The sun was
nearly gone. So were the last of his passengers. That was what he thought. Driving
the cab at snail-pace through city’s traffic consumed him. Totally. But his
wife and four little kids depended on his toil. And his life depended on them.
He drove his cab
idly. Homebound, he was in no rush either. Just as he reached the sacred banks
of Yamuna, he slowed down his car to say his prayers and take in the evening.
It is then that
he noticed her. Kangana hair. And a mild jacket to suit the slight chill in the
evening. She tried hailing an auto or two but they sped by. Not their fault. This
was not a track where they expected to pick up passengers.
He brought his
cab to a halt before her.
“Preet vihar?” the velvet voice asked.
Wow! That was on
his way. He nodded (inside he was bursting with happiness at the prospect of making
extra bucks. A lucky 170/- Perhaps he could take home some ice-cream for the
kids. They had been nagging him for long now) as he turned on the meter and the
FM. Old hindi songs provided the background score to his drive.
The twilight was
now aglow with street lights and headlights. He carefully maneuvered the cab
through shortcuts to avoid being stashed in a traffic jam at this hour. Then as
they neared the destination, she guided him through the lanes, now nearly
vacant. She directed him to stop near a seemingly upscale residential society. And
then sat there toying with the zipper on her jacket. Clearly, she was in no
rush to get off the cab.
“All your cash and all your money, now” the velvet voice commanded
“What!”
“All your cash and all your money, now” she
spelled out the words slowly and singularly.
“Madam ji, your
destination has arrived, 170 bucks please” stern but cautious.
In the silence,
he heard the zipper moving.
“Now you don’t want me to go beyond this, do
you” her eyes shot the question.
He got down,
opened the door of the passenger seat and demanded his money again.
In the dead
silence, he heard the zipper move again.
“You know they won’t believe a word you say
when they see me in shreds and tatters”.
And for a minute
he did imagine it. Her clothes rumpled and ruffled. Disheveled as she would be,
her shouting for help would bring the people out of their posh apartments. Her every
word would be believed. Taken to be true. Who would care for his version? A
taxi driver ferrying a single lady across the town on lonely dark lanes. He imagined
himself behind the bars. The media flocking to his home to cover the story. His
family would be disgraced and his kids –
He shuddered. With
fear. With panic.
“ Wh .. what…
what do you want” he managed finally.
“ All your cash and all your money” the
velvet voice unfazed
“ It is not much, really”.
The zipper was undone.
“Please lemme go”
he felt her shrugging off the jacket from her shoulders.
“Here you .. you
can have it all, every single coin from my pocket” he counted out his day’s
earnings. In her perfectly manicured hands.
Every single
penny. The price of his sweat and blood. All in her groomed hands.
She got off the cab.
The jacket thrown casually on her arm.
As she darted across
the society gate, she looked back at him.
The wink in her
eyes boiled his blood.
He started the
cab. A man was rushing out of another gate, frantically hailing him but he sped
past. Ignoring everything and everyone.
Courtesy: Picture it and write |
Linking with Picture it and Write : Ermilia
Oh no. She sounds like a terrible person. I like how he just kept driving at the end. Thanks for sharing your story, Ruby!
ReplyDelete- Ermisenda
This was inspired from a cab driver's real experience.
DeleteThank you for your visit. I really look forward to hear from you
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