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She walked out of the club staggering and still holding up somehow while her best friends followed closely.
She had looked in the mirror before leaving.
Despite the 4 glasses of Cosmo, the continuous dancing around, and the sweat, she still managed to look fresh and the only thing bothering her was her painful heels. The stilettos sure looked fabulous with her short sequined gold mini dress, but they were not meant for dancing. She made a mental note to self: next time no heels while going dancing.
While thinking about her heels and the subsequent pain she would get in her calves the next morning, she started looking around for a cab that could take her home. Her subconscious imagined her soft plush bed while consciously her eyes still scanned for an empty cab. That’s when they locked eyes. He was waiting there. And right on cue, she started walking towards him. Her tipsy friends followed, giggling and laughing at something she was oblivious to. She wanted to reach home as early as possible. It was already past 3.
He held her gaze for two minutes before realizing she was staggering up to his cab.
So he fired the engine and started inching towards her. Her gold dress shimmered in the street lights. There were other women behind her, but he could only see her. It was like somebody divine walking up to him, albeit the divinity was slightly drunk.
“Lane 7 jaoge?”
“Koregaon Park?”
“Yes.”
“100 rupees mam.”
“Okay.”
She sat down in the car without another word. She had neither the patience nor time to argue. And besides, when she could spend 200 bucks on a pack of smokes, 100 for a cab ride was quite reasonable.
Before he started accelerating, she shouted out to her two other friends, waved at them and reassured she would give them a call once she reached.
He slowly started speeding away until the club and her friends were just tiny specks and then turned left.
Once they took the left turn, she got a slight panic attack. The driver looked decent, but in her drunkenness she had forgotten to note the number of the car or check the interiors properly. The inside smelled slightly of sweat and cigarettes. And there was a very tiny layer of dust on the floor of the car, but apart from that everything looked pretty neat. There was a panic button at the top left corner. There was a slight rattling sound that increased every time he braked suddenly, but apart from that all looked normal. She thought she should make conversation. Or should she?
Then before she could open her mouth, he spoke in a very soft but reassuring voice,’Don’t worry mam, I will take you to your place safely.’
She was mildly glad to hear that and returned a smile in reply that he acknowledged through the rear view mirror but wasn’t entirely convinced. Although she was surprised to find his English so fluent. No breaks.
Slowly they edged past Koregaon Park Plaza and kept heading forward. Curiosity got the better of her, and without thinking further she asked him, “Have you been driving a cab for long?” He smiled, she noticed through the mirror and replied,”No mam. I’ve started it recently.”
“But why?”
“To pay the rents and save some money while I’m at it. I am an IT engineer. I work as a system analyst by day and moonlight as a cab driver.”
“Oh.”
That was all she could say because her mind was already thinking.
Why would an IT guy who earns decent enough want to work extra as a cab driver?
The extra money was understandable, but he could have opted for anything else. Why a cab driver? Her slight panic returned.
“So why do you work as a cab driver?”, she asked without being able to resist the urge.
“I like driving. Us IT guys, we don’t get a lot of holidays. And plus I interact with so many new people each day.” His reply was quick. He didn’t take any time to think of a reply. He wasn’t lying.
With a slight frown on her forehead, she asked another question, “So if you’re at work in the morning and drive at night, when do you sleep?”
“After work. Whenever I get the time. Sleeping is not as important as living and experiencing everything.” Again a quick reply.
“Hmmm.”
“What do you do mam?”
“I’m a student.”
She had been taught not to interact with strangers. She didn’t want to give away a lot.
He didn’t ask any further questions and continued driving while asking her for directions. After that, she started staring out of the window. The wind and the weather were pleasant. She was feeling less tired already.
They kept driving and after a few left and right turns, she reached her house. She got out of the cab and started fumbling for a 100 rupee note. While she fumbled, he did too, but only for his card. “If you ever want a cab, you can give me a call at this number. This is my card, mam.” She accepted the card, gave the money and started walking homewards, stilettos in one hand, purse clutched in between her arm and torso and her mind engrossed in reading what was on the card. The name on the card read Raghav Sharma.
While she walked, he stared at her back. He wasn’t lusting after her. No. He just stared. She was simple, had been sweet, talked nicely, but she looked a tiny bit scared. Could he have added her as well? No. She was too sweet. He wouldn’t. And as he thought about it, he realized he couldn’t think of her that way.
This was both frustrating and surprising for him. He had never felt this way about women. It was strange.
She turned around to give a final glance before walking inside and once she was gone, he walked towards the boot of the car and opened it. The rattling had been annoying him for long, so he took off the bangles and threw them around a nearby tree, gently placed the hand back inside the boot, banged it shut, took the driver’s seat and drove off. He had to come back to her, but he had a body to dispose of and he hated it when they started to smell inside the boot.
Episode 2: She Thought She Would Finally Meet Him. But Was It Her End That She Was Going To Meet?
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