Chapter 12
Prachi passed her driver's test on her second attempt and Milind got her a car. Prachi was overwhelmed but Milind just said practically, "I'm not around a lot. You need your own car else you will never be able to leave this house." It did make Prachi's life a whole lot easier. She could visit her family more often and found it easier to get to the hotel when she needed to. She was especially glad for the car one night when a conference overran. She would still be able to get home and get dinner ready before Milind got back home. She was still twenty minutes away from home, when her car started stuttering. She was even more alarmed to see smoke raising from the bonnet. She had no option but to pull over. Prachi wasn't too familiar with the area. It was quite dark and the road was deserted. She didn't think anyone will be coming by anytime soon. She had to call Milind who was still at work.
"What do you mean the car broke down? Why are you even out driving so late??", asked Milind sharply. Prachi had to explain about the conference running late and then explain exactly where she was stuck. "Stay put, I'll be there soon.", said Milind. Prachi was becoming increasingly nervous. The isolation of the road and the thickening darkness was menacing. She saw approaching lights and thinking it might be Milind, she got out of the car. As the car got nearer, she saw it was a jeep full of raucous, decidedly drunk college boys. Thankfully, they hadn't seen her and drove on. Prachi was definitely scared now and never felt more relieved than when she saw Milind step out of his car. She knew she was safe and nothing could happen to her. However,once she caught a glimpse of his face, she wasn't too sure about that. He looked as if he was ready to wring her neck.
Milind was furious. Prachi was his responsibliity and he wasn't about to let anything happen to her even if it was due to her own recklessness. "Why the hell didn't you stay put in the hotel?", demanded Milind, "I would have picked you up." "I knew you were busy, I didn't want to disturb you.", said Prachi a bit startled by his strong reaction. "So, you decided this was the better option?", asked Milind. Prachi was starting to feel slightly aggrieved. She hadn't intended for the car to break down and she hadn't thought she was taking any undue risks at the time. Milind lifted the hood of the car and inspected the damage. "We need to call a tow truck, the fan belt has snapped.", said Milind.
As they stood at the side of the road waiting for the tow truck to arrive, Milind pulled out a packet of cigarettes. "Do you have any idea how dangerous Mumbai can be?", asked Milind unwilling to drop the subject. Prachi had enough. She wasn't willing to be lectured about the dangers of the world by a man who knowingly shortened his life on a daily basis. Milind was about to pull a cigarette out of the packet, when Prachi snatched the packet out of his hand threw it down the ravine on the side of the road. "What did you do that for?!", asked Milind more bewildered than angry. "Do you have any idea how dangerous smoking can be?", retorted Prachi. They glared at each other. Inspite of himself, Milind could feel his lips twitch. He had to admit his wife looked damn cute when she was mad. "Okay, I'll quit smoking if you promise never to drive alone in the night, at least not without telling me first.", said Milind unable to hide his smile now. Prachi felt her anger quickly dissipate and gave him a dazzling smile. At that moment, Milind felt that quitting smoking wouldn't be too hard to do.
Edited by blackcurrant - 17 years ago
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