
The first vehicle possessed and the first love will be a vivid memory for a lifetime. My first vehicle was a Bajaj Chetak Scooter. My dad gave the green signal to enter the road only after crossing a hundred unwritten agreements than the written test to get a license. I still remember the day I flew under the sky with my new scooter. It was a time when I felt as if the whole world was coming under my feet.

That was a snowy evening in December. I met Prashant, my school mate on the way back home. Recollecting the old times, I forgot to realize that time was up. It was 7 pm when I was looking at my watch. I usually get home by 6:00. If I was late to reach home, my dad would come looking for me. Since I was late that day, I drove the scooter fast.

There's a bridge down the road. Once passed the bridge is a cross junction, the 'Bicycle Junction'. The bicycle was the symbol of Narapilla Chettan who stood for election in the past. That is why the place is called Bicycle Junction. There is a large banyan tree close to the junction. From there just turn left and go half a kilometer to reach my home. I live in a beautiful village. Electricity didn't get into many homes until late in my teens. In my childhood, I could see the lights of the oil lamps glowing brightly throughout the houses of the village in the thick darkness when the sun sets.
By the time I reached the bridge, there were unusual traffic jams. I was able to move the scooter up to the bridge. There is no place on the road to further move. I was disturbed when a passer-by told me that someone was lying at the junction in an accident. I was worried my dad might scold me if I reached home late. Dad still thinks I'm just a kid. I get angry at the thought of why my dad is so worried about me as an adult. I know, waiting for someone is a pain. When I was a kid, I too waited until my father came home from work. When my dad arrived late, I also felt sad and mourned. There was no instant communication facility, then like today.
The sound of the ambulance woke me as my thoughts began to wild. As the ambulance picked up the accident victim and drove past me, the vehicles began to move forward. Quickly I took the scooter forward. I saw a group of people talking to each other when I reached Junction. Some of them were familiar faces. Gopichettan, running a small shop at the junction, Barbar Sasi, Vijayan Chettan and many others. When I reached out to them, Gopichettan came to me and told me that my dad had been taken to the nearest hospital in an ambulance by accident just before. A fire rushed into my brain like a volcano erupting in my heart. I do not remember how I got to the Hospital.
When I got to the front of the hospital, I saw my dad taken back into the ambulance. Doctors there said the injury was serious and suggested he be taken to another hospital with more facilities. I stood beside my dad in the ambulance. I had eyes full of tears. My dad held my hand and said don't cry in a low voice. From there, my dad was taken to the hospital about ten kilometers away.
There, the doctor checked and suggested a brain Scan. In the Emergency
Room, my dad asked me for some water before he went to the scan. The doctor told me not to give water until the scan. I saw my dad's eyes watering. My dad kept staring at me, holding my hand tight. Those eyes stayed with me till they brought him into the examination room. Later, my dad never opened his eyes. He's been unconscious for a while after surgery to repair his brain damage. One day my father left us without saying anything. My dad's eyes, which were open to look at me, still linger in my heart.

Comments