The night that fell around her was as dark as her thoughts. The occasional passing by of headlights sent a shiver down her spine with emotions ranging from panic to relief, jostling for space in her heart and brain. Finally she spotted a garage a little off the road.
There were eerie voices coming from the jungle on either side of the road. Or maybe she was imagining it. Resolutely ignoring the erratic thumping of her nerves she set towards that poor imitation of a garage. It was basically a rag pulled over three bamboo sticks and tires and tools all around. The light that fell on those truck tires all around somehow made her realize the smallness of her frame. The small yellow light glowing inside was laced with smoke of ‘bedi’ and cheap cigarettes. Her smelling senses were sent for a toss with sweat and liquor mixing with piss and grease. Her eyes stung remembering the ‘evening in Paris’, a gift from her father which was on the dressing table at the inn.
A sudden flash of arms and teeth brought her back. The panic which was jumping up and down in her body, quietly settled in her stomach making her feet and arms immobile. With wild eyes she looked at the mane of long dark hair on a high forehead and kohl rimmed eyes. “Are you ok Madame?” he asked, “Is your car broken”? Somehow she managed to mumble, “Down the road”. “Well there is a mechanic here, Raj will send him”. He said something to a relatively small person in the local language, which she took to be instructions towards her car. “Where do you want to go? You are not from here”.
“I am a tourist. I live in a nearby hotel,” she replied a little haltingly. “Come I am going that way. I will leave you in my truck” he said and gestured towards a giant black figure. The sheer mass and meanness of the vehicle seemed to make it much darker than the night surrounding it. The exhaust pipe seemed to be going directly into her heart and creating a holocaust of emotions inside it. Not sure if or not she should tell this stranger about where she lives, she stood rooted to the ground wondering how in the name of god she can politely but firmly reject him. “Don’t worry Madameji nothing will happen.
here are two kids in the back of the truck. You can sit with them” he said and smiled. The genuine smile wrapped with those words spoken seemed so true to her that her fears if not evaporate did subside a little. She went back and indeed there were two small boys there. She sat with them and the truck started with a roar. Those kids sat in a corner staring outside in the night with a comfortable but firm silence pushing everyone in their own worlds. She followed their gazes and stared at random things. Tress, small shops, headlights, stars, legs, moon, road. After a while the truck stopped and she realized that she has reached her hotel. While she was about to get down her eyes fell on s few markings on the legs of those kids. They were moving a little on the side and she realized with light falling on their right side from the lamplight outside, that there was frozen blood on their hind side. That blood was all she could think of while she stood on the curb of her inn and saw the truck dirver leave after passing a broad smile..
There were eerie voices coming from the jungle on either side of the road. Or maybe she was imagining it. Resolutely ignoring the erratic thumping of her nerves she set towards that poor imitation of a garage. It was basically a rag pulled over three bamboo sticks and tires and tools all around. The light that fell on those truck tires all around somehow made her realize the smallness of her frame. The small yellow light glowing inside was laced with smoke of ‘bedi’ and cheap cigarettes. Her smelling senses were sent for a toss with sweat and liquor mixing with piss and grease. Her eyes stung remembering the ‘evening in Paris’, a gift from her father which was on the dressing table at the inn.
A sudden flash of arms and teeth brought her back. The panic which was jumping up and down in her body, quietly settled in her stomach making her feet and arms immobile. With wild eyes she looked at the mane of long dark hair on a high forehead and kohl rimmed eyes. “Are you ok Madame?” he asked, “Is your car broken”? Somehow she managed to mumble, “Down the road”. “Well there is a mechanic here, Raj will send him”. He said something to a relatively small person in the local language, which she took to be instructions towards her car. “Where do you want to go? You are not from here”.
“I am a tourist. I live in a nearby hotel,” she replied a little haltingly. “Come I am going that way. I will leave you in my truck” he said and gestured towards a giant black figure. The sheer mass and meanness of the vehicle seemed to make it much darker than the night surrounding it. The exhaust pipe seemed to be going directly into her heart and creating a holocaust of emotions inside it. Not sure if or not she should tell this stranger about where she lives, she stood rooted to the ground wondering how in the name of god she can politely but firmly reject him. “Don’t worry Madameji nothing will happen.
here are two kids in the back of the truck. You can sit with them” he said and smiled. The genuine smile wrapped with those words spoken seemed so true to her that her fears if not evaporate did subside a little. She went back and indeed there were two small boys there. She sat with them and the truck started with a roar. Those kids sat in a corner staring outside in the night with a comfortable but firm silence pushing everyone in their own worlds. She followed their gazes and stared at random things. Tress, small shops, headlights, stars, legs, moon, road. After a while the truck stopped and she realized that she has reached her hotel. While she was about to get down her eyes fell on s few markings on the legs of those kids. They were moving a little on the side and she realized with light falling on their right side from the lamplight outside, that there was frozen blood on their hind side. That blood was all she could think of while she stood on the curb of her inn and saw the truck dirver leave after passing a broad smile..
