6.13 AM, 5th September, Saturday.
The car started moving back, none was in the car except me laying in the back seat hanging in the sleepy yellow line state between dream and reality. Comprehending that the car was moving back in a mysterious way, as I tried to sit-up in a sleepy rushed moment, I ended falling in the legroom between the seats. In spite of the stink, of probably a week long unwashed socks left around there, was poking my nose the dizziness of a sleep deprived night and a considerable hit I got in my head on falling, left me tired enough is rest there itself, forgetting the situation around.
2.30 PM, 4th September, Friday.(previous day afternoon)
After a heavy meal, I was about to catch my post-lunch office nap in my seat, by then my teammate came around and told “the cab will come by 10’o clock to pick us. Is that fine for you?”. Of which I’m not sure how much went into my mind as the sleep invaded it’s consciousness. Just then suddenly realizing that I slept for a moment, to make up and to make a fake proof of my steadiness, I started shaking my legs (amplitude bit above the normal) and drumming my fingers in the keyboard I told “fine with the cab, but when will the cab driver come”. Oops, that try to act extra smart made me the pray for my team’s laughter that whole afternoon.
11 PM, 4th September, Friday.(previous day night)
Would anyone curse “the road that is smooth and well laid“ on a night long ride? Ironically I did. At least the jerks that a bumpy road would bring in would have kept the driver awake.
With two of my teammates sleeping in the back seat, I was sitting in the front seat companying the driver in his night drive. Once we reached the highway past the city, just to strike a casual converse I asked the driver “when will we reach Chennai?”, while my eyes were gracing on the hoardings along the road. As I didn’t heard back from him on that, when I turned to him, he suddenly started shaking his legs (amplitude bit above the normal) and drumming his fingers on the steering wheels and said “I go to Chennai often”. Oops, that is when a fatal fear clutched my mind. The driver was in 2 day long trip prior, without a moment to close his eye lids, and he is still going.
1 AM, 5th September, Saturday.((previous day mid-night)
Even when I tried flirting with a strange girl, I’d had never been that much creative in keeping the conversion alive and interesting for such a long time. I managed to make the driver feel
Angry (about his uncle who supposedly cheated his father)
Proud (that he had work hard above his uncle)
Happy(that his parents are proud of their son)
And romantic (about his uncle’s daughter)
With those I managed to keep him awake. Who else would not keep the gun trigger from being pulled, sitting in its barrels end.
4 AM, 5th September, Saturday.(today early morning)
When we were about to get done with his story of unsuccessful school days, the fate fired its second weapon. It was not just the tire that got punctured but also my mild confidence that we will make the trip. Parking the car next to a lorry along the side lane, I was left to solve puzzle of “how to continue the journey when the spare tire is also punctured one”. When I woke my teammate to replace my in assisting the driver, drowsily he asked, “Where have we reached?”, for which I didn’t had a better answer other than “the Hell”
5 AM, 5th September, Saturday.(today early morning)
I took the car’s back seat, my bag pillowing me, after few moments of staring the lorry standing next which was filling all my vision’s range from my laying posture, the sleep took me. While rest of the people were figuring a way to get the tires back into action.
6.12 AM, 5th September, Saturday. ( a minute before the opening paragraph)
Roar of a starting engine, took my sleeping senses. When I opened my eyes, the scene on my vision changed from, bonnet of the lorry to front wheels and driver cabin, then to trailer body, then to the lorry rear wheel and at last no lorry but it was the trees on the road side, which my sleepless tired mind comprehended as the car moving back. As you might have guessed, actually it was the lorry that started and moved.
7.30 AM, 5th September, Saturday.(now)
The flicks of the camera flashes and laughter of my team-mates woke me up, and I realized I was in between the seats.
Though this was a miserable incident, at last we had a reason to remember the trip in the cherished memories.
Cheers J
Deepak
catch my thoughts @
attempt of exaggerated depiction of a real life happening. Really unsure of how it is. Sitting with my fingers crossed to hear from you on this.