The day I boiled the blood of a biker

It was on the 8th of February 2014 and I was driving alone from Dimapur to Kohima. I was tired as I returned from Guwahati the same day.  I was sleepy as we slept late the previous night and had to wake up early to catch the train. So, I was in a hurry to return to Kohima for a bath and sleep. That is the background story when I came across this biker on the road.

It was a long straight road when I tried to overtake a truck. It was dusty driving behind it and I’ve been impatiently waiting for a chance. That was when I saw this bike coming towards me. The biker was honking, signalling not to overtake. But it was too late. But I have made up my mind to go for it, and I pushed forward. Due to the bad condition of the road, my estimation went wrong. The three of us - the truck, my car, and the bike - had to share the width of the road. The bike was forced out of the road and came to a halt. It was bumpy and I couldn’t speed away and had to slowly pass the biker and feel his wrath.

His face was burning and his blood was boiling. He was roaring like a wounded beast. There were a lot of R’s coming out from his mouth. ‘Rrrrrrrrr’, ‘Rrrrrrrr’. It was the full-blown anger of a man who had suffered disrespect. But I decided not to look him in the eye. I’m not sure if he noticed a tiny smile on the edge of my lips as I looked straight ahead and drove on. I looked at my mirror and he wasn’t gone. He stood there howling.

I felt sorry for him. I usually drive more carefully. And I don’t intend to do that again. He won’t have enjoyed the experience. But I am wondering why I kind of liked it. It must be his R’s.