“It is a great feeling you know sunny”
Gaurav’s voice was barely audible over the 102 km/hr wind blowing across my face. Yeah right!! I thought, it is always intoxicating, drinks, and smoking. And of course, a reckless 100 in our speedometer does make it to the list. It’s always funny to think, how we lose our cool when it’s not us who are experiencing the “intoxication”, what happens when you get behind another guy in a bike? How does 100 km/hr become, in most cases, the path to realization of god?!!?!
“I will visit your temple every Saturday, lord hanuman; just make sure I reach home safely”
I tried to bribe my favorite god. Apparently, lord hanuman was not hearing my prayers over the wind too! I saw the needle creeping towards 105, steadily. I personally am totally cool with speedy driving, but it is the rash one that gives me the creeps. Why can’t engineering colleges be constructed within the city with all the traffic?!?! Was all that I could think of for the next hasty, adrenaline filled, fifteen minutes.
The blaring horn of the local bus made me thank god for a safe return back into the smoky, dirt filled, noisy city. But the “intoxicated” Gaurav haven’t yet got back to his senses, and we weaved our way past the cyclists and trucks alike. The bulky bike came to a sudden stop as soon as KFC came into view.
“How about a short snack sunny?”
Gaurav asked, already getting down from his bike and walking towards it. As I had no other choice, I followed him in.
“Welcome to KFC sir, what would you like to have?”
The guy at the counter recited his well rehearsed lines in a bored tone. Gaurav ordered his well rehearsed “snack” which would have well been a feast for an entire day for a family.
Laden with chicken popcorns and burgers, we made our way to the table for two, and as always, me sipping my usual crushers. As always there was nothing but the slurping and munching sound for the first few minutes, after we were half filled, Gaurav asked suddenly.
“You don’t like him do you?”
I just kept munching my burger, my silence as a gesture of accedence to his statement. There was a silence he was patiently waiting for the question to sink in and for me to answer. Being a guy who hated beating-around-the-bush talks, I said,
“Why do you have to put up with his arrogant authoritarian behavior?!?!”
And this time, Gaurav took his time; I could see him weighing in his mind what to tell and what not to. And finally, he opened up a story, of the most bizarre nature.
…………………………………………………………………………….
It may sound as an eccentric fable, but three years ago, exactly three years ago; I made a choice, a wrong choice; the biggest blunder of my life.
I was a loner in school, had no friends, no one I considered as friends. I had moved from Delhi and hated the atmosphere around this place. But soon, I made friends in my locality, wrong choice. Started going to night time strolls and before I knew it, they got me addicted, MARIJUANA.
Those were the early days of my friendship with josh, but he knew. I still have no idea how he found out, but one night, I sneaked out of my house unable to control my craving, when I was about to turn the end of my street, a voice right behind me startled me,
“Can’t keep your hands off Aunt Mary huh?!?”
“Hey josh, whats up man? What are you doing here yaar??”
I tried to strike a normal conversation, but my calmness was unconvincing, and my shivering hands betrayed me. When he started talking, playing along with my covert game, I blurted out and confessed on my own, but then when he wouldn’t let me go, I couldn’t control myself. The pain speeding through the nerves and spreading to every part of my body was agonizing. In a frenzied anger I fought him and made a run for it, and didn’t stop till I reached our haunt, the car shed of a rundown, deserted house about 2kms from my house.
When I started inhaling the ganja, the heaven descended upon me, and embraced me in an eternal bliss. As I laid there sniffing in the ambrosia I felt elated, floating along the cosmos, when suddenly the door burst open. I couldn’t make out the person, I was high and all I could see was his silhouette. I felt sponge like hands lifting me up and felt literally floating through the air, and a distant cry,
“This is my friend all you son of a *****”
And I could remember no more. It was as if I had slipped into eternal blackness, all I could remember were the occasional sounds I heard and the inevitable excruciating pain, when I would feel my whole body contort and start writhing and shaking uncontrollably and then the elixir would relieve me, always starting from the left arm, slowly healing every muscle on fire, slowly rising me to heaven.
Void… Blackness… Limbo….
“It’s worse than I thought he has been slipped with PCP… angel dust as some say…”
Pain burning through the body….
Flooding of antidote….
Blackness… Bliss….
Blinding light… Silhouette…
“No aunty its nothing, nothing to fear, we are preparing for exam, he is depressed with his past marks, doesn’t wanna come home before exams.. I ll take care… you stay normal and take care of yourself, I give my word…”
Slipping in to oblivion….
“Yes he is recuperating now, soon, we can get him out, but you need to engage him in something else make him addicted to something constructive”
Pain… Panacea… Blackness…
When I again came back to my senses, I was baffled to find myself in a room filled with machines for exercises. There was no mirror or a calendar; I could not see the day or date, or how I was. I tried to shout for help, but I was sapped of all my energy, I couldn’t stand up. It was as if I was held captive. Food materialized under the door. Thinking of where I was and how ended up there made my head hurt. Slowly, as I had nothing else to do, I started working on the machines. Even if I knew I was in captivity of some kind, I enjoyed the peace and serenity.
Occasionally, I blacked out or ended up in seizures, every time, the elixir relived me, but only after I had lost my consciousness. But slowly and steadily the intensity and recurrence reduced. One time, (didn’t know if its morning or night) when I came out of my slumber, I found josh sitting next to me smiling at me. And everything fell in to place, soon, with his help; I started working out more and more slowly getting out of my addiction. Soon I started pushing myself harder in exercise, when I had the craving for the drugs.
Three months had passed. Josh filled me in on how he had pacified my mother and made the excuses for me. I was back home, the board exams came and went, it was a miracle, from the very depths of hell I had managed to clear my exams, and back on track in my life.
From then on, I have felt an un-repayable debt towards josh. Some things in life just are that way. That’s the same with josh. He can sting you like a scorpion and be your guardian angel too.
…………………………………………………………………………….
I couldn’t find my tongue after hearing to the story that Gaurav just narrated. All I could think of was,
“What more strange things are yet to come?!?”
