Driver story: First Trip (Foodie Family- Five )
It was almost 1:32 in the middle of the night. Everyone was asleep—Mother Violet, Divya, and Maria were sleeping in the back seat. Jessie was sitting next to me in the front but had dozed off too. I maintained a steady speed of 110 km/h. Everything was smooth, but my mind kept going back to that moment—me, Maria, and Jessie smoking in front of the Border Parotta Restaurant.
I don’t know why I liked that moment so much—maybe because I’d never seen Indian women smoking like that, and both sisters joining in made it feel... exciting. Maria suddenly handed me a cigarette and asked me to join. Jessie laughed at me, but I took one and lit it. We were smoking, hidden just barely. People were nearby, but no one noticed. Mom was in the car just 400 meters away. That thrill—it made me feel alive.
Maria started laughing suddenly. Jessie looked at her, confused. Jessie looked at Maria. Maria increased her laugh out loud. Jessie asked her, "Why are you laughing?" but Maria couldn’t control herself. It was noisy and she kept laughing. I got very nervous—why was she laughing? Normally when people laugh, it brings joy, but this felt different. Jessie covered Maria’s mouth with her hand and told her, "What happened? Keep quiet!" While saying that to Maria, Jessie also started laughing. And then all three of us burst into uncontrollable laughter. Jessie told Maria, "Don’t shout! Will you please quit?" I thought Maria maybe felt the freedom at that point, or maybe the thrill made her laugh.
We finished the cigarettes and threw away the butts. Our laughter was loud enough to attract attention—a lorry cleaner came by to check. Jessie sprayed mouth freshener into everyone’s mouth. We ran back to the car.
I was holding a Pepsi bottle. Jessie told Maria, “Come on, control yourself.” Maria said, “I’m trying, but I can’t! Please hold my hand.” Jessie and I held Maria’s hands—she was in the middle, I was on her right, Jessie on her left. She finally calmed down.
We reached the car. Maria thanked me, “Thanks, bro.” Jessie handed me all the smoking kits. I gave the Pepsi to Maria. She drank and returned to normal. I opened the car door—engine still running to keep the AC on for Mother Violet. She had her eyes closed, asleep. Divya was waiting for us.
Maria asked Jessie, “Can I sit in front?” Jessie said, “You’ll fall asleep. I’ll sit.” Maria agreed and sat in the back with Divya. Divya asked, “Why are you sweating? Were you doing some running?” Maria replied, “We had a race from the shop. I won.” Then she told Jessie, “Increase the AC,” and Jessie did.
I started the car and moved onto the highway. Jessie looked at the sky and whistled a tune. I called her name. She looked at me, smiled, nodded. I asked, “Can I play a song? Low volume so we don’t disturb them.” She nodded yes. She connected her phone via AUX and played some melody songs. She hummed along. It felt good. I crossed a toll gate and kept driving at a good speed.
After an hour, everyone was asleep. Mom and Maria were snoring softly. Divya hugged Maria in her sleep. It was a full moon night. The moon’s reflection on the road showed the mountains ahead. The time was 2:00 AM, and I still didn’t feel tired. I was enjoying the drive.
Google Maps showed a shorter route to Salem, but it was a deserted state road. I took the turn. The road was empty—almost no vehicles. I continued to drive. After 30 minutes, the road was so quiet, but drivable. I crossed one junction—all the shops were closed. Then one speed breaker appeared; I crossed it carefully. Then I noticed something wrong. The car was shaking a little. My mind told me it was a puncture. I checked the speedometer display—tire sensor showed rear left tire pressure dropping. The sensor confirmed it. I knew what was coming.
I looked for a good spot to stop because there were four women in the car—that was the main thing on my mind. With low pressure in the tire, I managed to stop at a good spot under some light. There was a closed grocery shop 200 meters ahead. Nearby, an electricity post and a small street light were producing some brightness. I slowed down carefully, not wanting to wake anyone. I parked near the shop. Everyone was in deep sleep. I didn’t switch off the engine, just stepped out quietly and checked the tire—completely flat.
I opened the boot gently to get the tools. It’s an Innova—so the spare tire is underneath. I lowered the Stepney using the special spanner and positioned the jack. The car was heavy, so it was tough. I was sweating, removed my shirt—already in briefs—and kept working. Suddenly, Mother Violet woke up. She came out and asked, “What happened, son?” I said, “Flat tire.” She saw me drenched in sweat and scolded me, “Why didn’t you wake us up?” I said, “You were all sleeping, and it’s not safe for ladies to be out here.”
But she didn’t listen. She scolded me, saying, “No one will touch my daughters—they’re like fire. Move away!” She opened the door and woke Jessie. Jessie got scared when she saw my seat empty. She looked around, then spotted me outside the car, wearing only briefs. Maria also woke up. Both of them got out. Maria said, “Bro, you’re drenched. What happened?” Then she looked at the tire and jack—she realized the problem. Jessie asked, “Do you need help?” I told them all to stay in the shadows—it wasn’t safe. But they didn’t respond. I asked Mother Violet, "Go to the shop and stand in the dark shadow. It’s not safe here, please understand." She looked around and saw wall posters about caste-based political parties—that made her afraid. Again, I told her, “Please go hide in the dark near the shop.” Mother pulled both daughters and moved to the dark place.
I started lifting the car with the jack and removed the punctured tire. Suddenly, I heard a bike sound—it felt abnormal. I told Mother to keep them safe. A guy on a KTM bike just looked at me and went past. I looked at him—my mind told me something bad was going to happen. I worked faster. I got the Stepney tire from the holder—it was hard to remove. I tried my best and finally got it out, placed it on the wheel, and tightened one bolt. Then I heard the bike again. This time, the guy stopped near me.
He looked high—maybe on drugs. The biker guy asked me, “What happened?” I replied, “Tire got punctured. I’m almost done. Thanks for asking.” He looked at me and then checked inside the car. I asked, “What are you looking at? My sister is not well, she’s sleeping.” He checked the car—only one girl was visible. He said, “She’s not good enough.” I asked, “Hello, what’s your problem? Move away from here.” I pulled him back. He looked at me and said, “Last week one woman got raped here, so be careful.” I replied, “Okay okay, I’ll take care. What is your problem?”
He asked, “Need help, bro?” He said he was low on petrol. I gave him ₹100, hoping he would leave. I took out my wallet and gave him the money. That was the moment I got scared—he noticed my fear.
He said, “Wait here, I’ll bring a machine.” He left. I knew something was wrong. I quickly tightened one bolt and removed the jack. I told everyone to get back in the car and don’t sit in the front seat—go hide in the back seat. Mother obeyed. Jessie tried to sit in front, but Mom pulled her into the back.
Then we heard the bike again. I tightened the second bolt into the wheel. This time, there were two guys—the second was clearly high and unstable. The first guy introduced him as “Machine.” The high guy approached the car. Divya had just woken up. Mom covered her mouth, telling her to act asleep. Divya understood.
I tried stopping the high guy. He pulled out a small knife. I said, “Please, my sister is sick.” But he moved closer to the car. The bike guy tried calming him, saying, “I already checked, she’s just sleeping.” The high guy looked sharply into the dark area but didn’t spot anyone else. He believed us.
Then he said, “Give ₹10,000 and we’ll leave you alone.” I pretended to agree. I said, “You should’ve just asked.” I showed him my wallet—only ₹1,400 inside. He sent the first guy to a nearby ATM. Now I was alone with this high guy.
As I was talking to him, I asked, “From here to Salem, how long?” He replied, “Two hours.” I sat down at the wheel, tightening the third bolt, and asked, “From Salem to Coimbatore?” He calculated something and replied, “Two hours.” I checked the third bolt—tightly in place. I put the remaining three bolts in my pocket. I grabbed the spanner, got up, and stood. He got scared, moved back, and showed some action with his knife. I calmed him down. I opened the front door, placed all the tools inside, and closed the door. I didn’t have any tools in my hand.
I looked inside—the faces of all the women were filled with fear. Tears were coming from Maria’s eyes. Jessie looked at me—she was also scared. Mother was praying to Jesus. Now he became calmer. But my mind told me, "This is the time—we have to move. Do something."
I asked him, “Is the ATM near or far? We have to go.” That guy looked in the direction where the biker had gone. Then, suddenly, I grabbed his knife and kicked him hard. He scolded me, “You motherfucker!” He got up to fight, but I threw the knife away. I tried to punch him, but he dodged. Again, he shouted, “You ladies’ ass! You want to fight me? Do you know me? If I make one call, 100 people will come and eat your sister’s pussy! You want me to do that, you sister fucker, asshole?” He took out his phone. I moved close to him, but he moved around. He tried to beat me—I dodged. Again, he shouted about the women. I came close and gave him a solid punch to the ribs. He fell, dazed.
I heard the motorbike return. I jumped into the driver’s seat—the engine was already running. I floored it. The bike guy tried to chase us, but I pushed the speed to 150 km/h. We escaped.
Inside the car, no one said a word. Maria had tears in her eyes. Divya was crying. Mother tried to calm them down. All of them were quiet and silent. We had driven more than 60 km. I asked everyone, “Anyone want water?” I opened the bottle cap and drank, then gave it to Divya—she drank too. I played some music to relax everyone. The mood slowly changed. Jessie asked for water from Divya. Mother asked Maria to come closer. As she came closer, she wiped her eyes. Jessie took her phone and filed a police complaint. She called and reported everything. She shouted, “How dare they act like this? Who gave them permission? Those motherfuckers, assholes, bastards!”
Mother told Jessie, “Please stop, come out from this. We complained to the police—they will take action.” I saw Jessie in my rearview mirror—a bold and arrogant girl.
We crossed a small town junction road—it had bright lights. Lorries and autos were parked. I slowed down, looking for a stop. The petrol bunk was closed. I looked for a place to have chai. We found a bakery and chai stall. Everyone needed a break. I parked and turned off the engine. I told Maria, “I’m going to have tea. Join me?” Mother said, “We’ll all come.”
I got out and went to the Stepney changed wheel. I took the remaining three bolts from my pocket and got the spanner. Everyone asked me what happened. I explained the three-bolt thing and showed the bolts. I told everyone, “Have chai. I have a small work to finish and then I’ll join you.” Jessie stood beside me. “Need any help, bajini?” she asked. I replied, “Nothing.” I told Jessie, “Look after Maria and Divya—they’re not feeling normal. Please help them.” She smiled at me, then looked at Maria. She still looked shaken. Jessie touched my shoulder gently and said, “Thank you.” I smiled.
Then I realized—I was still in just my briefs. I grabbed a black T-shirt from the car and put it on. Everyone was at the tea shop, laughing. Jessie whispered to Maria, who looked at me and smiled. I felt conscious. I washed my face.
We had tea. Jessie joked, “Did you see that guy? Couldn’t even stand!” Maria added, “He asked ₹100 for petrol, idiot!” Even Mother joined the laughter. She joked, “You were giving him directions like a local guide. He doesn’t even know his home!”
Maria cried from laughing. I said, “We should apply for an Aadhaar for that guy!” Everyone laughed. Mother took my hand and said, “From today, you are my son.”
We got back in the car. I went to pee and returned. Maria washed her face. Jessie and Maria walked back to the car. I called out to them. Jessie looked at me, “You want cigarettes?” I smiled. Jessie came back to join me. Maria reached the car. When she looked back, we showed the cigarettes.
Maria asked, “What?” using hand signals. I showed the smoking gesture. She wanted to come but looked at Mother. Mother gave permission and said, “Come fast!” We three smoked. Maria told Jessie, “Mom knows everything—we smoked before, and now she gave permission and said ‘Come fast.’” I was confused—how did she know? How could Mother give permission and smile? Jessie replied, “Because she smoked earlier. She’s not the type to judge someone’s character by a cigarette. Once she likes someone, she’ll care for them.” Jessie looked at me and said, “I still remember that kick—it was awesome, man. I went to karate class for just four months, but got bored and stopped. Maybe that helped me out.”
Maria told me, “Thank you, brother.” I said, “It’s okay.” She hugged me closely. Jessie looked at me and blew the smoke out. I pointed at Jessie—she looked so sexy to me. She finished her smoke, threw away the puff, and told Maria, “Come, Mother is waiting.” I ordered one chai and went to the restroom.
Jessie told Maria, “Brother,” and slapped her bum. “Do something and reduce it. Your bum’s getting bigger day by day.” Maria touched her own bum and said, “Not that much.” Then she slapped Jessie’s bum, but got jealous about mine. She ran to the car and sat in the front seat. Jessie had no option but to sit in the back. Maria sat in the front seat, wore her seatbelt, and told Mother, “We’ll treat Bajini so well—like a family member.” Mother agreed with that. All of them looked at me. I smoked with chai and thought back to everything—how I hit him. It felt like magic to me.
Everyone in the car looked at me. I paid for the chai, came to the car, drank some water, wore my seatbelt, and drove off.
Next Morning, 7:56 AM – We reached our destination.
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