Traffic!

This Is What Happens If You Don't Listen!
Another morning, another day! The sun rises lazily from the sleepy horizon. I am ready today. I’ll not be disappointed. The traffic is still beginning to wake up. As I drift through the beach road, I think, these people are so conscious about themselves. They’ll do anything to keep fit. Yawn! As I cruise the roads I see many people. Some very smartly dressed going to offices and colleges. I see street vendors. They are very rare cases, I think to myself. Its just 8:00 am. The sun is up and bright in the sky.

Red, Orange and Green! I see the signal lights. They excite me! Especially the Red Signal!! Vroom vroom…zoom…Ah, finally the traffic is coming alive!! The sound of the traffic runs through me like music. Just then I hear a nerve wrenching screech! Yes, that’s it. Excitedly I turn around to see who that was. Is he dead? Is he alive? I rush to the scene, thrilled to see what happened! There was a lot of crowd. But the guy, on a two wheeler, got away with out a scratch. He was overtaking a car from the left side. A common mistake in Vizag, I sneer. I finally found my target - the guy in a blue shirt, who is racing the streets on a new two wheeler! Youngsters on their new bikes, without helmets! I just love them, I smile gleefully.

I follow him, past street vendors, past schools and shops. Every time he would overtake a vehicle from the left side, I would speed up to catch up with him. Every time he rashly cut someone’s path, I was excited. I kept going after him. He’s not wearing a helmet! I observe. His bike is new, that means disc breaks! By now I was really amused by how he set the entire scene for a perfect accident. We finally stop at a Red light. The biker had no choice; he couldn’t jump the light because there were other vehicles that blocked his path. Just then I see another one. This time a car, taking a U-Turn where it was banned. He wasn’t wearing his seat belt and he was even talking on his cell phone! I wonder if I should change to the chap in the car, I think. With so many people breaking traffic rules, it’s very tempting to change targets.

As I stood waiting for the light to change, a shower of spit flew from a window of a bus next to me, missing me by just an inch. Do they practice this perfect projectile of spit so that it misses passers by? Heheheh! The light changes. And I decide to stick to my previous target. He is more interesting. Vohooo…he is going really fast. I guess I can finally find someone! The biker races through traffic, cutting in front of other speeding vehicles on the highway. Yes! I encourage him to go faster. Tring tring…Yes now! Answer the call. He answers it. Like as if in slow motion, everything happens!

He reaches for his cell phone in his pocket. As luck would have it a mongrel crosses the road, unaware of the biker. The biker sees the dog, in the nick of the moment and jams his breaks. But with the cell phone in one hand he looses control, and heads straight for a speeding lorry. CRASH! Music to my ears! La la la la la…I sing as the crowd gathers. Finally I won’t be alone anymore! Just then I hear the sirens of an ambulance. NO! I follow the ambulance as it whisks him away to a nearby hospital. I see him, blood all over his head, unconscious. Come on! They rush him into the ICU. After waiting for what seems like ages, I see the doctor come out and telling the boy’s relatives, that he was going to be okay. But that he was driving rashly and broke many traffic rules.

Oh No! He got away, what am I going to do now? I was so disappointed. Slowly I drag my self out of the ICU. Oh well, another day another victim. I find some solace in this statement. I too was once where the biker is now. But I wasn’t as lucky as he is. If I were, I would be driving so cautiously; following all the traffic rules to the T! And I wouldn’t be this lonely soul wandering the streets to find some company!