SHIT!!

As I had messed up my way to besi beach, I had been revolving around the coast up to marina and secretariat. I always had such problems and recently it was getting worse. I kept forgetting people’s face, those I’ve met once or twice or their names. Worst of all I forget the routes in and out of the city. As I finally found the route and was heading for my destination I was receiving all sorts of pleasant praises from pillion my friend, until we reached the beach. “E.G you are the worst driver I have ever met. How could you forget this route? You are the worst driver!! ”.

As his chants continued, and we neared the beach, a traffic police stood near the junction in which we had to turn and he stood in my way forcing me to stop. “Now what”, I wondered. “Take off your helmet and stand over here”, came the order. What!! What does it mean? Am I going to be sued for something? Or doesn’t he have money for the night? Damn it. Whatever it was I had the feeling that it wasn’t good. He had some sort of white colored remote control with a pipe sticking out of it and there was a photographer waiting to take a picture. I was confused to the extent. “Take it in your mouth and blow.” he told me pleasantly. And a green signal kept glowing on it. As I wondered what that light was supposed to mean there was a flash. I wanted to shout at him to stop. Alas!! He had taken it. The police asked me to leave. Was this some kind of elephant and a mouse story? Who cares! Am gonna leave. But as usual curiosity killed venki and he asked,” Sir, what was that for?” “Are you drunk?” “No sir.” “Then go.” Ahaaaa! So that’s what it was all about!

With comments that I am a ‘drunkard’ from my friend we entered into what was once the connecting road between the two beaches but now completely submerged in huts, garbage and ditch. Of course we had to get through the thorns to smell roses and pluck them. So as we passed through the thorns, we were confused to see that the thorns were trimmed by the Government. Yes, the route to the remains of the bridge was changed. The shrubs were cut and the route was actually passable. I thought that we had entered into some kind of an endless loop of black road with beach and walls on both sides. I feared that we had to stay in the loop for ages and ages until the black shadows engulfed us into its own self. This was the effect of a horror movie we had seen the night before.

My fears came to an end as the bridge came into view. Still something was wrong. Even the position of the broken bridge seemed to have changed somehow and every one of us were able to sense it. “Hey something is wrong here.” Sridharan said to everyone present. S.. too shouted the same as I made the grumpy noise from the movie we had seen. That was enough for every one of us. We got into our bikes and headed straight for S..’s home. As S.. ate his dinner and was getting prepared for the usual ‘night stay’ Sridharan was entertaining us with the bike of S….. He did wheeling, stoppies and stunts for which I have no names, S…’s mom wondered why he was doing such things.

Suddenly, Sridharan declared. I and S…. are leaving first. You people follow us. He didn’t even wait for our reply. He took S…’s bike and flew off. A note I would include here is that Sridharan is the most proficient and best bike rider in our gang. His control over bike is too good and the pillion would usually sit with confidence because ‘he’ was riding. Later, S... and S…. too went off separately as they had plans to secure the second part of the movie. I and K… started for home in our bikes when suddenly he said,” hey you proceed; I forgot my bag in his place. I’ll get it and come.” This seemed too odd. Wherever we went, we go together and today everyone was flying separately. Well, whatever it was I was too hungry and I wanted to get home as soon as possible.I didn’t even had the idea of stopping at an accident near the velachery road. As I was standing exactly on the right side of the road (accident took place on the left side), someone adjacent to me said,” Probably that would have been a goner.” I shuddered at the thought of how it would be if it was someone I knew. Hunger came again and I went straight home.

I had no thoughts of going for a night stay that night. I was too tired for that. My eyelids and my eyes kept fighting all the time I was eating. As I had just finished my dinner, my phone alarm began. Thinking that S.. always hated this noise I took it and to my surprise he had called me. My surprise was mainly because he had called from his cell. He almost never did that. Great! As I said ’hello’, he started shouting at me. It was all nothing but non-stop nonsense. All I could make sense was only one thing. Sridharan had an accident near velachery and was enroute to vijaya hospital. SHIT!!