It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and none of us were in any mood to cook. So we set out to have lunch at an Indian restaurant called ‘Flavor of India’. The food was delicious and the day was perfect. Or so it seemed then. Little did we know what lay ahead in store for us. After lunch, we thought of heading back home and having a nice cozy afternoon nap.
With these thoughts in mind, we were driving back home in Vikram’s car, when all of a sudden the car seemed to wobble a bit and made odd sounds. To our horror and panic, we saw smoke billowing out of the bonnet!! And this, while we were cruising along at around 65 mph on the Interstate 270! Thanks to Vikram’s quick response, he changed lanes and managed to pull over to the shoulder. I shudder to think of what would have happened had the car decided to let off steam right in the middle of the expressway!
We immediately got out of the car. Oil was leaking or rather I should say flowing out. It was freezing outside. Since we didn’t have plans of going anywhere else, I had left behind my gloves and earmuffs at home. And little did I know that it was the wrong day I had chosen to make a style statement, for I had left my nice, cozy (but not very pretty) jacket and instead was sporting a stylish new (but not very warm) hoodie, that I had bought the day before for a price I later found hard to digest! It was biting cold and though the sun was trying to peep out of the clouds, the strong winds made sure that even the little warmth that it provided was pushed into oblivion. Having gathered our shaken selves, we contemplated the best thing to do in a situation like this. Bala called another friend and he suggested calling up the insurance company. So Vikram called up the insurance company. Meanwhile, the smoke had died down a bit and it was so freaking cold that we decided to get back inside the car even though I did have my own apprehensions about the car blowing up!
While Vikram was speaking to the officer from the insurance company, a cop car pulled over behind us. The police officer came and asked us what was up. He opened the bonnet and had a look at it and declared that the water pump had broken, even as I wondered why oil was leaking out of a broken water pump! He was also doubtful about the insurance company covering that cost (adding on to Vikram’s tension am sure!). Then, he called for a tow vehicle to tow the car to the service centre. Since, there was nothing else to do a right then, the officer suggested we go back home and he offered to arrange transport for the four of us. We told him we were only half a mile away from home. So he said he would give us a ride back home in his police car instead. I must admit I was thrilled at the prospect!
So there we were, in the police car for the first time in our lives. Akshatha sat in the front next to the officer and the three of us sat in the back seat, the seat meant for criminals! There was a thick mesh separating the front seats from the back (lest the criminals try to attack I presumed), leaving very little leg room. But of course, it would be too much to complain because but for the cop’s car we would have been stranded in the highway and ended up spending I don’t know how much for a cab ride back home. The officer drove us home and stopped the car in the parking lot of my apartment. I tried to open the door but realized that I couldn’t do so as it was locked and could be opened only from the outside. In police cars, the back doors automatically get locked (after all they are meant to lock up criminals!). So Akshatha opened it for us and we got out thanking the officer. The confused look on the faces of two people in the car behind us as they saw us get out of a cop’s car laughing was indeed amusing! The cop drove away and just when I thought it was all over, we realized that we had left the iPod in the cop’s car!!! Some days can be crazy!
P.S: We got back the iPod later :-) I still can’t say ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ until we hear anything about the car. It’s still at the service centre!
