Monday, January 31, 2011

Narrow Escape

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Ever since the day my childhood chum got her new bike (Hero Honda Pleasure), I wanted to ride it too! I would ask her to take me for rounds and we'd take it to five gardens (somewhere in Matunga) practically every alternate day just to practise. It had been a month since she got it and she had got a pretty good hold on it by then. She used to ride it to work too so she had more practice. I, however, always took time to get started with it each time. My short height might have something to do with it too. The idea is - if you're able to balance the bike while sitting on it such as both your legs touch the ground, then you're able to balance it while it is in motion too. I used to have a hard time with my legs reaching the ground and thereby, was forced to always sit on the edge of the seat.


On one such day, we decided to take it to five gardens again. She rode it on our way there. After a round of chaat and some chit-chatting, her ex (then boyfriend) gave her a call saying he was at Matunga station and wanted to catch up. We got to Matunga station with me sitting pillion, and there was no sign on him anywhere. She gave him a call and he was waiting for us at a restaurant a little ahead of the station. The restaurant was quite close and I told her I'll ride it till there while she goes walking. I insisted on wearing the helmet for the first time; it looked really cool and I felt more confident with it! I was not used to taking someone with me when I was riding so she walked ahead as I started with the bike.


I was at a really low speed and there was a speed breaker right ahead of me. I was riding so slow that I wouldn't even be able to climb up the speed breaker with that speed. I gave the bike a little acceleration to help it cross the speed breaker, and I lost control of the bike entirely as it went down the small slope i.e. the speed breaker. It took up so much speed that I panicked and forgot about the hand brakes!! There was a motorbike coming in from the right and I banged right into it, falling off my bike and hurting myself badly. The helmet saved my head though it was broken too. People crowded around me offering to help. I couldn't feel anything below the waist and for a minute, I really thought I lost my legs. After about ten minutes, I managed to get up and apologised to the man on the motorbike whose ankle I hurt. The crowd, biased that it usually is towards women, had not cared to see if he'd been hurt and that made it look like it was his fault. He asked me what I had been thinking and I told him it was entirely my fault. Thankfully, he hadn't been all that hurt and was sane enough not to pick up a fight. He just told me to be careful and smiled away.


Now, when I look back on that day, I can't help wondering how much the stars were in my favour. Had I not worn that helmet, my head would have been seriously injured. And to think I wore it to look cool!! Had there been a truck in place of the motorbike, I wouldn't have survived to talk of this. Had that motorbike been a little more faster, I might have survived but what good is life without a limb or two? It would have been very difficult. Ever since that day, I swore to be alert. I am indeed fortunate to have miraculously escaped.

3 comments:

Manpreet Bedi said...

ouch, god bless you. :)

Osci said...

Had you not put on the helmet, your head would have hit something hard and you would be normal again :)
Neways... Better luck next time.

Anubha said...

@Manpreet
may HE bless you too :)

@oscar
Very funny Osci .. i am quite normal, thank you :P
Better luck next time? with what? getting my head hurt? That's a mean thing to wish!