One of my neighbour, of course I call him uncle, he has two children, the elder one being four years younger than me. Well, leave that aside, he is a fanatic of examinations, and since salary is not enough to even buy a decent house, he takes examinations as much as he can, to qualify one in order to get a better job.
So this way, after a lot of hurdles, he finally decided to give some exam on the early February of 2013. It was quite late, after his examination was over, the night was falling in, he took out his phone to see uncountable missed calls from his dearest wife, it was already 2:00 a.m., the midnight, with the blanket of black surrounding him all over. Examination took much time, and the streets of Delhi is obviously unsafe. Any possible mode of vehicle, and he would get into it. His main goal after the examination was to reach to his wife. He prayed to Lord to make him reach safely, as a cab nearby appoached him.
"Saab, kahaan jana hai aapko?"
(Where d'you wanna go?"
"Dhaula Kuan. Chaloge?"
(Dhaula Kuan. Would you go?)
"Hum bhi to vahiin jaa rahe hai. Aiye, hum apko waha drop kar dete hai!" (I too am going that way. Come, I would drop you.)
The gentleman of a driver said, courteously.
Uncle smiled as he got into. "Whatever the fare, I would of course, pay. Just make me reach the place."
"Aapse kya paise lena? Aise hi chodr dete hai." The driver said. "Jaa hi to rahe they waha."
(Why take money? I would leave you for free.)
Uncle smiled. "Where d'you live?" He asked.
"Dhaula Kuan only."
He began driving, slowly. Yet more slowly. It was around 2:15 and still not out of that place. He turned to see what the situation of the traffic was, behind. It was quite dark, inside as outside. Yet in that blackishness, he could see something moving, not outside, but inside.. The figure of some man, wrapped in blanket. He was quite shocked!
The man remained expressionless. Won't move a bit. Won't say anything, almost pretending he never existed. Uncle too, pretended he never saw anyone, though in his heart, he was afraid. "I thought the driver was the only person!" He thought.
The driver soon stroke a conversation with him.
"Saab, where do you stay?"
"Dwarka." He replied nervously. Somewhere deep in his heart, he knew he boarded the wrong vehicle. His suspicions grew, yet he pretended not to understand a single thing.
"Acha baatein to aap bhot kar rahe ho, ab aap baao aap kaha rehte ho?"
(You're talking a lot, yet you did'nt tell me where you stay?)
"Nazafgarh." He replied.
Just before had he spoken he stayed at Dhaula Kuan, why Nazafgarh this time? He was sure something really unelcome was going to happen to him. He shivered, and became stiff.
"Ease off a little. Why you so stiff?" The driver asked.
He looked out. The driver moved his hands on his side pockets of the trousers uncle was wearing. It was empty. He further moved it on the bag he was carrying, to feel notes, if of course, any.
Uncle didn't have a penny except for the bus fare. Yet if they found out, were they going to leave him?
He suddenly realised they had crossed Dhaula Kuan. He didn't protest. He knew, if he did, it was his end. They were going in a totally opposite direction. He worried. His wife and children would be waiting for him, hungry; what if he didn't return ever? What if it was his final night? He felt his phone vibrating, yet did not have the guts to answer. He knew even showing a phone meant he was signalling his invitation to death. He pretended he didn't have any.
The weird man at the back also scared him a lot. What if he grabbed him and murdered him? Would his anxious wife even come to know what has happened? He desparately tried to think of a way to escape. The family's financial conditions were already low, and if he died, they might come down to the streets. He had to live, for them. Yet he was trapped. He closed his eyes.
Soon, the car took a halt. He opened his eyes to see an unknown road with cars all around. A traffic Jam!
His heart leaped. Without saying a word, he opened the door and fled out in the opposite direction. The car couldn't possibly move back due to the heavy jam. And thankfully those men didn't follow him.
Luckily the public bus was on the way to his home, he boarded it to reach finally, at 3:30 at Dwarka, to his home sweet home finally.
He remebered his prayer to the Lord before he boarded the vehicle. There wasn't no means he oculd escape being murdered, yet that day perhaps He listened to his prayers.
"It's unsafe, yet we are responsible, and in turn, the system is responsible. I could have noted the number and called the police, yet the fear of losing anonymity and thus falling into problems stopped me." He said.
"Because, though they promise, one cannot believe people. And that leads to more crimes." He told us later.
