When I was a ghost !

We moved to Pune from Hyderabad when our daughter was eighteen months old and luckily we found a rental apartment very near to a garden (Thorat Udyan). I was a full time mother and in the summer season, I would take my daughter to the garden which provided a play area, lawn, kittens and most of all the presence of so many children running and enjoying themselves.  

One particular hot day, I decided to go home by a rickshaw and so late in the evening, I stood holding my daughter's hand to hire a rick. My wait turned into quite a delay as none would oblige to take me home for such a short distance. I was losing my patience when suddenly a driver pulled up and I grabbed my opportunity. I first sat in the rick and then gave him directions. 

He started off slowly and within two minutes, I realized that the driver was totally drunk. I held my daughter close and asked him to stop. But poor me, the driver was too sloshed to hear me. He drove on slowly and I wondered whether we would reach home safely. 

The driver stopped at a signal and I had my opportunity. I mentioned that we were getting down at the signal and I kept a Rs 10 note ready in my hand. We both got down and I told the driver to take the money. But poor fellow was too drunk to hear anything and as soon as the signal turned green, he drove away. I heaved a sigh of relief and at the same time chuckled to myself that on stopping and remembering, the driver would obviously think that he had been hired by a ghost who disappeared some where. 

This incident happened fourteen years back and even to this day, I burst out laughing whenever it crosses my memory.