the DESIRED drive

 

"Bachpan ke thang gali phir se khoode paande

   choti choti meeti chori ghaat le ke baandhe"

Hands over the steers, listening to the song, I was driving by the roads of Palakad-Kozhikode highway. The hot weather did not bother me. I accelerated as much as I could. As the road was empty, it triggered me to accelerate even more. 

Far away, an old man, speaking through phone leaning over his stand-by scooter caught my attention. He was the only mankind I saw in the last 30 mins. strange land.

As I approached him nearer and nearer, he was more clear. He was around 80 yrs, wearing a sweater over a Jippa with loose pants. Poor man all alone here, I thought myself. 

As I was about to cross him, he suddenly laid his hands, came, and stood in front of my car. My eyes popped out.

GRRRRRRRRRR.......HHHH!

 the screeching sound of the tires heard out as I braked. I looked at him. He took a bag from his scooter, tied in his shoulders, and talking through the phone -"Haan! Haan! what can I do? Did I drink the petrol? old vehicle sirrr!"What can I do? Your place no bunk! Not my fault!!" saying, he entered my car. While closing the door he said -" Haan! Haan! Sir!! No problem! Now my friend came. I'll come within half an hour, okay? say me the address... Haan! Haan!"

Suddenly he screamed- "I donno sir! ooo... Ok ok! wait! what?... What?.... Hello?? Helloo?? sir......?"

He took his phone off his ears and stared at the screen.

"Aaaah! no balance again !"

"Excuse me? " I popped in.

He turned to me -"yes sir!"

"Who are you? Why the hell you got in my car?" I asked ferociously.

"Aaaah! Sir! I have to get to a place near. I'm coming from very long. But you see sir, my vehicle no proper condition. All petrol gone. Not even a single-vehicle crossing me. I'm waiting more than half an hour sir! If I leave you, then no vehicle will come sir!"

"It's fine sir, but is this the way you ask lift?"

''Sorry, sir! Don't be angry, just nearby sir drop me and go no."

I looked at him.

"Okay! wear the seat belts!"

"Sir! Sir!, seat belt very tight sir. Having big belly sir me." he said.

I sighed,hit my head and started to drive.

"Aaah! sir, you have a phone?" he asked me.

I stared at him.

"I need to make a call sir."

"Before that, say me where I have to drop you."

"Donno sir" he replied calmly.

I braked. Turned to him. "Sir, do you think it's a joke? Where am I supposed to drop you? "

"Sir that only I donno! That's why I'm asking phone". I sighed out hard.

I passed him my phone. He dialed a number and spoke- "Hello! sir, I'm Gopal... Yes sir! yes sir! My phone got cut. Now say the address... Haan, yes yes. Crossed that and all sir. oh! oh! wait for a second"

He leaned towards me-"Sir you know Cheruvaranam? "

I nodded no angrily staring at the road.

"No sir, we don't know. Haan... What? hahahahahaha"

He cracked laughing. I turned to him.

"My phone is Nokia sir. Hahahaha..."

Aaaaghhh! That annoying laugh spitting out the pan. When would I get rid of him I thought. 

"one second.. one second.."

Again he turned to me-"Sir your phone has a map?"

I turned to him. stared him.

"Say me the place," I said.

" Cheruvaranam near Gold gate, Beetabhai Beef stall"

"Huh??"

"It's famous place aaan sir"

I typed so in my car.

"23 minutes away " the google lady spoke.

"Aah!! got it got! will be there in 15 minutes sir. The young sir driving very fast. I'll come soon" saying he cut the call and gave me the phone.

Some second of peace again he broke.

"Sir, Where are you going?"

"Some important place," I said.

He turned to the backseat and found a bag with a bottle of champagne.

He beamed-"Sirrr! What sir? party aaa? Hehehehehe" he laughed evil.

I hit my head with my hands.

"Boy's day sir?? Enjoy! enjoy! Even I had a friend. he is a drunken dog. He used to drink every time sir. " he laughed and looked at me.

"We call him Bevada only sir. hahaha. You know sir? Me, Bevada, and George we all were....."

"Near the beef stall, right or left? Ask him!" I broke his sentence midway.

"Map doesn't know that sir? What technology sir? ..We'll try on the phone sir?? Will it say??"

I stared at him with no reaction.

"Ok! Ok! I'll call him sir, Don't be angry!"

He took my phone. While he was dialing the number, a call came naming-

"PATTI!!"

I lent my hand to get the call, but he himself attended the call.

"Hello, Mr. Patti! Sir is driving...."

 I turned to him shockingly.

"Yes! Yes! driving. Will call you afterward.. Haan!" saying he cut the call.

I was still staring at him out of shock with my mouth open-

WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!

Then he dialed his men's number.-"Hello! sir! Near the stall, right or left? ..... Ok! ok! Yes, sir! yes, sir! will come soon!" He cut the call then and threw my phone in the dashboard. I looked at him.

2 seconds of peace and again he broke-

"Sir what is this triangle?" saying he turned on the parking light. 

I turned to him- "Sir! what are you doing? It's parking light! Can't you just be silent for a while? You don't have any...." while I was telling him, in the midway he screamed-"Sirrrrr!!"

I turned and saw a dog swiftly cross the road.

I screeched the brakes.

GRRRRRRRRR...HHHHH

"Pha CHETTE! PATTI!!" I cursed the dog.

I was at the top of my anger. I turned fastly to him.

He was staring at the dog with a confused face and asked me-"Is this the Patti which called you?"

And that's it I lost my temper.

"Just get away from my car. I can't handle anymore" saying I opened the door, took his bags, and gave it in his hands. 

"Sir-Sir! Don't be angry. I'll not touch anything hereafter, Trust me!"

"NO, please get off my car, or else I've to make you go out."

"Sir leaving in the middle of the road, who will pick me up, sir? please, sir only some distance, just drop me and go"

He is not going to listen, so I made him go out.

"Sir, No one is here sir, what will I do?" 

I just rolled my tires away.

The moment I chased him away, I got THE PEACE. After some 10 mins of driving into the forest, I got a call from an unknown number. I picked it up.

"Mishra sir?? Reached??"

"Huh??"

"Gopal sir there?" 

"Ahhhh, No! I just dropped him near the chillu lake. I have some work so...."

"Sir...What? Sir, How will he reach us?"

"I just don't know sir, it's your issue. I can't handle him anymore...."

"Sir! Sir! Please listen. Sir, we are in an emergency and we need him. He is a veterinary doctor. Our cow is not responding well and we are in fear we'll lose her. Sir please, we have no doctors around, please help us"

"He is a veterinarian?"

"Yes sir, yes!"

I sighed hard. "Okay, I'll get him back."

"Thank you, sir, thank you," he said and I cut the call.

I drove back to the place I dropped him and he was standing there with hands over his pot-belly. Seeing my car, he screamed happily-"sir!!!" and waved his hand towards me. I stopped the car and let him in. 

"I know sir, you'll come back. You are a nice man sir!"

"Listen. Don't touch anything. Please be silent, I'll drop you off and go, okay..........Sir?"

"Ok sir, thank you," he said and fastened his seat belts first and smiled at me.

Some 15 mins of travel and it took us to an old haunting broken school. I wondered who lived here that too with cow, and I saw the same reaction in Gopal's face.

"You sure here?" I asked.

"That only sir I'm wondering. It seems to be like a place I know" wondering he took his seat belts off and leaned forward and saw the broken arch of the old school.

"Wrong address?" I asked.

Suddenly we heard a voice-"Gopal sir!! Gopal sir!!! here!" waving his hands, a 30 yr old man approached the car. Gopal got out and went near him.

"Alphonse sir! Is this the place? This doesn't seem like a cattle place." Gopal said.

"Yes sir, right place only.......... there.." pointing to the arch, Alphonse said.

Gopal too walked towards the arch and suddenly 2 old men walked out of the arch smiling at Gopal. Gopal went near them and asked-"Where is the cow" looking at one man. 

He did not get any response, he turned to the other man and asked-"Cow?? Cow?? ..... Where??"

He too did not reply.

One of the old men leaned towards the other and said-"Still dutiful na?"

Gopal wore the same confused face he wore while looking at the dog and asked them- "Huh??" Hello ? where is the cow, sir??"

One of the old men took a photograph out of his pocket and gave it to Gopal.

Gopal looked at the photograph and his hands started to tremble. He looked up the photo with whole astonishment. His mouth was wide open.

"H...aa..r..eeeee!!!" he choked and again went to the picture. A tear ran from one of his eyes. He smiled this time with his trembling cheeks.

"G.gg..gg.eorgee oii...  George... " he said with tears clouding his wrinkles and one of the old men rushed and hugged Gopal hard.

"Haree... George!!   Hare yaar!!!" saying Gopal got back from George's shoulders and saw the other old man, with a teary smile he said-"Bevadaa Kuththaa!!" The other old man couldn't resist him. He came and hugged him."Hoo! Hoo! Yaar!!" Gopal still screamed emotionally. All 3 hugged with flooding tears. 

I got off the car and went near Alphonse who stared at the 3 with a smile and watery eyes. 

He saw me and rubbed his eyes-" Sorry! for saying emergency and all! It was just..."

"No No... I get it" raising my hand I said.

Alphonse smiled.

We both stared at the 3 old bald grannies who emotionally hugged each other.

"63 years" - suddenly Alphonse spoke.

I turned to him.

"It's been 63 years since they've met. Childhood friends sir"

He turned to me -"Thanks for helping them meet again". 

I smiled.

Suddenly tears were filled with touches of laughter over the 3 old men.

"You're still the same Patti yaara! We still pull your tails even at 80" saying George laughed.

By hearing Patti, Gopal remembered someone and he turned to me. He had a face of apology like- "Sorry, Even I don't know they lied ....."

I just raised my hand with a smile stating - "No problem!"

 Gopal again went back to his old friends saying to him about the lift and things that happened in the car.

Suddenly I got a call popping- 

"PATTI!!"

I picked the call.

"Hare! Even after 10 years, You are still not punctual.. Mishra is on his way, everything is as planned, come soon or else everything gets ruined "

"Coming..." and as I was about to cut my call, he screamed

"Hey! hey! Got my champagne?".

I smiled. "Got it daa Bevadaa!"

"Huh?? hey come fast!" and he cut the call.

I heard a voice from the 3 men

"Sir!!!!!"

 I turned up 

"Thanks for the lift sir!!….. By the way, what's your name?"

I smiled at them.

"George!" I said.

Yours unitedly,

Mr. nothing