The Solo-trip that wasn't exactly 'Solo'!!!

Write Tribe

She tapped her fingers on the wheel lightly, enjoying the soft music playing in her car and the long drive that she had embarked upon. This was the second day of her week-long solo trip. She still couldn’t believe that she was finally living one of her most avid fantasies – travelling alone without a plan and just going with the flow. Yesterday evening she had picked up a random hotel (albeit a decent looking one) and had stayed there. Today morning, after a sumptuous breakfast, she had checked out and left for the highway again without a plan. It was adventurous, it was thrilling, it was all she had ever wanted to do. The car she had rented was perfect and till now everything was going really smooth.

But it hadn’t come easily for her. She had had a hard time convincing her parents to let her travel alone. Their concern for her safety was valid and really touching, but her wanderlust was like an itch that just begged to be scratched and she could not ignore it any more. After a lot of arguments and pleading, she had finally convinced them (I-will-call-you-every-hour-and-give-updates had really worked like a charm!).

The highway stretched ahead of her endlessly with the occasional drive-in and a few automotive-repair shops. She had been driving for an hour now and enjoyed the monotony of the road ahead. It was mesmerizing to drive, like a video game that one could keep on playing. It was a hot day and the sun was blazing, casting a yellow glare on the world. She decided to stop at the next drive-in to buy food and water.

She drove for almost half-n-hour till she found another drive-in at a small junction that was just off the highway. There were few vehicles parked and she could park hers very comfortably. After refreshing herself, she ordered some French-fries and a bottle of water. She waited at the counter and saw the activity around her. Few tables were occupied by families. There was a relaxed chatter and the atmosphere was homely.

Ten minutes later, she left the drive-in with the parcel in her hand and walked towards her car. She saw that the trunk of the car was slightly open. She frowned, trying to remember whether she had opened it. She was sure that the trunk had been totally ignored by her ever since she rented the car. Shrugging her shoulders, she closed the top and got inside the car. After eating the fries, she started for the rest of her drive.

About twenty minutes later, she heard a soft thump! She felt the first wave of anxiety of her trip. You can’t decide to go flat on me, here, where I can’t see a single shop! She thought in despair and willed for the tire to carry on for some more time till she could find help. To her relief, the car kept moving on. I must have imagined it. She thought, feeling silly.

The second time though, she heard the sound clearly and without a mistake. She halted at one side of the road and got down from the car, checking every tire. As she came to the back of the car, she heard the sound again. It was coming from the trunk. It seemed like someone was making the sound from inside the trunk. In another words, someone wanted her to open the trunk and let them out.

She looked around and found that she was alone on the road. The drive-in seemed too far for anyone to come to help. She felt her palms sweat and her heart palpitate. Her breath came in short gasps. So much for the blasted fantasy of a solo-travel! She jolted at the sound of another thump and wiped her palms on her clothes. Here goes nothing, she thought and with shaking fingers, she opened the top only to find a boy – presumably in his early teens, eagerly straighten up and climb out. He gave her a sheepish smile showing crooked teeth. She heaved a sigh of relief. Surely this kid, with the adorable crooked-teeth smile and the lean frame can’t be dangerous!

She didn’t smile back at him. Instead she glared at the kid for some time before she asked him. “Care to explain?”

He ran his hand at the back of his head before he replied guiltily. “Sorry, I wanted a ride.”

“And you decided that the best way to do that is to get into somebody’s car-trunk?” She asked him incredulously.

“Look, I get it. Can you just drop me a little further where I can get another vehicle? This road is starkly empty. If you leave me here, I don’t know whether I would get any other ride. I promise, at the next junction, I will leave if I get another vehicle.”

Well-played kid, well-played…. She thought drily. She obviously couldn’t leave him here. But she wasn’t going to let him off easily too.

“Get inside. Sit in the front beside me and tell me your story. I will decide what to do about you then.” She said in her strictest voice but soon lost it when the boy again gave his innocent-crooked-teeth smile in relief.

They got inside the car and she took in the small travel-bag that the kid was holding. She started the car and rode in silence for few minutes.

“Spill it. Why are you here?” She said, not taking her eyes off the road ahead.

“My dad operates the drive-in. Business is good, the flow of money is constant. My dad – he constantly wars with me. Nothing that I do is right. He has something to advise me about always. I am really fed up now. I just want to live freely, just the way I want to.” He finished petulantly and she was filled with a mixture of compassion, appreciation and amusement.

“What’s in the bag?”

“The money that I earned through tips… I have been saving since two years. I want to go to the next city. Once I reach there, I intend to work in some hotel and study too. I have enough to take care of my studies for the first year. I guess once I start working I will earn and keep up my studies.”

“Where will you live?”

There was a pause as he thought about it. “I don’t know. I have not thought about it. But I will manage.”

“What about your parents? They will go mad with worry and concern.”

“My mother died about five years ago. I don’t have any siblings. My father – he has always been aloof. He just does his duties and retires at the end of the day. It won’t matter to him whether I am there or not.” There was a slight edge to his tone as he said this. After few seconds, he added. “Of course, I will call up the drive-in after I reach the city and inform him not to worry. That will do, won’t it?” He asked, his confident façade slipping for the first time and a tone of uncertainty shadowing his voice.

“I guess. But it is wrong to run away like this. What if he files a police complaint?” This time she too felt nervous. Would they know that he was in her car?

“I will ring him up as soon as possible. I don’t think he will file a police complaint.” The boy was sounding more and more confused by now. She smiled secretly. She just knew what to say further.

“So you are an only kid. Does your dad have any other relatives around to help him in your absence?”

“No. Just the co-workers and other staff.” The kid said in a really low voice.

She stopped the car. “Have we reached the junction already?” The kid asked in panic.

“No. But I want to ensure – are you having second thoughts?”

The kid didn’t reply but looked in the direction from where they had come. There was a sadness in his gaze and she could detect slight fear in his eyes. For the first time since they had met, he was acting his age and she felt a sense of compassion and responsibility towards him.

“You know, I can drop you back at the drive-in. I really don’t mind driving all the way back. I know it sounds very adventurous – eloping from home, living in a new city, working and studying side-by-side… but it is not easy. What if you don’t get a job immediately there? Do you have enough to sustain yourself?” She asked gently.

The kid stared back at her in confusion. He said after a while. “But I am constantly at logger-heads with my dad here. I am not happy.”

“Why don’t you let me talk to your dad?”

He seemed unsure but nodded his head. With relief, she turned the car the other way round and drove back to the drive-in.

It took her twenty minutes to reach there. All the time, the boy nervously fidgeted in his seat, sometimes adjusting the buttons on his shirt, other times, trying to smooth the crease in his jeans... He hardly sat still for a minute. She smiled in amusement.

As she reached the parking lot, she saw people gathered outside the drive-in. She could easily make out the boy’s dad who looked considerably worried and scared.

“Oh no!” The kid muttered beside her and she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and shook her head. “Don’t be scared. Come.” She got down from the car and the kid got down from his side.

The moment, his dad saw him, his expression changed from concern and worry to relief and sorrow. His eyes filled up and he shook his head muttering something under his breath.

She put a hand over the kid’s shoulder and ushered him near the entrance where his dad was standing.

“I can explain. He was hiding in the trunk of my car and said he wanted to..” She began slowly but the dad cut her off mid-speech by raising his palm in a stopping gesture. He had eyes only for his son and approached him carefully as if scared that he would run away again. When he stood near his son, he looked at him for a long while, a myriad of expressions floating on his face – grief, sorrow, relief and a slight tinge of anger.

“What did you want?” Asked the dad gruffly.

“I – I just want to live freely, dad, the way you do. I want to live on my own terms, take my own decisions, live my life just the way I want to, without you making me feel wrong about everything I do.” The boy replied in a low voice, not meeting the dad’s gaze.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke and she felt that she should say something but the dad again beat her to it.

“Agreed. But I want a promise from you.”

The kid couldn’t hide his surprise and happiness and eagerly said. “Anything you say, dad!”

“Promise me, that you will never do this again. You almost ran away and gave me the scare of my life. You are my only family now. I have already lost my wife. I can’t lose you too.” The dad’s voice broke at the end and he struggled to compose himself.

The kid rushed forward and hugged his dad with a muffled ‘Sorry!’. With an awkward pat, the dad slowly withdrew himself from the hug and draped his arm around his son. Looking at her, he nodded his head and said. “Thanks a lot. I owe you big time.”

Feeling ridiculously emotional she smiled in acknowledgement, the lump in her throat not allowing her to speak. She ruffled the boy’s hair affectionately and waved good-bye to both dad and son.

After half-n-hour she reached a junction and smiled, thinking about the boy. She slowly approached a shop and asked the shopkeeper. “Which way leads to the next city?” She was geared up for the rest of her adventure.