Ferrari

Survi yawned and groggily walked to the front door. It was Friday already and she hadn’t even realized. Vivaan, her 7-year-old had exams and mother and son had been occupied for at least a month. There were courses to be learnt and courses to be written. Survi wondered what they were doing in school. She hadn’t studied as much even as a 17 year old ... and then there was a mad rush of her projects. She needed a break.

 ‘Ma and Papa are leaving tomorrow,’ Survi realized. Her parents would be leaving for the hills and staying with her brother. ‘Vivaan and I must make it for dinner tonight.’

She picked up the newspapers and the milk packets and stifling another yawn she walked back to the living room. ‘What’s the headlines this morning,’ she heard her husband Aditya’s lazy drawl. The man sounded half asleep.

 Survi looked through the papers and stopped at a particular headline. Aditya needed to see it. She purposefully walked to the sofa where he was now almost asleep again and thrust the newspaper into his hand. ‘Here, read this.’

Aditya’s lazy eyes took a while to register the events of the morning and he said, ‘Holy shit. Three people killed for nothing. But hey ... Survi, what are you trying to say?’

Nothing at all. I just don’t want to see your name in that list someday. You pretty well know what I mean.’  Aditya briskly walked up to her and buried his head in the mass of her hair and whispered sweet nothings.  ‘I am going to Ma’s tonight,’ Survi said finally.

‘I would love to join. But you know the office party is...’ Aditya looked for excuses. Spending an evening with hers or even his parents was the last thing on his mind.

‘Oh yes darling. I pretty much know you would like to join,’ Survi winked and walked away.

****

Friday night in this part of the city was always like a festival. Aditya had no plans of going back before the sun would rise. But then his colleagues were all domesticated and wanted to call it a night.  It was just about 11. The men were crazy. Finishing his last glass of wine, Aditya said his goodbyes and stood in the parking area for a while. Neelesh, his closest buddy at office, tapped him on the shoulder slightly.

‘Hey, are you sure you can do this? Or do you want me to drive?’ Neelesh asked him tentatively. ‘You had a lot of wine right?’

 ‘Oh come on. I have been doing this like always. I’ll drop you, take a U- turn and get back. I even won a car race with two pegs of whiskey dancing in my system man. And when will this Ferrari come to use?’ Fast cars had been Aditya’s passion. He and Survi had a huge fallout when he had decided to buy a Ferrari and not their dream home.

Neelesh unwillingly sat in the passenger’s seat and Aditya mocked the law. ‘Last time I got away with just 2000 bucks man. These people who drive in the night are all drunk like me,’ he said and laughed. As he began to drive, he continued to pick up speed.

‘Bro, take it easy. We aren’t racing,’ Neelesh reminded him. Maybe he made a terrible mistake by accompanying Aditya.

‘Listen you can drop me here,’ Neelesh said as they neared the street he lived in. They would have to take a narrow lane to reach his house and he was scared. Aditya could hit the walls of a house or the little roadside shops.

‘Oh come on,’ Aditya laughed and as they entered the lane he realized he had lost control of the wheel. Trying to get things straight he nervously manoeuvred the car and hit a scooty.

‘Man, what have you done? Just ... just don’t stop. The people from the neighbourhood will come soon and you and I will be beaten to pulp.’

****

Neelesh had instructed him to take another route. He didn’t want Aditya to get caught in a hit-and-run case. As Aditya drove back home, his phone beeped. Unmindfully he took the call and heard someone say, ‘We are sorry, Sir. There was an accident near the Carmel school and your wife and son....’

Aditya sat there on the road and looked at his Ferrari. The scooty he had hit was Survi’s. He had lost his wife and son, all in a matter of minutes. Survi had got her break.