A Ride and A Crash

I got back on my feet in a fraction of a second. Just stood there gauging my situation as the seconds felt like minutes passing by. Facing the darkness - there was nothing to be seen in front of me, the bike was somewhere behind. As I turned around, I saw the bike laying there at a distance and two big headlights approaching towards us. As a reflex I just ran to the bike, put myself between the bike and the approaching headlights. I had raised my hand indicating the vehicle to stop. There was not much distance left between us and the breaks squeaked bringing the mammoth to a standstill. Later I realized how lucky I was that the truck was able to stop before it went over me along with my bike. It was a stupid move actually but I guess at that point in time I was blinded by love.
I just turned around, picked up my bike and pushed it on the side of the road. The truck moved on and I just waited there for a while.
I along with my friend “Dada” was on a short ride to Manor. At just 140km return trip Manor has been a regular ride destination with good roads and a smooth ride. Also, there is this restaurant nearby which served the “Aloo ke parathe with butter & cold coffee with vanilla ice cream” to my liking. These two causes of a good ride and good food were enough for a wonderful outing.
It was 7 in the evening when Dada called up asking if I would be interested in riding to Manor. It was an instant yes from me and I asked him to move out immediately. He was just not ready yet so we planned to move out at 8. By the time we actually moved out it was 9:30, this was my first disappointment. But as it was a habit with Dada, I expected it. Dada’s 5 minutes generally lasted 30-45minutes so an 8pm schedule was always out of question. The second disappointment was the patch of road in between which was partially under construction. The ride which was expected to be smooth all the way had now turned into dirt track for a while. We managed to navigate through and get back on the smooth road heading towards our destination. Just because of the roads we took double the time then expected reaching Manor at around 12.
This was my third disappointment – to find the restaurant closed. It was pretty late. My heart had already sunken with these three disappointments; the only thing to do now was to return back with my shoulders dropped. Like a soldier returning from a defeated battle. We started the ride back, riding like nothing to lose. We were cruising at the speed of 80km/hrs. I was just lost, so I let Dada take the lead. My only focus now was the tail light of Dada’s bike. I was in a trance like state, where I was being guided by the dim light in the darkness. I was so unaware that I didn’t realize when I hit the bad patch of road again. Still at 80Km/hrs the bike lost its balance due to the uneven surface of the road and I came crashing down.
As I stood there on the side of the road a car stopped to check on me. I gave them a thumps up to indicate I was okay and they can move ahead. I was waiting there for Dada to turn around and come back for me. Dada took his time to come back. He was in a state of shock, as if he had seen a ghost upon seeing me. He was riding a few meters ahead of me when I crashed. He didn’t see me crash. Luckily he had heard the sound of a crash and stopped at the side of the road waiting for me. When I didn’t show up, he realized it was me who had crashed; the worst of his fears came alive. He literally froze there. The car which had stopped for me also stopped besides him letting him know that I was alright and was waiting for him back there. I had crashed but Dada was shaken. Crashes have been a routine for me after riding for so many years. Mostly whenever I have crashed I was alone. This was the first time I had a company. I talked Dada out of his dismay. Assured him I was okay with some minor scratches and asked him to check if the bike was okay. Dada confirmed that the bike was also okay with some minor scratches. The Adrenalin was still pumping keeping the pain away. We got on our bikes and headed home, this time slow and steady.