My exemplary muse:Sheep in wolf's clothing
My mother is one of those people whose early life seems to abound with out of the ordinary tales. Here's one.
A long time ago, somewhere in the 80s, my mother used to work at a hospital. Which meant that night shifts were a regular part of her life. She also used to get called in to the hospital at ungodly hours of the night, and that too was something she was accustomed to. She owned a Luna, which was the equivalent of a modern day Scooty. Her workplace and home were separated by almost 10 kilometers, but in those golden years, Bangalore was more a resplendent forest than a concrete jungle, and traffic was still unheard of. Her journey was therefore an easy one, the more problematic aspects of which were the deserted roads and the threat of lurking miscreants.
One night, around 2am, she started from home. Hardly two minutes into her journey, it started pouring. My mother being the woman she is, never once contemplated going back home. Her only thought was how to get to the hospital. And those were the days before cellular phone. You were truly alone--reaching out to someone in case you needed help wasn't so easy. Therefore, to stop on a deserted road at 2am wasn't probably an appealing option. The rain, by then had become torrential. And you know the first that happens(rather used to happen)? The electricity--homes,streetlights and all--goes off, as if it was just waiting for its cue. The whole locality plunges into darkness. Added to this, when you live amidst greenery, there are quite a few old trees, and there is a more than even chance that one of them would get uprooted and fall across the road.
Considering all this, my mom prudently slowed down, and began riding cautiously. Her destination was after all 15 minutes away. She could make it. That was exactly when she spotted a lone two wheeler behind her. The rider, a man, had a heavy khaki raincoat on, and she couldn't discern anything more about him. At this point she was not scared, but merely alert. In a few seconds though, the man revved his throttle to a speed that no sane rider would attempt in the rain. Instinctively, she sensed that he was trying to catch up to her. My mom was not naive enough to trust a stranger trying to follow her.
Adrenaline poured through her veins and she matched his increase in speed. He did not give up, and instead pushed his vehicle to a faster speed. She must have been really alarmed at this point, and fear drove her to abandon all caution. She rode at the maximum speed the vehicle was capable of, but the guy kept tailing her. It was just a matter of time before he would catch up, because his bike was capable of greater speeds than her frail Luna. The hospital is a mere 5 minutes away. The moment I reach there, I will be safe. I just need to make it there.
She tells me that she was really really scared at this point. She kept thinking--about any place that was open at night where she could stop safely, for any potential weapons she had, about what she would do if he caught up to her. But ultimately, she just kept driving. Somehow, she made it to the hospital's parking lot which was a bustling mass of people, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Safety.
To her surprise, her potential attacker followed right after her and stopped a few meters away. "Ma'am, why did you drive so fast when I was trying to stop you?"
Duh. Because if you'd turned out to be a rapist or a murderer, stopping could have cost me my life.
All she said out loud was, "I was alone, and I didn't think it wise or safe to stop."
He flashed his creds and said "I am a police officer Ma'am. I saw you riding alone in the rain, and tried to catch up to you so that I could ask where you were headed and escort you there safely. I figured there must be an emergency for you to be out so late at night and despite the rain, so I tried to stop you, but you just kept driving...." He trailed off uncertainly.
My mom felt really sheepish at this point, although she knew that alive and paranoid was better than naive and dead. She laughed and said "Well, I couldn't see that you were a police officer. And when you kept riding faster and following me, I'll admit you had me really scared....I am a doctor and I'm used to travelling alone, so it's not much of a problem. All the same, thank you very much for trying to help. Would you care for a coffee? The hospital canteen is open 24/7."
The officer must have felt a little embarrassed too, because he probably realized that he'd scared her badly without meaning to. He refused the coffee on grounds of duty, gave a few tips to my mom about riding alone and took her leave.
My mom has told me this story many a time, and she always ends with "So the world is not all bad, you know. There are still good people around."
I hope she's right, but the story always scared me more than it made me believe in the goodness of humanity. What if it hadn't been a police officer? Chilling to think of. It also taught me the importance of presence of mind. Being able to think on your feet in any situation, however stressful, without losing your cool.
A long time ago, somewhere in the 80s, my mother used to work at a hospital. Which meant that night shifts were a regular part of her life. She also used to get called in to the hospital at ungodly hours of the night, and that too was something she was accustomed to. She owned a Luna, which was the equivalent of a modern day Scooty. Her workplace and home were separated by almost 10 kilometers, but in those golden years, Bangalore was more a resplendent forest than a concrete jungle, and traffic was still unheard of. Her journey was therefore an easy one, the more problematic aspects of which were the deserted roads and the threat of lurking miscreants.
One night, around 2am, she started from home. Hardly two minutes into her journey, it started pouring. My mother being the woman she is, never once contemplated going back home. Her only thought was how to get to the hospital. And those were the days before cellular phone. You were truly alone--reaching out to someone in case you needed help wasn't so easy. Therefore, to stop on a deserted road at 2am wasn't probably an appealing option. The rain, by then had become torrential. And you know the first that happens(rather used to happen)? The electricity--homes,streetlights and all--goes off, as if it was just waiting for its cue. The whole locality plunges into darkness. Added to this, when you live amidst greenery, there are quite a few old trees, and there is a more than even chance that one of them would get uprooted and fall across the road.
Considering all this, my mom prudently slowed down, and began riding cautiously. Her destination was after all 15 minutes away. She could make it. That was exactly when she spotted a lone two wheeler behind her. The rider, a man, had a heavy khaki raincoat on, and she couldn't discern anything more about him. At this point she was not scared, but merely alert. In a few seconds though, the man revved his throttle to a speed that no sane rider would attempt in the rain. Instinctively, she sensed that he was trying to catch up to her. My mom was not naive enough to trust a stranger trying to follow her.
Adrenaline poured through her veins and she matched his increase in speed. He did not give up, and instead pushed his vehicle to a faster speed. She must have been really alarmed at this point, and fear drove her to abandon all caution. She rode at the maximum speed the vehicle was capable of, but the guy kept tailing her. It was just a matter of time before he would catch up, because his bike was capable of greater speeds than her frail Luna. The hospital is a mere 5 minutes away. The moment I reach there, I will be safe. I just need to make it there.
She tells me that she was really really scared at this point. She kept thinking--about any place that was open at night where she could stop safely, for any potential weapons she had, about what she would do if he caught up to her. But ultimately, she just kept driving. Somehow, she made it to the hospital's parking lot which was a bustling mass of people, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Safety.
To her surprise, her potential attacker followed right after her and stopped a few meters away. "Ma'am, why did you drive so fast when I was trying to stop you?"
Duh. Because if you'd turned out to be a rapist or a murderer, stopping could have cost me my life.
All she said out loud was, "I was alone, and I didn't think it wise or safe to stop."
He flashed his creds and said "I am a police officer Ma'am. I saw you riding alone in the rain, and tried to catch up to you so that I could ask where you were headed and escort you there safely. I figured there must be an emergency for you to be out so late at night and despite the rain, so I tried to stop you, but you just kept driving...." He trailed off uncertainly.
My mom felt really sheepish at this point, although she knew that alive and paranoid was better than naive and dead. She laughed and said "Well, I couldn't see that you were a police officer. And when you kept riding faster and following me, I'll admit you had me really scared....I am a doctor and I'm used to travelling alone, so it's not much of a problem. All the same, thank you very much for trying to help. Would you care for a coffee? The hospital canteen is open 24/7."
The officer must have felt a little embarrassed too, because he probably realized that he'd scared her badly without meaning to. He refused the coffee on grounds of duty, gave a few tips to my mom about riding alone and took her leave.
My mom has told me this story many a time, and she always ends with "So the world is not all bad, you know. There are still good people around."
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