There is a beautiful stretch of road I often take to get home. Being in the city, I almost always avoid the central areas and junctions. While the alleyways are narrow, long, winding and time consuming, I prefer the coolness of those interiors rather than the heat and pollution of the main roads. Lined with trees, shrubs and simple houses on either side, it is a silent, residential area.
As I entered this stretch of road, a bike passed by me. In a short while, I noticed that the bike had slowed down, much below my pace and so, I overtook him. It did not take very long for him to overtake me again and that was when I actually began to take notice of him. I decided to slow down for a while and not go past him but I lost my patience and increased my pace.
It began to get interesting as he passed by and slowed down again.
I took a look at his mirror.
Our eyes met.
He smiled.
So did I.
And I overtook him, this time playfully.
If only the road stretched on forever… But alas! It ended at a junction and after a while, we found each other on the same path again. A shorter one this time. After one last drill, the road diverged and he took the deviation. As I went ahead to melt into the traffic, I looked at my mirror to see him take a last glimpse at me. With a hint of a smile, he vanished.
All I knew was his smile and his eyes. The conversation happened between our bikes. I didn’t know his face, his identity, his beliefs or virtues. There were no fears, no expectations, a tad bit of curiosity that didn’t even require any sating. Yet, I had a wonderful time with him. The stranger on the bike.
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