A Cup Of Tea

Let’s have a cup of tea, I said and the very next moment I and Shubham were on the way to drink tea at our most favorite place ‘cafe lite’ near railway station which was about 5 kms from our flat. At 11 pm between the darkness and under stars, we thought to invite Akash with us as well. We went to his room and adjusted him in third place of our bike. Although we felt discomfort absence of traffic police on way was making us extremely comfortable so we were happy and ready to move ahead to taste the elixir of kaliyuga.

We headed just half kilometer were we saw a stopped silver color Santro car beside the road. A man of age nearly 50 years was outside of the car and was struggling with his mobile phone and was looking tensed whereas Aunty was sitting comfortably inside the car. A lot of traffic moving on the road, we were also heading with the flow till Shubham interrupted us by saying “Uncle may have some problem, let’s ask”. I and Akash agreed with him so quickly as we were waiting for someone to ignite the humanity hidden in our soul.

‘What happened uncle?’ I asked. Before uncle could utter a single word, Aunty make her face come out from half-opened window and said, ‘ I told him to check the car before driving, now the Tyre is punctured, he never listen to me, he also doesn’t know how to change the tyre, how will we manage, how will we go home?’ She shut her mouth after 2 seconds when the uncle started saying, ‘Beta, all nearby shops are now closed, also I don’t know any mechanic who can change the Tyre, my child study abroad and we have nobody who can help me. Can you do some help ? do you know any mechanic? Can you call him?’

After listening to their painful story we all were silent for 2 seconds, we didn’t expect such a detailed story. In those 2 seconds, my mind memorizes the moment when once Akash told me how he changed the Tyre of his one of uncle’s car and made himself proud to be a mechanical engineer. I came out of my thought and at the very beginning of the third second, before anyone could speak, I excitedly said, ‘ No need of mechanic uncle, we have a mechanical engineer with us’. Akash looked at me in surprise but said “yes, I can do” to save his pride of being a mechanical engineer.

Shubham found the jack in a car to lift it but didn’t know how to fit it below so he gave it to me and I passes it to Akash he held it and kept it below the car, I sat with him and focusing the torch of my mobile to place the jack at right place. I was happy till Akash whispered in my ears, ‘dude, I never have done it before and I don’t know how to do it, I just watched someone who was changing tyre of the car’ I looked at him with blind emotion on my face and shout “you liar”.

After loosening the bolt somehow we arranged the jack at the right place and lifted it up. It took little more time as we were doing it for the first time, uncle interrupted us, ‘ Beta, you really know how to do it?’ “No uncle, we are doing it for the first time,” I said and smiled as I was proud that we lifted and make the tyre out of the car, Fifty percent of work was done. Uncle shouted, ‘What?’ and went to road to get someone’s help. This made us little less proud, he tried to stop some auto-rickshaw driver but no one stopped. Surprisingly a police van also crossed, uncle shouted them for help but they also didn’t stop. He came to us with a sad face but couldn’t speak a word, we also ignored his silence and continuing our work. We put stepney at the place of punctured tyre and tighten the bolts, now the car was ready to drive. We put all instrument at place and asked uncle to drive as our mission was successful.

Uncle said thanks a lot of time, shook hands with us whereas aunty invited us to her home for tea the next day but she forgot to give the address. They went to their way and we headed towards our destination.

Although this was neither a big achievement nor a great work but the selfless help we did for some stranger filled our heart with pride and happiness. Place where the auto-rickshaw driver who gives a lot of respect to you when you went to him as a customer and the police who are said to be there for the help of citizens ignore you in your trouble. Some boys who are said irresponsible by society, show their responsibility in very unknowingly way. The taste of tea we tasted was something different and we celebrated this engineer’s day in the most amazing way.