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Gayatri and Kripa were sitting at the back of their car. Their driver was driving them to a shopping mall which was a two hours drive from their house. They were now at a deserted road and on either side of the road were trees and only trees.
Kripa: Mummy mujhe char (four) chaiye. Do (two) suit aur do (two) lenghe.
Gayatri: Kri-Pa. Hum kisi ke ghar shaadi ke liye ja rahe hai, humare ghar shaadi nahin ho rahi.
Kripa: Please mummy…please please please.
Kripa gave her mother an innocent cute look. Gayatri melted.
Gayatri: Okay. Lekin sirf char (four) aur nahin.
Kripa hugged her mother sideway.
Kripa: You're the best mummy.
Gayatri smiled.
Gayatri and Kripa talked about other things when suddenly the car jerked then stopped.
Gayatri bent forward: Driver kya hua?
Driver: Ma'am pata nahin. Main dekh tha hoon.
The driver stepped out of the car and checked what was wrong with the car.
There wasn't anything wrong with the car tires he noticed.
He opened the front part of the car; a lot of smoke came out.
He checked inside what the exact problem was.
Gayatri stepped out of the car and walked towards the front of the car.
Gayatri: Driver, kya hua?
Driver: Ma'am kuch problem hai gari (car) mein. Time lage ga usko theek karte huai.
Gayatri: Kitna waqt?
Driver: Pata nahin lekin shayad do (two) ghante (hours) lag jaye ge.
Gayatri surprised: Do (two) ghante (hours)!!???
Driver: Haan. Shayad kaam shayad zyaada.
Gayatri exhausted went to Kripa who was sitting in the car. Gayatri opened the car door and sat down (she didn't close the door).
Gayatri: Beta gari (car) kharab ho gayi hai. Lagta hai kaafi time lage ga usko theek karte karte. Mujhe lagta hai ke hume tour (walk) kar jana chaiye aur dekh lete hai agar taxi mil jati hai ke nahin. Agar na mili toh kisise lift lay-lete hai.
Kripa thought about it.
Kripa: Lekin mummy yahan par toh itni gari-ya (cars) guzri bhi nahin hai. Mujhe nahin lagta koi taxi mille ge. Kisise lift bhi mushkil se hi milegi.
Gayatri: Chance toh lena hi pare ga. Warna yahan be-the (sit) be-the hi time guzar jayega. Ghar se bhi kafi door (far) hai hum aur mall bhi door (far) hai. Hum beech (middle) raaste mein hai. Mujhe lagta hai ke kisi tarha mall hi chale jate hai. Kam se kam aaj ka din iss tarha kharab toh nahi hoga na.
Kripa thought for a while then agreed.
Gayatri and Kripa stepped out of the car. Gayatri went to the driver.
Gayatri: Driver, mein aur Kripa raaste se koi taxi ja lift kisi se lay-lege. Jab gari theek ho jaye tum isse ghar le jana.
The driver nodded.
Driver: Theek hai ma'am.
20 minutes later.
Kripa: Mummy mein thak (tired) gayi hoon.
Gayatri laughed.
Gayatri: Tum iss umar mein itni daer mein thak (tired) jao gi toh jab tum meri umar ki hogi tab kya karo gi?
Kripa whined: Mum-Mie!! Please na. Hum yahan thori daer bethe (sit) nahin sakh the
kya?
Gayatri surprised: Kripa, hum yahan kaise bethe sakh the hai. Yeh road hai. Agar koi guzre ga woh kya soche ga?
Kripa kept pleading. Finally after 5 minutes Kripa sat down on the road surprising Gayatri with her actions.
Gayatri tried to make Kripa stand by holding her elbow and pulling her up.
Gayatri: Kripa utho na. Log kya soche ge.
Kripa sat there, not budging.
Kripa (in a tired tone): Pehle koi aye to sahi. Phir sochon gi ke koi kya soch tha hai.
That went on for a while finally Gayatri got tired of Kripa. An idea struck her.
Gayatri pretended to do the pulling-Kripa-up and looked behind herself.
Gayatri (in a happy-relieved tone): Kripa uth (stand up), dekh koi gari a rahi hai. Uth na.
When it registered Kripa what her mother was saying her face brighten up. Gayatri was standing behind Kripa, blocking Kripa's view to see behind Gayatri. Kripa turned to look back but her mother was blocked her view, she didn't stand up but was struggling to see behind her mother. When Kripa bent forward Gayatri blocked that way by pretending to pull Kripa up. When Kripa bent backwards, Gayatri again blocked Kripa's view.
Kripa (in a angry-tired tone): Mummy!!! Dekhne toh dona.
Gayatri hid her smile.
Gayatri: Pehle tum utho toh sahi.
Kripa after a while stood up and finally looked back and was shocked.
Kripa (in an annoyed tone): Aap ne toh kaha tha gari a rahi hai. Kahan gayi?
Gayatri (in a calm tone): Tum uth toh gayi.
Kripa sighed: Mum-mIEE!
They walked for a while more.
Kripa sensed something in the air. She felt she heard some distant noise.
Kripa turned to look back and saw a car.
She couldn't have gotten happier at that moment considering where and how she was. She tugged her mother's clothes like a baby would do and screamed. Gayatri got scared at Kripa's sudden outburst. But she noticed Kripa smiling widely.
Kripa screamed: Mummy, car! Gari a rahi hai.
Gayatri looked back and her shoulders relaxed.
Kripa was getting worried now.
Kripa: Mummy jao na. Gari ko roko na. Please. Warna woh chali jaye gi.
Kripa got angry because her mother wasn't making any moves.
Kripa: Mummy!! Gari ko roko na. Woh chali jaye gi. Mummy please na. Mum-Mie!
Gayatri grinned at Kripa.
Gayatri: Mujhe toh tourna (walk) acha lag raha hai. Tumhe lift chaiye tum lo. Main kyun rokoon (stop) gari ko?
Kripa (annoyed): Mummy…please na!
Gayatri smiled at her daughter. She went forward to stop the car.
When the car was nearing them, it began to slow down.
Kripa stood where she was and Gayatri walked up to the driver's window. The driver's window rolled down.
The driver: Do you need help madam?
The driver didn't know what to call the lady so the driver decided to call her 'Madam'.
Gayatri noticed the driver was a young decent man.
Gayatri: Uummm yes. Actually something happened to our car so we left it with our driver and began walking in hope of getting a taxi or a lift from someone.
The driver gave a friendly smile.
The driver: Oh so that car behind was your car. The silver one.
Gayatri nodded: Yes.
The driver: So do you want a lift?
Gayatri smiled: That would be very kind of you.
Meanwhile Kripa was examining the car, it was a sports car she concluded but it looked like a normal car as well. Maybe it was both, two-in-one she finally concluded. She had nothing else to do so she began examining the car since her mother had blocked the view of the driver.
Gayatri: Thank you. But one second, my daughter's with me too.
The driver smiled and shrugged: That's fine.
Gayatri went towards Kripa. The driver started fixing the passenger seat next to the driver's seat and the backseats from his seat.
Kripa was relieved that the owner of the car agreed to give them a lift. Both women were smiling and glad from the inside that they finally got a lift.
Gayatri whispered to Kripa as they walked towards the car.
Gayatri: Kripa behave yourself okay. Don't be rude.
Kripa tried to protest.
Kripa: Mummy, mein kyun kuch karoon gi?
Gayatri calmly replied: Mein bas tumhe warn kar rahi hoon, you should be thankful to him that he'd agreed to give us a lift easily. Aaj kal ke zamane mein mushkil se aise log milte hain.
Kripa: Mummy!! Please…woh lift hi toh de raha hai, usme itni bari baat kya hai?
Gayatri, a little irritated by Kripa's answer 'Tum agar uski jaga hoti, kyat um aisi madat kisi ki karti?'
Kripa just sighed.
When the driver saw the madam with her daughter his eyebrows raised. He had been expecting a seven years old girl or at most a twelve years old girl but this daughter seemed to be in her early twenties or a girl who has just left her teen age. The mother looked young. He smiled at his thought.
When they approached the car and Gayatri was about to open the backseat door (the one which was behind the driver's door) for Kripa to sit in, Kripa got a glimpse of the driver from the car side mirror (this mirror is on either side of the car, you know the two mirrors outside of the car, one at the driver's side and one at the passenger's side), he looked young maybe in his early twenties. The driver saw Kripa looking at him from the car side mirror so he smiled back at her looking at her in the car side mirror. Kripa saw him smiling at her in the car side mirror and gave a small, very small smile which was unnoticeable but she was feeling uneasy. Kripa tugged her mother's shoulder. Gayatri looked back at Kripa.
Gayatri: Kya hua beta?
Kripa looked at her mother: Mummy, ek second.
Kripa tugged her mother's hand telling her to move aside for a while.
Gayatri looked back at the driver and smiled at him. (Gayatri was looking at him and the driver was looking at Gayatri and Kripa through the car side mirror)
Gayatri; One minute please.
The driver coolly replied: Oh that's fine. Take your time.
Gayatri and Kripa moved a few steps behind and were standing right next to the end of the car but were still visible in the car side mirror since they had only walked two or three steps straight behind.
Gayatri: Kya hua?
Kripa was uneasy: Mummy woh…
Kripa couldn't get how to put it in right words.
Kripa: Mummy woh driver young lagta hai.
Gayatri gave a hearty laugh at that.
Gayatri: Haan toh? Usme kya hai. Bas itni si baat thi, chal abhi.
Kripa stopped her mother.
Kripa: Mummy lekin kya pata woh sahi hai ke nahin. Woh young hai, shayad woh hume kidnap karle, kya pata woh hume kahin aur le jaye ga. Uska…
Gayatri just smiled at Kripa's imaginations while she continued. While Kripa was talking she kept glancing at the car side mirror to see him looking at her and sometimes he smiled as well at her looking in the mirror, he never turned back to look since he had the car side mirror to look at them from but there wasn't any need for that too, he wasn't spying or anything like that.
While Kripa talked to Gayatri and look towards the mirror, inside she was boiling 'Why the hell is he looking at me? Woh samjh tha kya hai apne aap ko. Lift de raha hai uska matlab yeh to nahin koi ehsaan kar raha hai. There's something like humanity in this world as well.' But she dare not speak these thoughts to her mother.
Kripa (continued):……advantage liya toh? Woh…..woh gangster type dikh tha hai.
Gayatri laughed at Kripa's imaginations.
Gayatri: Kripa tu bhi na. Aisa kuch nahin ho ga. Woh acha ladka (boy) hai. He's a decent boy. Kuch nahin kare ga. Ab tu chup chap bethe ja gari mein, okay?
Kripa was uneasy: Lekin mummy…
Gayatri interrupted her: Kripa main hoon na. Aur waise bhi woh kuch nahin kare ga. Ab bethe ja.
Kripa was still hesitant and she knew it was useless complaining to her mother.
Gayatri went to the passenger seat to sit in the front, since it wasn't a taxi and it would be rude if both of them sat behind, it would seem like he's their driver.
Kripa slowly walked towards the backseat door, the one directly behind the driver's door, and opened it. While sitting down she looked at the car side mirror at him, he noticed her looking at him again and gave a warm smile to which she looked at him with ice cold eyes for a second and ignored him. He got confuse at that.
When everyone was ready he turned the key in the ignition. He was driving along the road. The driver glanced at Gayatri while driving.
The driver: Where do you want to go, madam?
Gayatri: River Bay Plaza.
The driver: Oh there. My mom goes there to shop to.
Gayatri: You can call me 'aunty'.
The driver turned to look at Gayatri and smiled.
The driver: Thanks aunty.
Gayatri: Aunty bhi keh the ho aur thanks bhi.
Kripa rolled her eyes at that and wondered annoyed 'Mummy ko bhi na, acha bhala formal the hum. Ab…mummy bhi na. Hindi mein baat karni ki kya zaroorat thi, utna informal hona kam par gaya tha kya?'
Gayatri: Beta, tumhara nam kya hai?
The driver replied smiling: Angad, aunty. Angad Khanna.
Anupamaa
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