How Far : A story

It was well past midnight when I left Rahul's home. The street lights lit up the road just like a candle in a large room. I looked down at the fuel gauge on the display. Motorbike seemed to be at half tank fuel. That should be sufficient. More than.

I made the corner and accelerated onto the national highway but had to be careful of the potholes on the road. It was just the other day that I had seen this news about the death of a college student who had accidentally fallen off the bike when it had hit a pothole and unfortunately got run over by a truck that was immediately behind.

Photo by Alessio Lin on Unsplash

I was beginning to feel hungry. Now that could be a problem. I doubt if I would be able to find any food outlets open this late and I quite clearly recalled having nothing in the fridge. Damn! I should have had the chicken biryani when Rahul offered it to me instead of acting smart.

It was then, far in the distance, I could see a girl standing next to her Scooter, which seemed to have broken down, and waving her hands asking for a ride. I slowed down and stopped next to her.

I was drunk. Like heavily. But how much ever my blood may have been diluted by the alcohol, I still hand the sense to absorb the fact that she looked very pretty. Wearing a pink Nike jacket with which her brown curly hair was playing with, she looked super cute. I couldn't believe that I was talking to such a cute girl.

"Hi, Sorry but my bike seemed to have broken down. It just want start anymore." She said.

"Let me try." Boomed the Knight in armor, me.

I stopped my bike ahead and went to her scooter but try as I might it wouldn't start.

"I figure that the battery is dead. Where do you stay?" I asked.

"Close to MG Road"

"That's great then. I will be passing by MG road, I could drop you off for now and tomorrow you could have it picked up by a mechanic."

"Oh, you are so sweet. That would be so great."

I blushed turning the color of her jacket.

We parked her scooter to the side and she sat behind me on the bike and we continued.

"How Far from MG Road is your house" I quipped.

"Once you reach the signal, I will guide you from there"

Maybe it was the alcohol in me that gave me courage but I went into a chatterbox mode for the next ten minutes. She suddenly interrupted me to say:

"Move to the middle of the road please, there is a dangerous pothole ahead"

"Yes, I have heard. Someone died falling into the other day, did you know?"

"I know." She mumbled.

I continued talking non-stop telling tales from my college days and childhood. I guess I just wanted to impress her. In any other situation, such a cute girl like her might never talk to me.

I started to slow down as the signal she was talking about was 100 m ahead of us.

"Okay, now tell me. Where to go and how far?"

She did not reply.

"Should I take the left here?"

Still no reply.

I brought the bike to a stop and turned around asking her again, "Hello Madam, where do you stay?"

I froze as it dawned upon me that there was no one sitting behind me.