FIRST RIDE
"I still remember pleading his mom to serve more of her specially made 'Bhiriyani'. She teased me for making a puppy-face, after I have had three rounds already. She then patted on my back, saying, it will be served next, only if I return home for dinner with her son. I agreed and promised to return for dinner.
It was my new bike and I wanted to test its speed and do a little show-off, with my friend on the pillion seat sharing the pride. He was not just friend. He was my best friend. So why not! I revved the engine to life, and my bike roared in it's young voice. I could feel the power in my hands. Within a few seconds the wind whizzed in toe with the throttle. I was riding quite audaciously and I still remember him, asking me to slow down as he was scared. But, the little maturity I had in me, was completely overridden by my excitement. It was a wonderful and joyous moment that I enjoyed, until that moment came.
It was my new bike and I wanted to test its speed and do a little show-off, with my friend on the pillion seat sharing the pride. He was not just friend. He was my best friend. So why not! I revved the engine to life, and my bike roared in it's young voice. I could feel the power in my hands. Within a few seconds the wind whizzed in toe with the throttle. I was riding quite audaciously and I still remember him, asking me to slow down as he was scared. But, the little maturity I had in me, was completely overridden by my excitement. It was a wonderful and joyous moment that I enjoyed, until that moment came.
Amidst all the excitement gushing through my veins, one small boy, out of the blue, jumped into the middle of the road, which suddenly pumped my heart beat to an all time high. Red-Alert! It developed in my brain, an urgency to avoid a hit, which automatically prompted me to try to brake the bike to a sudden halt. The bike ended up skidding, and I felt my hands giving up on its fight, to maintain its control over the handle. My control went to its precarious best, and things went out of my hands, to the hands of fate. I felt the mixed effect of friction and pain on my right knee, as I skidded on the road. And then, I was pushed off the road by some force.
And I guess it was him; the creator of that force - my best friend.
And I guess it was him; the creator of that force - my best friend.
Dirt and muck started hugged me while I was rolled in an uncontrolled manner. Leaves brushed past my face, with its stems scratching wherever it can on my body. After a split second, even before my eyes registered the events to my brain properly, I saw it happen. Something that would flash across my mind for the rest of my life, perhaps.
A torrent of blood was dripping from my eyebrows. I could hardly make out the figure of a bike and a man being crushed up by the big paws of a giant lorry. The rest, all disfigured and crushed. The traffic was blocked. I tried to get up. My blood-stained body was only half accepting to get up though. People came running from all sides. Like watching a tennis match being played, they kept on switching their gaping at me and the other spot, which was in fact the scraps of what was traveling with me, in the same velocity as a single object, according to the laws of physics. The people around were flummoxed. They tried to help me. But I denied help. I managed to limp my way towards the lorry, the accident spot. Hue of the evening light, raucous sounds of horns, the blood bath, and the commotion around, triggered my heart beat to an electrified speed. Limping across the unconcerned faces, or rather spectators, all I could see was a glimpse of my new bike being crushed up like a cola can, and a hand trapped beneath the front tire of the lorry. What followed it, and from what was left of the body under it, only the dresses helped me to discern who it was. Upon inspecting the scene further, I could see that the bike was covered with blood spots, with shirt pieces torn and the organs of my best friend splattered in every direction around it. Why, I don’t know, but between the giddiness my head carried, tears sprung into life. It was then that I realized that my ‘best friend’ was no more. The message came from within my soul reached me the very next moment. I realized..
'What Have I done?'
A torrent of blood was dripping from my eyebrows. I could hardly make out the figure of a bike and a man being crushed up by the big paws of a giant lorry. The rest, all disfigured and crushed. The traffic was blocked. I tried to get up. My blood-stained body was only half accepting to get up though. People came running from all sides. Like watching a tennis match being played, they kept on switching their gaping at me and the other spot, which was in fact the scraps of what was traveling with me, in the same velocity as a single object, according to the laws of physics. The people around were flummoxed. They tried to help me. But I denied help. I managed to limp my way towards the lorry, the accident spot. Hue of the evening light, raucous sounds of horns, the blood bath, and the commotion around, triggered my heart beat to an electrified speed. Limping across the unconcerned faces, or rather spectators, all I could see was a glimpse of my new bike being crushed up like a cola can, and a hand trapped beneath the front tire of the lorry. What followed it, and from what was left of the body under it, only the dresses helped me to discern who it was. Upon inspecting the scene further, I could see that the bike was covered with blood spots, with shirt pieces torn and the organs of my best friend splattered in every direction around it. Why, I don’t know, but between the giddiness my head carried, tears sprung into life. It was then that I realized that my ‘best friend’ was no more. The message came from within my soul reached me the very next moment. I realized..
'What Have I done?'
Beside me stood a small boy, confused. He was wondering perhaps, whether to thank or console me. I couldn't recognize him, but I guessed it was for this boy, that I lost my best friend.
It was certainly driver’s justice, but selfishness and carelessness which paid a hefty price.
The next thing that ran through my mind: 'How will I face a mother who awaits her son and his best friend for dinner?'"
