Wife & Mechanic - Part 10

Soon we got off the highway and started driving on a bumpy village road. The winter cold had started setting in so I just rolled up the tinted windows. We passed a few houses along the way, perhaps one of those tiny hamlets on the road.

After a good twenty minutes, Gurnam slowed down the car and took a right turn onto a smaller road. A few meters down the road, we turned again into a driveway.

Our car stopped behind Pappu's truck. We got down from our respective vehicles and Pappu switched on the lights. The place was a garage, very similar to Gurnam's but was much smaller. The garage roof was slanting, like it is in villages and there were just a couple of cars in the garage.

Pappu went inside a shack and brought us chairs. I sat on one of them but Gurnam and Pappu preferred to stand. They both released the car from the tow cable and brought it down.

"Sorry Madam... I cannot offer you any refreshments right now. All the shops are closed for the day." Pappu said as he sat on the chair opposite mine. Gurnam too sat on the chair next to me.

Gurnam told Pappu about all the damages the car had suffered. They talked about how to go around fixing it, most of which zoomed above head.

"Does it start?" Pappu asked as he walked to my car.

"Yes it does." Gurnam answered as he followed Pappu.

"Okay. Let's take it to the platform then." Pappu said as he sat inside the car and started it.

Pappu drove the car over to the platform and Gurnam directed it precisely over the platform.

Pappu immediately out of the car and got under the platform to check the car. Gurnam too peeked under the car and the men then spent of few minutes there. I was too tired to get up and walk over and quietly watched them. Pappu got out from underneath the car and they both walked over to me.

"The car is pretty badly damaged; needs a lot of work." Pappu said as he stood a few feet away from me.

"How long will it take?" I asked, worried about being in a strange place with two men.

"The axle shaft is cracked and so is the floor. I think even the wheel is damaged. The wheel will hold on if the axle shaft does so we must first work on welding it." Pappu said.

"Do you have welding equipment here?" Gurnam asked Pappu.

"No... but there is a fabrication shop near by and they have one. But they must be closed now and they live far from here so we can't get their help." Pappu said.

"Gurnam... lets keep the car here and take your car. We will come here tomorrow." I said to Gurnam to which he nodded.

"I don't think it is a good idea madam. The roads here are bandit infested and incidences of mugging, looting and even murder happen often. In fact, just 2 days ago, two men were looted and beaten up so bad that one of them died on the spot and the other is battling for his life in the hospital. " Pappu said.

"So you mean I have to spend the night here. What rubbish." I said dismissing Pappu.

"Madam, how many cars did you see on the road while driving here? A very few isn't it? That is because of the bandit problem. I don't think it is worth taking risk here Gurnam especially in the company of a woman." Pappu said with concern.

"You are right. I have read and heard about these incidences." Gurnam said as he sat on the chair and lit a cigarette.

"Is there any hotel or lodge nearby where I can spend the night?" I asked Pappu.

"Haha... Madam... look around you, there are hardly a few houses here and the nearest hotel is in the city where you come from." Pappu replied.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" I yelled at Pappu.

"Madam, please don't worry. My room is just behind the garage where you can sleep. I and Gurnam will work on the car and then sleep in the tool shed over there."Pappu said as he provided me an option.

I thought over it for a few minutes. 'What choice do I have but to listen to him? At least Gurnam is there so I don't have to worry about being with a total stranger. I will wake up early in the morning and take Gurnam's car and head home even if he doesn't come with me.'

"Well Okay. Show me your room." I said as I stood up. Pappu and Gurnam stood up as well and we started walking. In a minute we were at his room.

Pappu first walked in and switched on the lights after which I and Gurnam walked in to the room.

The room was small but tidy. It had white, distempered walls, with a few posters of cars on one wall and a few posters of actresses on the other wall. There was a desk and a chair next to which there was a single bed. I kept my hand bag on the desk and pulled the chair to sit on it.

"Please make yourself comfortable madam." Pappu said.

"You stay here madam and take rest. We will go and work on your car." Gurnam said and they both walked out of the room.

I sat on the chair wondering what to do when I realized that Arjun still hadn't called back. I quickly took out the cell phone from the bag and called him.

"Damn it Arjun, pick up the phone." I almost yelled as I waited for him to answer the call.

I tried a couple of times more but he did not answer. I looked at my watch, it was quarter passed nine. The meetings must have been over by now then why hasn't he called back? I knew that such conferences were followed by parties at night and Arjun was a party boy. He must be busy hogging on the booze and the food.

I kept the cell phone on the desk and stood up. I walked around the room to check it out. There was a steel cupboard in front of the bed. The cupboard had a large mirror on it in front of which I stood.

I saw myself in the mirror. My skin had tanned a bit from being at the construction site all day and then being at the side of the road all evening. My face looked pretty tired and remnants of sweat were clearly visible on my forehead.

I was wearing a white salwar kameez and a matching dupatta. I had a black bindi on my forehead and tiny diamond earrings on my cute little ears. Like any decent woman would, I was wearing a white bra under my kameez but a black panty under the salwaar.

It was now pretty cold and the clean air of the village and the large open fields in the surrounding made it even colder. I had not taken a sweater along with me in the morning because I never thought I would end up here at this point. I thought I would be home with a couple of my friends celebrating the success of the project.

I walked around the room and at times sat on the bed or the chair, restless and nervous about being in a stranger's house. It was almost 10pm when I decided to sleep. I had to get up early and leave. That's what I thought I would do.

It was extremely cold and a couple of thick blankets on the bed were my only refuge. I pulled it on me and tried to sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, the whole evening flashed in front of me. I went through the whole accident all over again to the point that I was about to hit the tree.

I opened my eyes when I couldn't take it anymore. I continued staring at the ceiling. There was an old, dusty fan just above me. I could hear both men talking and working. There were occasional sounds of hammering.

Perhaps this didn't end as bad as it could. Perhaps I still would have been at the side of that road, with no help. Worse, the bandits caught me, now that was bad.

This was not the perfect situation but at least it was a consolation. I had two men, one who I knew and his friend repairing my car. I had a roof over my head, blanket over my body. I knew my car would be fixed up and I would be home in the morning. The whole day had been exhausting and in some time I drifted to sleep.

The howling dogs in the distance woke me up. The cold air, the swift wind and the howling dogs woke me up with a start. Another thing that woke me was hunger. I hadn't eaten anything since afternoon and I was now pretty hungry.

The worry, the nervousness had kept my mind off my hunger but now that things had settled down, it acted up again.

I looked at my watch my watch, it was 11.05 pm. I couldn't here all the hammering going on a while ago and the whole place was very quite. 'Where were they?' I thought as I got off the bed and slowly walked to the door of the room. I stepped out slowly and started walking to the garage.

I gripped my arms tightly and shivered as a blast of cold air hit me. Steam came out from my nose and mouth as I exhaled in the biting cold.

I walked to the garage and saw that both men weren't there. My car, Gurnam's car and Pappu's truck were still there but there was no sign of the men.

"Gurnam... Pappu... where are you?" I called out. I heard some noise coming from the tool shed and looked at it.

"We are here... in the tool shed." Gurnam called back. I walked over to the tool shed. The door was closed but not locked. I gently pushed the door and saw Gurnam and Pappu sitting on the floor.

They had laid out some newspapers and were sitting on their edges. In the middle of the sheets were two bottles of liquor and a bowl of snacks. Both men had cigarettes in their hands and they gently flicked the ash into the ash tray near them.

"Ohhh... sorry... uhhh... " I said as I tried to walk away from the room.

"Aditi Madam... what happened?" Gurnam asked me as he puffed in the cigarette.

"Uhh... nothing... I just wanted to see what you guys were doing so I came here." I replied, feeling absolutely awkward at that moment.

"We have done all that we could to fix your car. Now we have to wait for the fabricators to show up in the morning and get the welding done." Pappu spoke and sipped his drink.

"Uhh... okay... I will go back... uhh... " I said as I turned around to walk back to the room.

"Aditi Madam... relax... please have a seat. I insist." Gurnam said.

"No... it is alright. I will go back... you guys carry on." I replied trying get out of that awkward situation.

"Madam... Please don't hesitate. Just relax and sit with us. If you can't sleep then it's no point in staying in that room all alone. At least you have someone to talk to and pass time here." Pappu said.

Pappu was right. I would be bored to death in that room all alone and both these men had been complete gentlemen all this while. I knew Gurnam for quite sometime and his friend Pappu seemed like a nice guy.

Besides, if they wanted to do something, they could have done it long back, in fact they could do something to me even if I go back to the room. Thinking so, I stepped inside the room and walked over to them. I sat on the small 2 seat couch near Gurnam.

"You couldn't sleep?" Gurnam asked as he turned around to face me.

"No... I did go to sleep but I woke up because I was hungry." I replied.

"Ohhh... I completely forgot. Sorry madam, usually I cook a meal for myself but because I had to come to pick you guys and with all the work to be done, I just forgot to offer you some food." Pappu said.

"No problem... " I replied with faint smile.

"You can have these snacks, it will help a little." Gurnam said as he offered me a bowl of chips. I took the bowl and started eating the chips one by one.

I had left the shed door open and a cold gust of the winter wind flew inside. I shivered and winced as it hit me.

"Ohhh... one second madam, I will get a shawl or a blanket for cover." Pappu said as he got up and walked out of the room, closing the door.

"Aditi Madam... do you want to have a drink? It will help you stay warm?" Gurnam asked me.

"Noo... it is okay, Pappu is getting a blanket. I will be fine." I replied.

"Aditi Madam... you don't have to be so formal around me. I am your friend. So just relax." Gurnam said.

"Hmm... okay... what drink is it?" I asked.

"It is rum. Man's most loyal and faithful companion after a dog, Old Monk XXX rum." Gurnam said as he raised a half filled bottle of the rum and waived it in front of me.

"Hehee... what was that all about?" I asked Gurnam, amused at the phrase he used.

"Madam... The Old Monk is a fantastic thing. It is inexpensive, very effective and can take you places you can only imagine. In fact I feel that it is best thing that man has invented after language." Gurnam said with a big smile on his face.

"Ohh... very articulate and philosophical... hehehe... " I replied with a giggle after hearing Gurnam.

"See... it is the effect of Old Monk, the wise monk imparts his wisdom with each gulp." Gurnam said as he gulped down some rum from his glass.

"I have never had rum in my life." I said to Gurnam.

"You don't drink?" Gurnam asked me.

"I do... occasionally and I prefer my specific brands." I replied.

"Madam... look around. Do you think we are going to find your brands of booze around here?" Gurnam asked me mockingly.

"Should I pour you one?" Gurnam asked me holding the rum bottle in one hand and en empty glass in another.

"Ok... but make me a small one." I replied. Gurnam poured a small peg into the glass and then filled it with cold water. He offered me the drink and I took the glass from his hands.

"Here is a blanket for you madam." Pappu said just about entering the shed at the same time.

"Thank you Pappu." I said as I took the blanket from him and passed him the glass as I dbangd the blanket around my body.

"Ohh... so you joined the party as well? Welcome to the club." Pappu said as he gave me back the glass.

"Hehe... thank you." I said to Pappu. Pappu went and sat in his original place and started drinking.I raised the glass up to my lips and sipped on it.

"Yaaakkkk... It is strong... very strong... " I said as I tasted the rum. Both men laughed loudly watching my reaction.

"It is strong but don't worry, it will taste okay after a few more sips." Gurnam said.

The bitter taste of the rum was too bad enough but the after taste was worse. I munched on a couple of salted chips to neutralize that taste. Gurnam was right, the rum became bearable after a few sips and I was almost done with my peg in a few minutes.

"It has been such a long time since I and Pappu sat for a few round of drinks." Gurnam said as he lit a cigarette.

"Yeah... long time my friend." Pappu said as he took the cigarette from Gurnam and smoked it.

"You guys have known each other for a long time." I said as I finished my drink and held the cold, empty glass in my hand.

"Yeah... we are childhood friends. I am older to Gurnam but he is still my best buddy. In fact he got into this profession after he followed me into working in a garage." Pappu said as he gave back the cigarette to Gurnam.

"So you live here alone? No family?" I asked Pappu.

"My family lives in my native village. I visit them once a year. I have a couple boys working for me but they go home at day end." Pappu replied.

"Ohh look... your drink is finished. Want another?" Gurnam asked me.

"No... no... its fine. I have had enough." I replied. I didn't want to get drunk here and not right now.

"C'mon madam... I told you not to be so formal around us. We are friends." Gurnam said as he took the glass from my hand and started pouring another drink. This time it was larger than the previous one. He passed it to me and I just took it from him. It tasted good now and with the chips it tasted even better.

"Is your real name Pappu?" I asked Pappu. Gurnam erupted in laughter as he heard the question.

"What... did I say something wrong?" I asked Gurnam.

"No... No... his name is Joginder but we boys used to call him Pappu back in the day. He was older than most of us but was a geeky kid, kind of a village idiot when he was younger. So the name Pappu stuck, which also means a fool." Gurnam replied.

"Ohhh... sorry... I will call you Joginder now." I said to Pappu.