perils
The car is moving fast on the highway and Ishika is enjoying the air rushing through her hair. She looks at Dev, innocently sleeping Dev. His snoring is loud enough to interrupt the music, but she loves it. It has its own melody. She plays with hairs. His head on her lap and body squeezed to fit in the back seat. He looks like a baby. She utters to herself,’ who could tell this is the same man who put down 25 men in a row.’
She looks out of the window. Her mouth still has a taste of tea which gives her the essence of being in Himachal Pradesh. It felt like home, the tea breaks remind her of her childhood. Traveling was fun those days because those days were innocent. We didn’t demand anything more than a plate of pakora. ‘Those days were nice’, she says in her mind.
Absolutely lost in her past, Ishika doesn't hear her phone ringing. Dev wakes up and shakes her. She comes out of her past and answers the call. It is her mom.
She utters in pretty joyful fashion, “hello, hello my child. how are you doing?”.
“Pretty well mom”, Ishika replies happily.
“Do you want any assistance? We can pick you up from Kangra”, She asked concernedly,” just saying because you are coming after years”.
“No problem mom”, Ishika assures.
“You are sure that you want to marry in your maternal grandmother’s home”, she utters,” I mean you both will not be accustomed to villages”.
“Mom, don’t worry. We have left the life of the U.S.A. and we want everything to be as traditional as possible. We want the wedding to be close to the hills. we want now to stay as close to nature as possible”, Ishika utters determinately.
“Ok then we will be ready”, she utters,” I respect your decision. I always wanted you to be back”.
Ishika thanks,” thankyou mum”.
“Welcome my child. Come soon we are waiting,” She replies,” ok have to go I guess your grandmother is calling me out”.
It was a nice feeling coming home. The picturesque land spoke about many childhood adventures, many fragrances; especially one, of the earth beneath her feet. Those mud walls of grandmother's home that could even beat the hair heating and cooling system of the modern age. Those trees of litchi fruit which gave the view of the whole village were the towers of conquest. Climbing trees was fun and more fun was tasting litchis. The 8000-yard-wide orchard with various other fruit, it was fun for taste buds to explore spectrum taste. She drifts back to memory of her grandmother’s house.
While she is in her memory, Dev has slept again, both of them barely have a track of where they are. The car goes on and on heading close to the destination every minute. They have been lucky but in Kangra, there are a lot of traffic problems.
A Toyota Itos is stuck badly in traffic. The rush of traffic has occurred due to the increase of sedans on the road. The family sitting in the car is getting a little frustrated due to a kid, Adiraj. He is shouting and screaming in the car,” when we will reach the grandmother's home. Dad Yogi is getting angrier and angrier with the increase in the traffic and mom Neeta is busy fixing her makeup.
Yogi vents his anger and utters, “the whole city has come to visit the countryside, they speak low of these people and people come here to enjoy amidst the same people. Pretty fake standard”.
“Easy…. Easy, don’t shout”, utters Neeta,” they will move”.
The moves and then halts. Some Novice driving on the road has stuck in between the road. Icing on the cake some over-smart people have stuck the car near him, now it is impossible to move the traffic. Some people are now doing more over-smartness, they are trying to turn their cars back.
Neeta now takes out the lipstick and applies it on her lips. Looking again and again from a different angle. She looks at her husband and utters,” is my white saree matching with peach lipstick”, but no reply comes from the other side. The silence he gives, pinches her. She feels a little bad, she can’t fix his irritation.
The traffic on the road becomes more complex and unmanageable. Someone has to take the charge and put everything back to order. Traffic police come to action, when a car collides with another car. It is the same car which has blocked the road from the middle. It was high time because it is for trucks to pass through the routes and it will make the traffic slower if the jam is not eradicated.
Yogi gets angry. He comes out of the car and shouts at police. Police respond,” if you think that you have done better then go for it to solve the problem”.
He accepts the challenge and utters,” ok, I will “.
He gets in the middle of the traffic. He first orders every car to move 1 foot back.
Then he orders the car driver who crashed into another car, he utters,” turn your car back and take a curve to the
left”, simultaneously he commands,” the car behind move back 5 inches and each car keep 5 inch distance. The driver does as instructed and all cars are parked straight except one. The car of a novice who had blocked the road, in the first place. He commanded,” come out boy”.
The novice utters,” I won’t. you are scary”.
“I will be more if you don't go out”, he said in an evil tone.
Novice comes out utters,” please take of Diana”
“Diana who?”, he utters.
“My car…Diana”, novice utters.
“You call your Honda city, Diana”, he laughs,” ha! ha! ha!, what’s your name boy”.
“My name is Utsav Kashyap”, Novice utters,” I am from Palampur”.
“Nice place”, he utters,” lets park your car”.
He drives. He takes a back gear first, then front gear, then a right cut, then, final turn and the car is parked straight. Now traffic can move.
Neeta is amazed by his skills. She is shocked to see what just happened. She utters,” how do you do that”.
Easy… those novices from the city can’t keep with curves what I can do”, he utters and starts the car. Cars run on the road. Adiraj exclaims,” hurrah!”.
Neeta is still shocked at what she learned about the village and countryside people. She never knew a city driver is a poor driver and a countryside driver can drive anywhere. It was like some enlightenment which she was trying to deny but actually.
Neeta becomes silent and goes into dilemma for the remaining journey.
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