Lesson 4 On The Run

The bus finally started at 9:30 pm. It lingered around various stoppages in Delhi itself to pick up more people for at least another hour. The bus was not at its best condition & finally when we had reached Delhi’s border, it collapsed. I could see other local buses going to Himachal. For once I wanted to switch but loyalty is rewarded. After all everything around was going my way- The Unplanned Way. Meanwhile, the driver somehow fixed up the problem after another hour & moved on. Leaving all the traffic & rush behind we finally got out of reach of a metro city.

It was a bright night with a bright moon but was a little cloudy as well. Then started those trails of trees beside the highway, those huge factories & godowns. I could feel people sweating in some of those factories while some were dark & appeared to be haunted. There was water clogging on the fields may be because of the recent floods in Punjab. Many small houses were abandoned. Several homes which turned into houses. Was thinking about their different stories. I could hear their plight, could feel their pain. Several voices, all together. This exercise turned out to be so exhausting that I don’t remember when did I fell asleep. But was surely after everyone else did, because I remember watching everyone asleep.

It was half past midnight when I woke up. It was because of a Tarzan yelling somewhere at the backside. One Japanese student had this funny habit of yelling like a Tarzan when in sleep. Thanks to him, everyone was awake & laughing but him. There was a half an hour halt at a Punjabi dhaba before Chandigarh. Dal- roti on Khatt under the bright moon – deadly combination. Slept well the remaining night