Partying all night, a movie with friends’ n folks, n then try n squeeze in some sleep before the long drive ahead. The Italian Stallion stood the test of time n endured to convince us it had what it takes to take us back home in a jiffy. Planned to start at 4 in the morning, woke up a half hour before.
And let the ordeal begin.
04:00 am: Started the Italian stallion and he never sounded better. Sunny boy escorted us out of the maze called Bengaluru city to the highway.
04:15 am: Touched the highway and the Y went wrong, headed towards the airport to return back to the highway.
04:25 am: The journey actually started hoping to end by 11:00 am and make it to work post lunch.
06:00 am: Smooth sailing.
07:00 am: Started head banging not to music but to sleep while on the wheel and wisely for my age I decide to stop. Seats laid back and my back to it slept a sound round of quiet harmony. The vehicles rocked us to the deepest slumber when they whizzed pass.
07:30 am: A huge n heavy Ashok honked to wake us up and showed us the sun brushed highway lying alone ahead and we headed north.
08:00 am: Smooth sailing.
08:15 am: Crossed Anantpur waving his board that read; thank you for visiting me.
08:30 am: Y held something against me, taking us to a village called Gooty. Crossed the village and cajoled the highway again.
08:45 am: The Italian stallion coughed and stopped by its food station- checked his tummy to find it full. Then he rose royally to take us forward.
08:50 am: He coughed again and stopped but this time no food station around. We gave him a break and it slept. We forced him to rise again and again and dud no reply. We tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, no use. We tried talking him into life, no use. We complained to the almighty to inject some sense to him, no use.
Stuck on the highway, 290 kms from where we hoped to be and 253 kms from where we headed north. Sun was no more in a brushing mood, the sun lord smiled with all his 32’s. I asked the Italian stud, weren’t u better off with your food station by? Least had some human inhabitants.
Stuck on the highway, 290 kms from where we hoped to be and 253 kms from where we headed north. Sun was no more in a brushing mood, the sun lord smiled with all his 32’s. I asked the Italian stud, weren’t u better off with your food station by? Least had some human inhabitants.
Now we are stuck in the middle of nowhere, our phone almost ready to breathe its last, hungry, helpless, a flat bum would have been ok, but this?
09:00 am: Let’s see now. Mobile phone a sleep but my navigator, like a star switched off hers to save some, called the “mech” at Hyderabad for help, his instinct said; can u help me find the Fiat highway helpline number? Hmmm ok I tot to myself there are people who needs help at this moment more than we did. Pulled out my laptop and the stick, looked for the number, got it.
Time to use my navigator’s masterstroke. Mob flashed calling 1800 145 145, technology answered the call, manipulated to reach a voice of stranger who could turn out to be our saviour, we explained and the to be saviour enquired which model of the Italy’s best do u drive, I said Fiat Palio 1.9D, Oh we don’t cover that pat came the reply, the helpline turned out not to be of much help as it was determined to help only those cars that wouldn’t need any.
10:00 am: Google could show us the way to our hero I thought, and the search engine worked fine unlike the Italian’s. Looked for a local workshop and Google gave me the number, I dialled again, fixed an appointment for 10:30 am.
11:00 am No sign of the mechanic yet and our stomach did a vuvuzela, thankfully our dear one packed us food for the road, ate.
12:30 pm The mechanic showed up, by now we were at ease with the sun beating the **** out of us.
03:30 pm Dismantled, explored, put it back together, did all that and after 3 hours declared “we have to tow it to the nearest dealership; 48 kms away” :), I had a smile on my face and I didn’t know why, may be that was the only thing I could do to make us happy.
04:00 pm The tow party came and demanded as if he came to buy the car. Negotiated hard and put the car on tow. The person leading the tow didn’t look older than 18, what are we getting into, but did we have an option NOOOOOOO.
06:15 pm Reached the dealership, imagine a 1 tonne vehicle without the power steering being pulled by a TATA ace through the highway with a deviation to take us off road and return to the four lane on all fours. To steer the monster was no easy task.
07:00 pm Handed over the Italian to India’s grandfather brand TATA.
07:30 pm Convinced the not yet 18 to drop us to the bus stand, but the opportune squeezed more cash out of the wounded, tired, sunburned, broke but still smiling soldiers for whom destiny had written this story for.
08:00 pm Reached the bus stand to find out that the bus wouldn’t leave till 10:30 pm
09:00 pm Ate, treated my navigator’s head ache, the basic needs were met; like to just leave it at that.
10:45 pm Boarded the bus and set sail to Hyderabad.
I am glad and happy that this ordeal was shared with my bubbly, spirited, the “being with you makes me happy” girl in my life, my navigator for life. Thank you for making the ordeal something we could remember and smile about.
