That Gate House.........

It happened about 15 years ago.I was in Junior High School then............and the only girl in my family with three boys. My dad had bought a new motorcycle and I was extremely fascinated by it. But since according to my dad I was a still a child I wasn't allowed to take a ride alone on it. I guess he just used it as a garb for trying to tell me politely that he didn't have enough confidence in a girl riding a motorcycle. Every time I asked for it I would hear the same old commandment "you are not ready yet" "you are not ready yet". I used to be heavily into feminism back then as well, coz the moment someone would say, NO, I would be charged up .............

I was able to contain my growing impatience for long until one fine day, I saw the motorcycle parked outside the house and my dad feeling a little unwell sleeping inside. I just knew that this is the moment of my lifetime. We must know how to capitalize a given opportunity; I tried to get a little philosophical and grabbed what at that point of time looked like the most important key of my life. I persuaded my younger brother to join me as well as I obviously wanted to show off! As the bike started, unable to contain my joy, I couldn't stop giggling for a while. In no time I was on the road riding my motorcycle feeling like a celebrity and deliberately looking at everybody whosoever sauntered by. I went to every block I knew my friends lived. I kept on thinking after this very day my dad would be so proud of me and won't disallow me to go on to any escapade any more. I was having the time of my life and everything was going fine until I saw my classmate standing in his driveway. He was one of the most handsome guys of my class and well, the most sought after!I had been trying to impress him for long I must confess, and there couldn't have been a better time than this. I took a sharp turn along a very steep curve and my bike skidded on a heap of sand and came to a sudden stop right in front of his house. Other than starting the bike by keying it and accelerating it I didn't know what would I do I if I ran into some mechanical problem. I didn't know how to handle the situation. There were so many things at stake at that one particular moment. I put in the key but the bike wouldn't start. I tried again and again and again but no, it wouldn't budge from there. I started sweating in embarrassment as I thought I just lost the golden opportunity of going to school tomorrow with a boyfriend. He was now standing much closer to his gate and was watching me with amusement! I had no clue why was my motorcycle not starting at all. My brother was looking at me as if "you know buddy u had it today". "Well, that sure did help me boost my confidence" I snubbed! Anyway, I was back to trying to start it again panicking at the same time and boom, something strange happened. My bike just started. Nothing could have made more happy at that point of time in the whole wide world! Sound of that running engine was music to my ears! My joy knew no bounds, now more at the prospect that "Thank God,I'll be able to reach home safely and nobody would ever know about it". But then since the tires were still trying to come out of the sand wriggling, it started going out in the other direction. I wanted to go straight but it would swift toward the right in the direction of the house where that guy was still standing and watching me in amazement? I was so frustrated by then that instead of keeping my foot off the gas pedal and breaking slowly, I accelerated. I accelerated so fast that I lost track of what was happening and when I came back to my senses I saw a broken gate which now looked like a piece of garbage lying in one corner and my bike which I had a little difficulty recognizing on the other, and all his family members standing there asking me questions like what was my dad's name, where did I live etc. I turned around to look for my brother but he had already run away disowning me leaving me alone all by myself.


I don't want to probe further into the specifics about what happened later and how I reached home. All I can recall is I was standing next day at the bus stop with my dad waiting for my bus to go to school................

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P.S. We named that house "The Gate House" and even after so many years have passed, I can still hear my brothers breaking into that roaring laughter, which has now been joined by my husband and kids...........
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Last but not the least, I still remember the look on my Dad's face when I told him the first time that I was now interested in learning to drive the car..................

Cheers!!