Over the last 4-5 years since my dad bought what was den advertised as "the big car"... the realization of that tag has hit one many times, and thrice in particular...
the first time, was when he bought it...i don't recall the date or the year even...but yes, we were pretty thrilled about it...i suppose most of us are, about anything new...especially smthn this size...
the second time was, and continues to be, everytime i go about trying to find parking space for this baby...or navigating it through streets narrowed down by cars mindlessly stopped (i refuse to use the term "parked", because one look at that which i describe ought to tell you that term is inappropriate!) on either side...
the third time, however, was the BIG realization...heading to a friend's place for dinner on my way back home from work, i had one last traffic signal to cross before i reached my destination...unsurprisingly, by the time i made it to the signal, it'd turned red (murphy!!)...as i stopped there, and took a look around, my realization came on its two wheels and stopped to my left, waiting like so many of us (traffic, the great equalizer!!)...the father was on the driver's seat, with a kid almost squatting between the father and the handle. 2 more kids sat sandwiched between their dad on one side, and the mom at the back with a baby on her lap. i looked at them. intently. one of the kids looked back. i smiled. and she seemed to wonder why, before she looked away. i looked inside my car. sprawling luxury. (yes, no wonder you're smiling - is that what the kid was thinking??) the traffic signal turned green. i paused, saw the scooter ride away, slowly but surely. my fellow car drivers let their impatience show with the shower of honking, and forced me to stash away that *realization*, until i found a quiet little corner to dwell on it. I managed to reach my friend's place, and find parking soon enough. Turned off the radio. Sat for two minutes, wondering. Traffic, in so many ways, the mirror to the world we live in. Turned off the airconditioner. the engine. And as i locked my car, and walked away from it, i looked back at it and thought to myself - My daddy's BIIIIIG car...may just be too big for me.
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