Love Wheels - Kalai Selvi Arivalagan (reading a book .TXT) 📗

Chapter 1

The city bus breezed through the traffic. Morning peak hours are hell at Chennai. Traffic snarls pop up from every corner of the street, main roads and other places. Two wheelers, four wheelers and buses occupy the whole space in the road.

People who drive in two wheelers are unmindful of the traffic and they squeeze into every available space and move on their way. Dora is once again late to the office. The bus in which travels every day has got stuck in the traffic and she restlessly looked at her watch. Every one in the bus kept murmuring and they all know that they will be late to their office.

Evenings are also like that. If anyone starts from the office after six in the evening, it will take another one or two hours to reach the place of destination. Destiny always plays a crucial role on the Chennai roads. Dora always travels alone in the bus. Still then there is no one to accompany her and share her moments.

The entire traveling time will be spent staring the busy roads or listening to any lively conversation that happens inside the bus. People who spoke loudly on their cell phones discussed every thing under the earth without any hesitation. Sometimes old women who traveled to a distant place sat conveniently in their seats and talked endlessly. To her surprise these old women discussed every thing with ease, right from the cost of provisions to the latest gossip or quarrel at their homes.

Every day while she was traveling to the office, most of the people in the bus dozed. It is always a surprise to see them sleeping in the broad sun light. They all slept as if it is their duty to do so while traveling in the bus. People who lead a hectic city life slowly learn to do whatever they wish at their convenience. Yet, something prevented people like Dora to build up a conversation with the fellow passenger and make the travel lively.

Dora started to write while traveling in the bus. She could do so, only if she gets a seat to sit. Standing and traveling in the city bus is itself an experience. She started to observe people in the bus. Slowly, it turned out to be an interesting one. She realized that every one is wearing a mask and they are trying to show the society that they are good people. Unwilling to show their true colors, they continued to act according to their demands. It took nearly forty to fifty minutes to reach her office.

Chapter 2

Dora waited at the bus stop for the bus to come. That is the direct bus to her office. Otherwise she has to get down at the next stop and get another bus to reach her office. After struggling for some time, she managed to come to the bus stop on time and get the direct bus. One day as usual she got into the bus and asked for her ticket to the conductor. The conductor gave her a cold look and replied her sharply.

“The bus will not stop at that bus stop”

“Yesterday, I traveled in the same bus and it stopped.”

The conductor frowned and looked at her irritated. “This bus will not stop. Get down at the next bus stop.” With out a reply, she got the ticket for the next stop. This problem happened to her on alternate days. The first day she will get the ticket for the stopping near her office and get dropped near her office. The second day she will not get the ticket and will be dropped at the next step.

Dora could not find out the reason. Why do these people behave like this? Why life always throw me as a scape goat for others to vent out their emotional upheavals and make me suffer in silence. She never failed to recite a prayer within herself every day before she handed over the money for getting the ticket.

To avoid embarrassment in the morning, she took the bus that stopped a few stops earlier to her office and took a different route. If she gets down there, Dora has to walk for another twenty to twenty five minutes to the office. As it will be peak hour and the traffic heavy, even auto drivers refused to drop her near her office. In the evening, the bus stopped near her office and so coming back home always happened to be a smooth ride. Only mornings made her feel stressed out and nervous.

One fine day when she decided she will always ask the ticket for the next stop and never check with the conductor if the bus will stop at the stopping near her office, all the buses started to stop near her office.

Every evening when Dora got into the bus, her mind will be preoccupied with thoughts about home and the problems that existed there. Entering home in the evening always ended with another type of stress, and she will keep on reciting something or other and wish everything will be fine on that day.

One evening when she boarded the usual bus, a voice enquired her, “Oh, you are coming alone? Where is your friend?”

Taken aback with this sudden question, she struggled to answer. The old lady who stood near her answered to the question. “She is still at the office.” It took some time for Dora to realize that the question was to her and not to the old lady.

Chapter 3

‘Get up, its time’, Vel opened his eyes reluctantly. Every day his mother has to scream like this at least for half-an-hour daily. Vel threw the blanket and got up from the bed. He opened his palms, brushed them together and touched his eyes gently. Taking a deep breath, he wished the day to be fine.

The forenoon sun scorched every thing with its hot rays. Yet, the water from the well with its chillness made him feel cheerful. Splashing the cold water on his face, he silently enjoyed the caress of the cold water on his nerves.

‘Ma, bring me my towel,’ Vel shouted from the backyard. ‘Hmm. Every time, I must pick things for you’ with a murmur his mother brought the towel.

‘Are you going for the afternoon shift to-day?’ His mother asked him from the kitchen.

‘Yes, ma, for the next ten days I will be on afternoon shift. I will have my lunch and go’ Vel took his glass of coffee and sat down in the chair near the kitchen door. He hurriedly glanced through the head lines in the newspaper, and sipped the coffee leisurely. Whenever he goes for the afternoon shift, he got the time to do so. Morning shifts are always hectic, as it started by 6 am in the morning and closed by 2 pm in the afternoon. Vel will not have time to relax for a while and he has to rush to the depot to report for duty. But, afternoon shifts are always casual. Somehow he had extra time to get ready and also be on time for duty.

After finishing his coffee, Vel sat down to have a clean shave. This is another ritual he loved to do on alternate days. He never liked to look beardy and untidy. He took utmost care to shave neatly and trim his moustache to the shape he liked. Most of his friends have told him that it suits his face aptly and with his brilliant smile, the moustache gets lightened up.

Vel spent another twenty minutes in doing this chore and then went to take his bath. Bathing time is his relaxing time, and he let every mug of water to talk with his body. Splashing cold water on his bare chest he whistled his favorite tune. Vel loved to cherish his bathing luxury and see to it that his body got toned up every day after a relaxing bath.

Drying his wet hair with the towel, Vel stood under the fan for a while. The hot air from the fan hit him hardly and he felt like taking bath for one more time. Chennai is too hot now-a-days. Every day, it is getting hotter and hotter, and to manage eight hours in the bus sometimes proved hectic. But working in a government transport system is a boon at this time of recession. He could get his pay every first day of the month, and it helped him to manage things at home without any hitch. Probably, things may be different after he gets married. Vel took his well ironed uniform and wore it with a pride.

Though his job as a conductor may be hectic, he loved his job. Whether tiring or not, he enjoyed working with the crowd. Every day brought him a surprise and made him realize life is full of fun in spite of all troubles. After getting dressed up, he took turmeric kumkum from the stand in the pooja table and applied a streak of it on his forehead. The blood red turmeric kumkum looked brilliant on his forehead and added a grace to his face. Satisfied with his reflection on the mirror, Vel started to comb his dark hair with care.

Chapter 4

Vel’s presence always made his work place jubilant. His cheerful voice vibrated across the floor of the bus and made the place lively. The bus crowded with lots of people who get in and get out of the bus at every stop made the bus bustling with never ending activity. Inspite of all these nonsense, Vel never let his spirit go away. Not only his eyes smiled, his face always looked graceful with endless warm smiles and jovial words.

One day Dora got into her bus after a hectic day in the office. Constant staring at the monitor has sucked all her energy out and her ears yearned for some melodious music. Some people played music in their cell phones in the office, but that jarred her ears. She wanted to relax for a while and get her brain cells to feel the warmth of silence by listening to some melody. On that day, for Dora, Vel’s voice sounded like music and it sucked out all the stress from her brain. Just like the melody, his voice echoed in her ears and helped her to slowly settle down to rest. Vel impressed Dora at the first sight.

Every day we meet many people. People who are familiar, people whom we meet once in a while, people who are strangers and people who impress like the evening sea breeze and just hover around our minds and refuse to go away from us. Dora smiled to herself. She felt Vel to be the evening sea breeze and who just hovered around her mind and made her feel happy for no reason. As she has read from the book, life becomes right when we meet right people at the right time. Whatever it may be, Vel impressed her like a loud, startling bang and made her heart run wild. Yet, it is not fascination or infatuation that ruled her mind. For a reason, Vel impressed her and made her feel happy and relieved. Dora started to cherish her travel by bus to the work place and way back home. Evening rides became rides with something to cherish and feel cheerful