The LIFT

Rinith drove to Mysore that morning to attend the state level Sales meet and was packing to drive back after late dinner. He was working for a small start-up company in Bangalore. It was late and he was talking to his mother who was asking him not to travel so late at night; on Friday the 13th. She was very superstitious about such beliefs. He didn't want to argue with her and hung up to bid good bye to Dubeyji and few other sales guys whom he met that day. He was hoping that he would bump into a chirpy, talkative and sexy lady at the meet like last time, but no luck. As soon as his monstrous Fortuner came to life, a black cat crossed his path which he chose to ignore and he was on the road. The night was pitch-black and conditions got overcast with the clouds looming large. He was touching 140 kmph in no-time with Heavy Metal adding the required adrenaline rush. He was cursing his luck that he didn't get any chic this time and had to hang around with the pot-bellied CXOs of unheard companies. He planned to drive non-stop so that he can reach Bangalore by 4:00 am. Suddenly it began to drizzle. He toggled a switch for the wipers to operate. Soon the drizzle transformed into heavy showers with storm as well. The wipers were struggling.

There was thick forest cover at either side of the road. The trees would twist, twirl and bend over the road with the gust quite ominously. He drove at full speed what his beast had to offer. Even after two hours the storm showed no signs of settling. The winds breathed life in the trees on either side of the road. Conditions were looking gloomy. But in the next five minutes quite unbelievably everything became dead quiet. The wind ceased to blow, the rains stopped, and even the trees went dead. He could only hear the engine roar which was screeching ahead on the wet road. He was driving all alone on the bypass with no other vehicle in sight. Then he encountered a strange sight. At a distance on the roadside, he saw a man and a boy in school uniform sitting on the milestone. The man got up and started waving at his vehicle frantically. He saw the time was well past 1:00 am. He knew that there is no inhabited area within few miles from that place. He stopped the car and the man started approaching towards him. He was watching every move of that man very skeptically with one foot on the accelerator. He noticed that neither the man nor the boy were drenched surprisingly. He heard a howling at a distance for no reason. It was a bad omen. The man said peeping through the rolling windows; please drop us near Ramanagar, on your way. Then suddenly there was a lightning with thunder and he saw some long shining thing in his back pack. He recalled incidents of robbery on the highways and stepped on the accelerator with all his might. The car didn't move to his horror. The man kept banging the glass viciously repeating the same words asking for lift. Then suddenly the car lurched ahead, and he sped the car at full throttle.

He drove the next few miles with full speed and found a young lady on the way. She was a tall woman, wearing a black sari with her midriff showing and a matching blouse sans any sleeves. She possessed curves so luscious that could drive noble men to sin. She waved at Rinith’s vehicle asking for a lift. He immediately obliged and sent a Thanking note to the almighty for listening to his woes. He couldn't resist noticing, which was rather unusual about the woman: She was bare-footed. As she entered the car he couldn't hide his pleasure and she caught him staring, she looked wary. But neither of them felt uneasy, as for her she was probably used to this, and for him, she was too precious to even let go of his sight, for even a moment. After they exchanged the pleasantries, he got to know her name was Vinita and she was married. She was at ease after sometime and chirped like a school girl. Rinith was a very charming guy and knew how to impress her with all his wit and sense of humor. He was cautious in not asking too many personal questions and making her uncomfortable. She got down after a few miles near Kengeri but not before exchanging the numbers and a promise to meet him the next day in Bangalore. Rinith was very excited at his achievement. Next hour went past very fast and he reached his flat before the sun was out. When he reached his flat, his room-mate was fast asleep. He banged the door to find his roomie open the door rubbing his eyes.

“Kaam ho gaya?” Sagar asked casually and went to his room before Rinith could respond to his question. Rinith dragged himself to his room and collapsed on his bed. It was past noon when he woke up rubbing his eyes. It has been a long time since he slept for so long. He was experiencing a slight headache. He asked Sagar for a cup of hot tea. After freshening up he eased himself on the couch. The TOI was kept on the center table. He picked it up to look for today’s crossword. Then suddenly his eyes grew wide seeing a report.

"Robbers got away with 2 more murders on the highway near Ramnagar at around 4:00am. Their dead bodies were found in the nearby drain. As per our sources, Ramanand-38 went to pick-up his son-6 from the school excursion in Channapatna as he was sick. They missed their last bus and reached close to Ramnagar by taking a lift in a lorry. The robbers did not find any valuable with him and in frustration they killed both father and son. The bodies will be handed over to their family after the post-mortem."

He couldn't read further. He saw the picture and his whole body numbed. How could he be so stupid? How could he be so indifferent? He could have easily saved them, had he been rational. In this case due to his very own home grown stupidity and superstition, 2 lives were lost. He met them around 1’o clock... The poor guys begged for help for another three hours. And he fled because he thought they were robbers. Such a poor excuse... Damn!!!

That’s when Sagar came with tea and said, “Why are you reading 2 days old newspaper?”

“What??” Rinith checked the date; it was indeed 2 days old newspaper. His blood froze. Chill ran down his spine. That means the man and the boy were dead more than 2 days ago and still…

“Here have a look at today’s headline...!” Sagar said handing him today’s newspaper and tea.

“Women kills herself after hearing the murder of husband and son. Vinita, resident of Ramnagar who was at her parents’ home in Kengeri committed suicide on Friday afternoon when she got the news of alleged murder of her husband and son near Ramnagar.”

Rinith saw that innocent and sweet face below and fainted.