban horizon waiting for a glimpse of a bus to drop me home. 

my mind says that its no use since the last bus home has already left. But then i have a look at my wallet with all those torn Rs 10 change and i think again, well lets wait a while and see.

[12:34 am 14th Aug]

Too much wait and now i guess its no use.. i may have to shell out that 100 bucks i was trying so hard to save all this while. i look back again to see if i could get a lift or a drop from a private vehicle and then i see this Safari coming my way.

With all those years of experience of hitchhiking it wasn't tough for me to make the vehicle halt. i peep in, to find a grumpy guy staring back at me. i ask "airoli chaloge", and he nods in a manner my teacher used to, when i was in school and asked her for a loo break.

With a smile of satisfaction i hop in only to find that i was the only person in the huge monstrous vehicle, but who cares? lets go!

[12:40 am 14th Aug]

Its 6 mins since I'm sitting besides the weirdo trying to figure out what he is thinking about. my primary concern being the speed of the car which was barely 30kmps. i could frankly run home and reach first he he eh...

i see all these bikes and cars zooming past and i wonder whats wrong with this grumpy old man. i keep mum, not wanting to start a conversation, especially cos the guy didn't seem interested. i wait another minute and almost suspicious of this guy, dare to ask him a question "Dost aap kidhar ja rahe ho". 

[12:45 am 14th Aug]

After a heavy pause, almost like the tension in all those realty shows while announcing the winner, the guy gives me a stern stare and says "Powai". Thats it,  No more questions. i decide not to interfere with the guy and his driving and sit like a dumb. Although it crossed my mind many a times to just get down and walk away. not because i was afraid or something but just cos the car wasn't moving that fast and it would barely have mattered :)

[12:52 am 14th Aug]

The car takes a left from below the Koparkhairne flyover, entering the deserted Ghansoli area. Now this area has its own specialities, like... its almost silent like a graveyard, hardly people come out at night at these places, and with the rains adding to it -  its not less than the next location for a Ramsay Brothers Mega HIT. 

With each passing second and the slowly moving car i get a gut feeling of something going wrong. i try to catch a glimpse of the weirdo from the corner of my eye just to make sure that he was only driving (and not making preparations for welcoming his new prey). i thought 'what if he is some sort of psycho who ventures out at night to find people who ask for a lift, and kills them for some gods-knows-wat satisfaction.'

[12:56 am 14th Aug]

I slide my ring into my pockets, move my mobiles to the left hand-side pockets and unfasten the seat belt, just in case. i try to watch every move he makes, the one that almost gave me a stroke was when he put his hands to the back of his collar to scratch probably. all i was wondering was, whether it would be a revolver or a knife.

To much of my relief it was just scratching, nothing else. still not much pleased with the guys antics i kinda start looking out of the window for options to save my soul. Thats when it striked me.

[1:00 am 14th Aug]

The car was in the center of the road and the lights were lit wrong. i gathered courage and looked back at the grumpy old guy and saw him blinking his eyes as if he had just woken up.

and then the realization dawned upon me.. the guy whom i was afraid of was nothing but drunk.

Hah wat a relief! 

No! Absolutely not... with my close observation i found that this guy had a strange behavior. He was driving slow when the streets were lit and the streetlights flashing light on him. but once he was in the dark he drove as if he was the next Schumacher. Once again i fastened my seatbelts, this time to save myself from his driving. after a few minutes drive we were back on the highway.

[1:15 am 14th Aug]

Once we reached the highway the guy went black and halted for a while. this time around i wasn't thinking of the guy harming me, but what my sis would do when i reached home. my sis has this bad reputation of shouting on me at the top of her voice irrelevant of the time of the day. Well for me, life isn't that weird, with all kinds of weirdo's at the workplace and some at home too... 

Time passed as he drove and i couldn't stop myself from laughing watching this guy go zig-zag on the highway blocking almost all of the traffic. The cars honking from behind could even wake up my Building watchman... (he is a cool character who leaves the gates open for me every day i come late, or is it???)

[1:20 am 14th Aug]

I'm almost there, approaching airoli with some humans in the vicinity. somehow i get this spunk and start guiding the driver who was certainly lost. He too was aware of the fact that i had noticed him being drunk and didn't want to make a fool of himself and drove properly following my instructions. 

[1:25 am 14th Aug]

i reach my destination and ask the driver to halt which he does abruptly almost throwing me out of my seat. i get down at ease and grab my wallet to pay him. He looks at me with his droopy eyes and i look back handing him the 10 bucks that i had. he stares at the note again for a while making me feel rather sheepish. But i turn my back and move on to avoid any more confrontations. 

After walking a considerable distance from the car i looked back only to find the car still standing at its place with the guys shadowy figure gazing at the Rs 10 note, as if i had handed him his wife's Divorce papers.

[1:28 am 14th Aug]

i smile and turn back and start walking towards my home, a 5 mins walk from there, and meanwhile thinking of how stupid the whole journey was. i reach home in no time and see the gates open (for me), and the watchman in his deep slumber. Making sure that i didn't wake him up, i start for my apartment (anyways i couldn't have woken him up, no one can).

I reach home and start calling my sis on her cell to open the door but, with no reply. I try to review the situation. i hear no voice from inside, no tv noise, nothing ! is this the silence before the great storm? 

No it isn't. I hear footsteps and a long yawn. a dark figure opens the door. and before i can say anything, a warning is announced, "Light mat dalna"

i take a sigh of relief as thats the only thing my sis said that night and went back to sleep. i somehow manage to get fresh, grab some food and change to nightwear all in the dark and then get hold of my laptop and jot down the whole incident. 

so here it goes. 3:06 am all done and ready to be published...

as for the people who read this and are completely bored, please spare me as this is just the beginning. "Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost"

And for those who are wondering what does the title has to do with the story...

well thats the name that i took 7 secs to think off and it adds to the overall curiosity and makes you read till the end. didn't it?

anyways hope to be back with more.

signing off 

- AK