The Silent Rider

“Thinking of you, makes me smile”

A small greeting card with this quote was on my Ice cream and my fiancée was looking straight at my eyes to see how am going to react. An evening like this with your girl is what any guy will like to have. On seeing the quote I was so excited and felt lucky to have a partner like her. I took the card with no words to say, I just nodded at her as a note of thanks and kept the card in my hand. We started to discuss about our interests, parents and things were going really well. As time passed, I again had a chance to glance the card, and this time I felt that it conveyed a different message. I wondered whether she knows what really happened that day. Instantly things that happened just before our meet started to flash in my mind.

Before:

We planned to meet at her office food court by evening and so from the moment I started my work that day, I had my mind set to keep myself free by 4 PM and so rushed through all my tasks. I dint bring my bike that day and so I thought of taking my team mate’s bike. Around 3.30, I happily got the bike key from my friend and was a bit excited to know that I am going to ride a Pulsar (bike). I identified the bike in our office parking lot. As I wished it was a black pulsar. I gazed the machine for a minute and made sure to put my sun glass to add some appeal. The electrical starting was not working and so I have to kick start the machine. It was a slight disappointment but it dint budge much. The digital meter showed the fuel to 2 units which I felt to be more that sufficient for my journey and so vroom I came out of my office.

It’s a straight road with marsh land on both the sides. The road was neat with not much of traffic and so I raised the throttle to reach there on time. Within minutes the bike started to choke, I checked the fuel valve and everything seems to set correctly. The machine cannot hold any longer when I raised the acceleration and tt stopped abruptly. I brought the bike to the side of the road and without wasting much time, I wobbled the bike opening the fuel tank and all I can hear is some howling sound of air. I wondered how the fuel indicator is still showing 2 units of petrol, cursing the digital meter I got off from the bike. I looked on both the sides of the road without having any idea. I can’t think of anything else but to push the bike as it is a long way to reach the nearest petrol station. With much disappointment I took my sunglass, kept it in my pocket and made my mind to push the bike all the way. When I was about to push, one bike rider seeing my stance came forward to help me. I thought he will offer some petrol, but he said that he will tow the bike. I wondered how he can do that but I said “Yes” without having any clue of what he is going to do. He kept one of his legs in my bike foot rest and started to push it. When our bikes moved I was just cautious not to hurt his leg and kept my handle straight. The bike moved slowly and he offered to take me until the next petrol station, I thanked him so much for his kind heart and felt happy to see people like this in Chennai. It was really strange to ride on such a bike with much of silence; I smiled to myself and saw her office at a distance. As her office approached my mind was in a dilemma whether to go for the station or to meet her. The petrol station is again 2 km from her office. I don’t want her to wait until then and so I asked my rescuer to just leave me before her office. I parked my bike on the side of the road and rushed towards her office.

I dint get time to get the Visitor pass however the guards at the entrance allowed me inside even though I was wearing a different identity card but the real trick is how to reach the food court passing the security gate. I called my Fiancée to inform her well in advance that I may not be allowed inside food court. Just to try my luck I moved to the security guard and asked to open the door and to my surprise the guard did allow me to pass. When I rushed to the first floor and I can see my fiancée is already looking at me from the window. I am sure she saw the drama that I did before the security guard and thought am bold but only luck has played its part here. I waved at her and moved towards her. After this entire struggle I felt really refreshing to see her face. I asked myself to forget all those happened and keep my mind focussed. We moved to an ice cream parlour. When I asked her want she likes to have, she immediately said “Black current”, I wondered how girls keep their answers ready because when she asked the same question, all I can do is turn around and look at the menu. I chose something that started with Italian and we moved to a table.

After:

I spend nearly an hour with her, but still I can’t remember what we actually talked about. I thought of telling her about the bike ride but I felt it won’t fall into her subject of interest and so I left it (We softies call it as Data Abstraction) . When its time, we came out of the building and slowly walked together towards the gate. That’s when I felt that am actually walking with my life companion, I saw her for a second and smiled myself and kept walking. I remember she said something about my height but I was in a dream and so nothing went inside my head but the next question was like a thunder bolt that took me deep down to the earth. “Where did you park your Bike?”.

My happiness faded when I saw my bike from a distance. I just showed her my bike and to cover up all this, I did something that a guy never wants to do in his life time.I asked her to take an Auto rickshaw and go home safely. I never known whether she expected me to give her lift to the nearest bus stop, but I don’t want to plant any of such idea in her mind which has something to do with my dead bike. So I accompanied her till the rickshaw stand, stopped her from bargaining the fare, waited until she boards and asked her to text once she reaches home. When the rickshaw moved, I felt really happy that I managed everything well. I have nothing to worry about as I did everything what I planned to do that day, now I was ready to take anything that comes after that. When I turned towards the bike a plan struck immediately. The plan was to take a Rickshaw, get some petrol, come back, refill and leave. I moved toward the bike to park it somewhere near the Rickshaw stand, I sat down, switched it on. The digital meter again showed the fuel as 2 units. I smiled and gave a kick. Guess what, the bike started. I was stunned and dint think of any, I just raised a throttle, made a U turn and roared towards my office. But soon the bike stopped roaring and started crying for petrol. When I reached the marsh land, the bike stopped again!

Only when the bike stopped, I thought why I drove the bike this far? What happened to the plan of taking the rickshaw? Now I have lost that option too. I scolded myself and got down. I started to push the bike on the lonely road. I dint think that as a burden now, I felt satisfied and slowly started to enjoy the push. After five minutes, another biker came and stopped near me. I dint ask anything but he said I will tow it. I said “Tow!!! Okayeee”. I said there is a Shell Petrol station near my office and asked him to leave me there. He started to push my bike and when we slowly moved. I wasn’t looking at the road; I started to enjoy that silent ride. I smiled myself and looked at the skies. I don’t know what is happening to me, in midst of all the trouble I seem to get some help one way or another to do what I planned to do.

The biker pushed me up to the petrol station and left even before I can thank him. The bike was still moving and so I guided the bike inside the station. Seeiing my presence, a service man got ready to tell his usual dialogue, “Good evening Sir, Pleas get down from the Bike to refuel”, but my bike stopped long before I can reach his pump. I got down and looked at him. We shared a smile and pushed my bike to his pump. I filled the fuel and service man asked me to check the Engine oil, I said “I’m not going to take this bike again!” I thanked him and started my bike. On my ride back to office I was totally obsessed with the things that happened to me, I felt that everything went well that day and hope I will have the same support in future.

Now "Thinking of myself, makes me smile" :)