The Bike Conquest

The temperature had fallen a bit and the air was not as hot as it was a couple of days back. A slight breeze even tried to tickle the quiescent, sulking leaves into some lacklustre rustling.  I also plodded along with heavy steps, not much interested in walking.

If the other walkers had peered closer,  they would have seen a grumpy look on my face. Grumpy, because yesterday night I had been binge-watching Prison Break and slept late, and this seemed to have put shackles on my limbs. I seemed to be walking on wooden limbs, which needed some oiling.

But a scene that met my eyes soon put a smile to my lips, and those invisible shackles fell!

A young boy was walking his dog, Oscar. Both were walking as if it was the most difficult part of rigorous punishment and competing on the ‘Grumpy-Factor’. I wondered what made them draw such long faces, almost reaching their knees.

Suddenly the dog started pulling at his leash, wanting to go in a particular direction. He had sighted a man on his motorbike and pulled the boy towards him. The man, probably an acquaintance, stopped and waved in their direction.

The moment he did this, the dog tried to jump onto the bike, one of those fancy racing bikes with high curving seats where the pillion rider is intended to drop like a sack on the rider’s back (if anyone does have the courage to ride pillion, that is). Oscar wanted to be taken on a ride. He tried to climb up on the bike, but kept slipping down. Not the one to give up, he climbed up again, but fell down. And again climbed up. The resilience of the dog was indeed admirable, and I watched this scene amused. Finally, he could manage a pawhold and tried hard to somehow curl himself into a sitting position, with most of him hanging out anyway.

Morning Meanderings is a musings column by Santosh Bakaya

A bunch of strays gathered as though to cheer the valiant efforts of one from their own canine fraternity and followed the bike a short distance.

“Oscar, let us go home now.” Oscar heard the boy and jumped down from the bike.

Both the boy and the dog now skipped towards their home. The boy waved to the man on the bike with a grin and I thought I saw a smile on the face of Oscar too. The Grumpy Duo had transformed into Grinning Duo,

My day was made. So was Oscar’s. In his gait, I almost glimpsed the swagger of an emperor after a great conquest. After all, annexing a bike isn’t a joke.

My gait had also become more springy. The limbs appeared to be well-oiled now. If Never Give Up can be the motto of little Oscar, why not me? I hopped and skipped back home, ready to conquer the day.

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About the Author

Santosh Bakaya ( 169 Posts)

Dr Santosh Bakaya is the author of three mystery novels for young adults, and a book of essays titled Flights From My Terrace, which was recently published as an e-book on Smashwords. Her poetic biography of Mahatma Gandhi, Ballad Of Bapu has been published by Vitasta Publishers, Delhi, India in May 2015 and has been receiving rave reviews from everywhere. Although a Political theorist, with a doctorate in political theory, it is literature which has been her first love. She was awarded the Reuel international award for language and literature 2014 for her long poem Oh Hark!, which forms part of the Significant Anthology. Many of her poems have figured in the highly commended category in Destiny Poets, a UK based website and many are part of international anthologies. Right now, she is giving the final touches to her satirical novel, tentatively titled Sanakpur Shenanigans.
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