I Remember How I Spent My Vacation

Being a cab driver in most famous car rental at airport is not easy at all. It has already been four years since I had stared working here and things haven’t been that bad except the fact that my annual leave gets rejected every year. But today is different; it is my last day at work before I get to spend the rest 3 weeks with my family. My company finally agreed to let me go on the “much-awaited” vacation.

I still remember the look on the face of my wife and my kid when I told them I got the leave approved. We had been preparing for this since quite long. My wife has been planning since then, shopping and reading all books she could about Mauritius, which is the place where we plan to spend the entire vacation. I just can’t wait to finish my shift and get ready for the day we all deserved. I haven’t been able to give any time to my family and this is the only way I can make up for them. This vacation means a lot to me and my family.

I finally have the last passenger for the day, I drop her home and I am off from work to the best times of my life (hopefully). She seems a very bubbly gal with loads of attitude to me. But I realize she isn’t and as they say looks could be deceptive. The moment she stepped into my can, she started complaining about everything – hygiene of the cab, the AC not working properly, my rash driving and pollution in the city.

As I was about to take a left turn at the airport, she shouted at me saying, “Take the outer ring road to my place”. I wanted to explain to her that it was a longer route but as they say “customer is always right” and so I obliged. All the while, she was abusing everyone and anyone she knew - politicians, her boss, airline staff, security guards and some people which I never heard of.

As we reached her place, I went out to help her with the luggage. Before she could pay me, she starting abusing some friend and then suddenly called someone for the keys. What I realized was that she did not have keys of the main door of the apartment. She had the flat keys but not the ones of the main entrance. She tried calling people from her mobile to help her with the keys but there seems not a single soul visible.

Suddenly, she turned to me for help and I wondered what I could so. She told me to help her with breaking that main door lock. I wasn’t sure of what to do but then I thought about her being alone in middle of night on such a lonely road. I took out a few things from my tool kit and started breaking the lock. I was almost done, when suddenly; some people from the same apartment woke up. There was uproar and before those people could come down, I had already broken the lock.

The people started shouting at me and before I could say anything, I realized they had already called the police. I tried to explain to them that I was trying to help the lady there but she washed her hands off. I felt so helpless and there came the police van. They took me along with them not giving me even a chance to speak. I just begged them to let me call my family and somehow they agreed.

I called home telling them I will be doing a double shift since it is my last day at work before vacation and I would see them next morning. We had a flight to catch next day evening. I tried to explain the entire story to the police officer in charge there and he agreed to take care of this thing first in the morning. That was the longest night of my life as I was waiting for the sun to rise. The officer proved to be a gentleman and decided to produce me before the magistrate in the morning session only.

I was there standing in the court and the clock hit 10.00 AM. The judge arrived and the case was opened. The girl I had picked up from the airport was there with some people from the apartment along with a lawyer. I was also given a lawyer by the court since I could not afford one. Discussions went on and as the lies always prevail, I was framed for something which I had felt was for “good” of someone.

Sentence to an imprisonment of 20 days or pay a fine of such a huge amount which I had only heard about, I decided to spend my entire vacation in jail thinking it had taken me 4 years to earn it.

According to Mamkol, “Be true and bear the cost or Lie and reap the fruits.”

All Worth It

As kids, jimmy and I were inseparable. Going to the same school, same tuition classes and both having flair for football, this bonding was bound to happen. He was my best friend and would never let me down. Be it the times when I would not do well in studies or in miss the chance to make it to school’s football team, but he always encouraged me saying there is always a tomorrow. We were just the best buddies.

I remember the time when I had jaundice and he would come every morning and evening letting me know what all happened in school. He would help me study the lessons I missed during those and kept me updated about all. Though we were just 15 but it had already been 6 years since we first met at the summer camp. We were just everything and anything for each other.

It was weekend and both of us planned to visit the town to buy jerseys for our out inter school football final. We were excited and decide to eat some chat too on the way back home. We stopped in the main market and checked out a couple of shops before finalizing one. Jimmy got the number 23 one and I got my favorite number 7. Then, as planned we started walking towards the famous chat shop.

While we were walking, a sudden explosion was heard and people started running. I could hear gun shots and unaware of what was happening, we also started running in whatever way we could mange. But in all of this, we lost track of each other. And there I was, in a street with a few more people and I seemed safe. Exactly on the opposite side, there was another street where Jimmy was standing. Between us, there was a road on which bullets were being exchanged.

I wanted Jimmy to cross the road but it never seemed a good idea. If at all any one of us put a foot on that road, we for sure would have been hit by a bullet. But I knew that the place Jimmy was hiding didn’t seem safe enough. I even tried to shout to Jimmy but the sound of bullets was overpowering mine.

Then, suddenly I heard a big blast and a bomb exploded right where Jimmy was hiding. I started crying not knowing what to do. As soon as the smoke from the blast settled down, I saw Jimmy lying down all covered with blood. He was not moving and my worst nightmare seems to be coming true. I wanted to cross the road and go to him but people stopped me saying it was “suicidal” and that Jimmy was dead and there was no use going to him.

But I couldn’t control myself anymore and ran towards Jimmy and got him back to the safe place where I was earlier hiding. There lied my buddy all in blood, not even moving and people tried to check he was alive but alas! He was not. People started shouting at me telling me I could also have died for doing such a foolish thing. One elderly man told me, “Do you it was worth risking your life when you knew he was dead”?

And I replied “Yes it was. You know when I reached there, Jimmy was still alive and he told me ‘I was sure you will come’.”

Everything has changed after Jimmy except for the friendship we shared.

According to Mamkol, “Life becomes special only because of the little unselfish things that make us human.”