Lonely Highway - are we ready?
We had a #ROTN ride last Saturday night (30
th March 2019). We had a lovely
time and an uneventful ride/drive to IPC in Devanahalli. Since the venue was a
distance away, our time got extended by about 30 minutes (else it is strictly 9.30-11.30 pm) resulting in us
leaving the place a little after 12.00 am.
The next
day was an event by 'The Bikerni' in the same area. So two of us decided to stay
in a place close by and avoid the unnecessary to and fro to the city. This
meant that we bid adieu to all the ROTNers and N in her car and I on my bike
were the last to leave. We were trying to locate the place we were crashing in
for the night and so had to stop a couple of times. On one of those stops my
bike decided to stop with a tiny little fart (she’s old…so old age probs! :P).
Now it was way
past 12 and N and I are alone on the Hyderabad highway a few meters from IPC. I
take my bike to the extreme left and proceed to try and trouble shoot the problem as
best as possible. After letting out fuel (sometimes an air lock can cause this), cleaning the spark plug and kicking to high heavens for close to 40
minutes my bike just refused to start.
Whilst all of
this drama is unfolding – I am literally out of breath with all of the physical
exertion from the kicking - I notice a red Maruti Celerio go past, get to the
junction ahead, pull over to the left and park. The car was easily about
300-500 meters ahead. So I observed it, ignored it and continued with
my kicking.
After about
10 minutes of being parked, the car starts up switches on its lights and
starts to reverse to where we were standing. So all this time N is in the car
and she has it running with her headlights trained on me. The moment I see this
car back up I see 4 boys in this car
and they kept turning and laughing amongst themselves whilst reversing towards
us.
Just the way this happened I knew in my gut that their intentions perhaps weren’t
right. Now they looked like decent boys about 20-25 years who were out for a
spin and a good time. I really am not sure of what their intention were at this
point, but I am not taking any risk. So I quickly lock my bike walk back a few
paces to N’s car. She keeps this rod – this really solid iron collapsible
rod that can cause some serious damage. I open the door bend down to retrieve
it. In the meanwhile N is ready to scoot or bang their car or whatever to get
us out of this situation. But then something snapped in me. I bend down pick up this rod close the door, square my shoulder and march right
towards this car.
Now I can see these boys are laughing and leering at us. And
I don’t know what it was – perhaps the way I approached them or perhaps the way
I decided not to back out – I don’t know what
- but they revved and raced right out of there in a hurry. By then I
was pumped with adrenaline and I can swear that I was prepared to do some serious damage had those boys not scooted – I know that now – but then I wasn’t
thinking – I was only reacting.
Perhaps in a way not accustomed by those who
think that women can be easy prey. I have trained for years to be competent, to
be able to take care for myself and get myself out of sticky situations cause I
enjoy my freedom, I do not like to be tethered, I do not play by the rules
either society or anybody else sets and so I have invested a lot of time in
training myself, my muscles, my brain to react rather than think and overthink
most situations. It was perhaps this that came to my aide or perhaps it was divine
intervention or my mothers prayers…I don’t know what. Whatever it was both N
and I are thankful and grateful for it.
Post this incident
N tells me “listen dump your bike to the side, there is just no place we can
wheel it to for safekeeping for the night. So take whatever you can from it,
lock it and we will come back in the morning and get it”. “So I say ok” cause I
have put her through enough already and don’t want to prolong her suffering
cause of my stubbornness!
I tell her, “let me just wheel it to the junction
where there is light and we will lock it there”. So I start wheeling it there and whilst I am
happily enjoying the burn in my thighs, the pain
between my shoulder blades (yup, I am just being sarcy! It’s a TB 350, 12 year old bike – it’s plain
heavy!), I notice a bullet with two guys on it pass by. These guys slow down
when they see me push my bike and N following me right behind with her headlights
absolutely focused on me (sorta like in the spotlight!).
They go a
little ahead realize that maybe we need help and come back. Now the way they
did it I could sense that they were genuinely there to help. So I stayed put and
they come and shake my bike, check a few controls – all was right – wonder what
the hell could be causing the problem, even check for fuel – all of which I had
already gone through. Then the guy just sits on my bike kicks it once it doesn’t
start and then kicks again, and my engines roared to life. Just like that! I
quickly thank them – keep the revs high and get out. He even gives me his card
and says he is a photographer and to please remember him when we need his genre
of services. I thank him profusely and leave.
We thankfully
then get to our destination totally tired and aching with all of the
exertion, but we make it back being mighty grateful to those guardian angles
who were watching over both of us on that lonely stretch of highway where
several vehicles zipped by, one stopped with not good intentions and one
stopped like angels.
On that
highway we saw the face of both – the good and the bad. On that highway I knew
that the bad comes in numbers and the good perhaps are but a few but that’s all
that is needed to make that difference. On that highway our loyalty towards each
other – not dumping, the other kept us both safe. On that highway I also realized that the years I have put into training, to be strong and independent, did not go
wasted – yet again. And I have a mother who didn’t hold me back being a
“daughter” from getting this way but encouraged me and put me in martial arts
classes – perhaps I cannot throw a perfect punch – or land that perfect kick –
but I know that my mothers’ vision to enable me to learn those skill sets, the
years I have stayed in touch with those skills, all came to the fore – cause I
didn’t need to land that punch. I only needed the confidence to walk up and not
back down. The confidence that those skills gave me. Perhaps if I had actually gotten
into a tussle with them I might not have gotten out alive or unharmed. But the
confidence was all that was needed on this particular occasion.
If you have
had the patience to read all of this – may I request, you – please do not
protect your daughter – cause at that split second when danger comes calling –
she only has herself and her instincts to depend on. Provide her with every
opportunity to hone those skills that will help her face her troubles head on.
She is your princess – but she can be that iron hand in that velvet glove – give
her the possibility to do what she wants and when she wants – but help her
equip herself with the skill sets that will enable her to achieve all that her
heart desires – even if it means being out at 1.00 am and facing four guys
without backing down on a lonely stretch of the highway.
