Raman, my neighbour, was known for not giving up. One day, he decided to buy a scooter. Well-meaning friends tried to dissuade him, saying that if he could not ride a bicycle, it would be difficult to balance on a scooter at middle age. Since his friends would not let him touch their two-wheelers, he bought his own. Unfortunately, the scooter had a side engine which made his task difficult. He sought the help of a buddy and took driving lessons. The instructor taught him the art of handling the clutch, gear, accelerator and brakes from the back seat.
After a fortnight, Raman decided to try it alone. He thought nobody would be on the roads to hinder his progress at dawn. He started his scooter and slowly moved, keeping to the left. The municipal corporation had also thought it fit to build an open drain on the left of the road. In no time, Raman found himself with his scooter inside the gutter. When a hundred kilograms of a metal contraption enters a ditch, retrieval requires additional hands. But additional hands were scarce at the early morning hours. The novice dripping with slush retrieved his scooter from the sewer with the help of his spouse.
After two days, he took out his scooter in the morning. He drove slowly and cautiously. Unfortunately, he crashed through the hedges of a neighbour’s garden. Before he managed to stop the vehicle, a few pots, plants and roses were crushed beyond repair. The lady of the house who had nurtured the garden was inconsolable.
The novice pushed away his scooter with a few bruises and left behind a bruised heart.
Soon, stories about the misadventures of the learner travelled through the colony. One morning, a young boy was sitting on a balcony railing on a second floor flat and sipping coffee. Raman and his scooter came into view. The boy’s eyes followed the scooter. The scooter went behind a tree after brushing its trunk. The boy leaned out to see if the man on the scooter was still astride. The next moment, the boy lost his balance and fell down from his perch to mother Earth.
On hearing the commotion behind him, the rider turned his head, lost his balance and was separated from his vehicle. The injured man and the boy were rushed to a hospital. The young boy survived with a few broken bones and cuts. After a couple of months, he recovered fully. The persistent learner had external injuries which healed in due course. To everyone’s relief, Raman decided to sell his scooter.
P Subramanian
Email: mailpsubramanian@gmail.com