H is long overdue dream finally matured. Manguesh became the proud possessor of a swanky new Honda car, rich in features available as luxury to mankind. After 30 years, his love graduated from toy cars to road car. Haggling with his parents, who had eventually relented to his constant pestering, he had taken over 6 months, to decide in selecting the car. After numerous test rides and overcoming buyers regret, his eyes gorged at the Honda and instantaneously fell in love at first sight. He had saved throughout job life and spent majority of it in buying the car. This was his 1st possession item of significance and he was massively proud of owning the car. He spent few tears of joy while collecting car at the showroom.
Once the car came under his ownership, Manguesh along with parents decided to take it to the temple to perform a small pooja and then visit his sisters’ place as well. He could not wait to show the car to his friends. He had been driving his friends and relatives’ car ever since he received his drivers’ license. Driving was his passion. He had driven the length and breadth of the country during tours along with family and friends. Like most men, he was proud of his driving skills and fine judgement and could boast that he never caused a single accident or a dent on the cars that he had handled.
The entourage left the showroom, quickly making their way past the marauding traffic and reached the temple in 30 minutes. The pooja was completed with traditional elaboration and sweets were distributed amongst bystanders. Shortly after they reached his sisters’ place. The family shared the excitement and the car received rave reviews amongst the peers. They headed home. This was turning into a wonderful and pleasant day, he exclaimed. He was feeling over the moon and even willed himself to sleep inside the car tonight. As they moved towards an intersection, the signal turned red and he slowed down the car. That is when his eyes fell on the rear-view mirror and his heart skipped a beat. He almost blacked out with sheer terror.
As time ticked by at the signal, the reflection of headlights engulfed the mirror. He barely acknowledged the situation. In a matter of seconds, he heard a loud thud and glass pieces shattered around him. He was pushed wildly, only to be held tight by the seat belt. He tuned pale white and neared breathlessness. His father bounced off from the passenger seat and hit the windshield with brute force. His mother, sitting behind, lurched forward on impact. In a moment that ensued, he feared for the worst. Shreds of glass and metal pieces occupied every single space inside the vehicle. The vehicle jerked forward, colliding with the vehicle in-front. His worst nightmare came true. In a split moment, his bright world came crashing down like a sand castle. A goods laden truck had rammed into the back of his brand-new car.
Darkness descended on him, like death. Anger swelled inside him and bubbled over the surface. Dazed, he quickly released the seat belt and assessed the damage. He went near the passenger side and helped his father; made him seat next to the road side divider. Blood was oozing from his face. He was crying in pain. He then helped his mother; she was limping heavily. Adrenaline pumped inside him like a raging river. By now, a crowd had gathered and passerby watched the spectacle unabashedly, few even indulging in photographs. He was feeling giddy. Someone yelled to call an ambulance. Another rushed with water. His legs were shaking uncontrollably. They bulked and he sat on the road by the side of his parents. Everything was happening at lightning speed.
Gathering himself, Manguesh quickly washed his father’s wound; a massive cut had opened at the side of his head. He was losing blood with each passing moment. His shoulder was smashed. The ambulance was due any minute, someone informed. He hoped as much. Mother was sitting listlessly, clutching her leg. She had an arthritis operation just a fortnight ago. A gash appeared on her left leg. She somehow held back from crying, trying her best to sustain the pain. The situation had turned worse in a matter of minutes.
He seemed unscathed, but the mental trauma was far damaging. He wanted to cry out loud, still trying to make sense of the situation. He was holding his aged father’s head, while trying to press on the wound to reduce blood spillage. After 20 excruciating minutes, the ambulance duly arrived. It quickly loaded both the injured patients and carried them to the hospital. He would follow the ambulance shortly.
Manguesh finally turned his attention to the car. The sight brought numbness into him. He froze on the spot. His car had been destroyed beyond recognition. The truck had climbed into the back of his car and threatened to swamp it completely. The driver was nowhere to be seen, having bolted for dear life. A massive crowd gathered. The traffic jammed and vehicles queued up to kilometers. Tears brimmed, trying to breach him.
The police arrived sometime later on the scene. He explained to the policeman who seemed to be at their attentive best. Someone in the crowd bellowed, the driver should be killed. Others agreed with him. The police would trace the truck back to its owner and the driver would be caught eventually. A case was registered against the truck owner and the errant driver. A tow truck was summoned to take the car back to its base, where it came from only a few hours earlier, albeit in one perfect piece when it left the premises. The truck owner turned out to be a local businessman who boasted political and judicial ties. This would not be easy, but he would deal with that later. Right now, he needed to head to the hospital.
While on the way to hospital, a thousand thoughts tangled him. How were his parents doing? Would they survive the mental trauma? They were quite aged; would this accident have any long-lasting effects? His thoughts then turned to his beloved, now disheveled car. Would the owner agree to pay for the damages? How much would the insurance cover? Would this affect his cars performance in future? His driving skills were now dented with scars. He wondered how long it would take, before his confidence built up again behind the wheels.
Back at the hospital, his father required a minor surgery to take care of the head injury. His mother was admitted, as doctors tended to her legs. She would undergo medication and treatment to save her leg. The wait at the hospital turned into an endless night. His friends and sister joined him at the hospital as news of the accident spread far and wide. The irony was not lost on him when he spent the night at the hospital, while only few hours ago, he was tinkering with the idea of sleeping in his car.
Although Manguesh was devastated the way everything penned out, he was thankful that his parents survived the ordeal, at least physically. It could have been so much worse. After a lot of wrangling and police pressure, the owner – businessman ultimately coughed up a pittance that barely covered the car damages. It was a week before his parents were discharged from the hospital and safely back at home. The car returned to his possession after undergoing major repairs for over a month. His zeal on receiving the refurbished car had been nullified. The beaming smile was replaced by a timid smirk.
Every time Manguesh took the steering, his hands quivered. The images of the horrific accident refused to be boxed up and surfaced whenever he saw his car. Every time he stopped at an intersection; he could not help feel anxious that another vehicle would ram into him. He lost countless sleepless nights, as the vivid images came scurrying like a rat. His parents refused to be anywhere near the car, let alone sit inside again. Although the physical scars had long since subdued, the mental blemishes continued to unsettle him. His driving confidence had been shattered. Unable to bear any longer, he put the car for sale, barely 6 months after driving it out of the showroom…
