My first car..

As I have complained many times here, it takes almost four hours a day for me to travel from and to office. One fine day, since I had no other reason to argue with hubby, I raised this topic. “Dude…don’t you feel bad, since your wife is spending so much time for travel everyday? Why don’t you get me a car?” – “And who will drive it?” – pat came the reply! Now, this was a challenge to my potentially unknown driving skills. I had to prove myself, atleast for the sake of winning the argument. So, I started the operation – “How to learn to drive a car in 1 week?”

Driving a car is not easy. Especially, if you have a male tutor who is an expert in driving sitting next to you, and issuing instructions, all the time. And it becomes even more difficult, if the said tutor is the darling husband! You can’t even shout back at him and quit the course in the middle, because, your prestige is at stake. It’s a pain in the neck, I tell you! “Don’t do this! Fuel consumption will be more!” “Don’t do that! Fuel consumption will be more!” The even best way to save fuel would be to switch off the engine and walk back home. I many times doubted my own ability and even thought of quitting, even though I would have obviously blamed him for his inefficiency in teaching me! But, lucky for me, the said tutor and husband motivated me enough to drive successfully, without the engine getting turned off. Self-confidence pays!

And successfully enough, I learnt to drive, and even better, I also succeeded in making him get me a new car. Yep! I am now, the proud owner of a brand new Wagon R, although by now, it is a week old. Two days into getting the car, I started to drive to office, mainly to show off to everybody, that I can drive, more than to show off that my husband bought me a new car!

First day, driving in the bypass – God knows, how nervous I was, clutching the steering so tight, that I did not release it, even to reduce the AC which was in a freezing third level. Second day, my confidence increased to the level that I was able to drive back in the highway at 9 in the night. Just for your information, in case you don’t know, lorry traffic in the highway is high at that time. Third day, since I was an expert in driving by then, I decided to take over the responsibility from husband and leave the car in the shed – all by myself, after getting proper instructions – “Do not leave the accelerator, once you have reached the elevation. ” As instructed, I raised the accelerator, to leave the car inside the shed. After a second or so, the car did not move, no matter how much I raised it, only to realize that my husband was screaming like hell, outside the car. No, I didn’t drive over him. He was safe – but the car was not. I had crashed the side door of the car in our shed gate. It got stuck with the gate. Neither could I take it front, nor could I reverse it. After hearing some extraordinarily nice words from him, I got down of the car, and retreated to my room silently, like a kid, who breaks a toy, and silently vacates the place. As I was wondering in my room, as how to make a drama and back-blame him, he luckily came and pacified me, saying that insurance claim is still possible! Good for him, he escaped from my drama. Finally, his friends came to the rescue, and with the help of all mechanical instruments possible, they released the car from the gate. Not much damage – just a big dent and all scratches in the back door. Over-confidence also pays!

I know, I am eligible for all the appreciations, from near and dear for this, but where’s the thrill, if my car doesn’t have even a single scratch?? As our tamil poet has rightly said,

“Dent-odu ottuvaaare, nalla driver aavar,
matravar ellam otta theriyaadhavar!”