Three Is Company! – [Guestpost]

It’s a story of three girls, their bonding and their blossoming relationship. Two is company and three is a crowd, they say…but here, three is the new company! A company that is unpretentious, warm-hearted and most valued for all three of them. It’s a real one for sure!

I know this from the close quarters…because I am one of the three. Agreed that my age doesn’t fit in the bracket of the “girl” …. lekin dil to bachcha hai ji!

It all started, say about, five months back. The second girl in the story had to spread her wings. She was training hard for gymnastics for past two years. She now wished to learn more. But the learning opportunities near her residence were limited. The one that offered her much-desired horizon was a bit too far from her place. It was about 7km from her place. That was a big hurdle.

7 km shouldn’t be a deterrent, right? Yes, and No! Yes, because in the context of the metro city, it’s just nothing. But for a 9-year-old, it’s a big thing and a big “No”; especially when she returns from school in evening itself! Add to it, crossing the entire stretch of the busy market street and the station area. She could cycle her way, right? Not really, the time slot was later in the evening… With these set of variables, she turned to me, her Mom, for the solution. I happily joined to find one. But there was none, except me ferrying her up and down!

Bingo… I had thought! But this happiness lasted for just a few days. Ferrying her up and down in the rickshaw was time-consuming and was burning a big hole in the pocket. Courtesy traffic chaos and narrow roads, the four-wheeler was also out of question. In came the third companion…scooter! With her arrival, started the new relationship… My daughter, my Scooter and Me!

Safety first! Helmets arrived. With helmets, right from day one, my daughter felt like the astronauts! The little one then fancied taking up the profession of the astronaut when she grew up. Before riding the scooter, the ride in the dreamland already had started for one!

Right from the very first day, we both felt an instant connect with the scooter. Negotiating the traffic, wheezing past the long snarling queue up of the cars, rickshaws and what not on the road, was a cake walk…courtesy the third companion! That percolated to few benefits… less stress for me and more time together… Thus began our story of “Joy Ride”!

Singing songs while on the road became a ritual. The scooter gave us the background score with its whizzing sound and occasional horns. In the company of the scooter, I enjoyed listening to itsy-bitsy details of the little one’s day at school. Mom and daughter now had none to disturb their quality time together!

Riding pillion, the little one spotted many things. The moods of the rains, the moon and its avatars, the setting sun and hues at the western skies, traffic, people and even the vehicles on the road became the topics of our discussion. Courtesy her curious and observing eyes, we discovered many joints which otherwise were not known to us, as existing, especially the eateries and the garment shops!

While negotiating the puddles and potholes on the road led to a bumpy ride at times, giving us the feel of the ride amongst the moon’s craters! Thanks to the scooter, we never had to bear the shocks of those bumpy rides. Collectively we said “sorry” to the scooter when she was made to go through the rough patches just to reach the destination in time.

Clearing a particular stretch of the road marked by the stench, courtesy fish market, three of us wished to peg our noses…The little one wondered, how will the scooter peg her nose? A hearty laughter then follows such “funny” musings!

Every Friday upon returning back to home, the little one hugs the scooter and says happy weekend to her. She then pats her and tells her, “It’s your resting time now. Rest well and be ready for Monday! I will miss you until that time”.

The scooter, I believe, by now has got habituated to us. No wonder she registers protest when we fail to ride together for more than a couple of days. She simply resists starting quickly. At times she starts wobbling her front wheel indicating to me that she needs the air refill! She definitely has the personality of her own and thankfully it matches our vibes, the other two girls.

The outcome is simple…the “Joy Ride” goes on… making the bonding of the three girls stronger, each day at a time.

 ⇐⇐ Guest Post by Anagha Yatin ⇒⇒

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