Fire at the Traffic Lights. A True Story

I pay homage to the traffic-lights on the A40, that suddenly turned red and made me stop, just as the bonnet of my cute little Allegro opened and burst into flames. Adrenaline pumping, I had no time for small niceties, as self-preservation kicked in and I opened the door on the right and jumped out.

My wife, sitting to my left, simultaneously did the same, but for whatever reasons - vanity perhaps - she decided to dash back into the car to collect her purple handbag.

It was a cool September evening. Windows half down, light winds caressing my cheeks, I listened as Marley’s sweet lyrical tones, made their way into a serene and peaceful mind. I felt blessed. I was doing perhaps fifty in my beast of an Allegro, swinging with the rhythms and having an occasional chat with my wife, about the joys of music.

As if to emphasize this, I could hear Robert Nesta Marley’s ‘beat me with music, beat me with music now’, swaying in my heart. ‘One good thing about music’, makes me feel ah wright.’ He sang.

Then the traffic-light came to our rescue and my wife screamed as she jumped out. The male driver from the car behind, appeared as if from no where with his foam cylinder, and sprayed the bonnet, just in time for my wife to collect her bag and run for it. Thankfully, no explosions came, apprehensions died down and we abandoned the car, making our way to the path on the right.

A few phone calls and things got sorted. I never owned another Allegro and in fact commuted by train soon afterwards. Still, I remained ever grateful for the knight in ‘charging armour’, who appeared as manna from Heaven, raining down blows of foam, upon the bonnet of my car.

-Manatita. 19^th September, 2018.