It was the evening rush hour in the city. Actually, in the current times every hour is rush hour. The traffic was a tad better than crawling. There was a slight nip in the air. She stuck her hand out of the window of the cab. The well-manicured hand delicately held a perhaps not-so-desirable cigarette. It was a hand of a young girl, one could probably gauge, may be mid, late 20’s. The breeze unsettled her hair, covering her face momentarily. She pushed a strand of rogue hair behind her ear. As she lightly tapped the cigarette butt to get rid of the ash, a biker zoomed past the cab. She quickly withdrew her arm. It was a crowded street and people are always in a hurry to reach somewhere, never once taking pleasure on the way. Nevertheless, the car driver noticed that and mumbled some cuss words. He had seen her hand outside the window.
“Madam, please be careful. You know how these bikers are.”
The driver’s tone was concerned as he spoke, while adjusting the mirror to look at her.
“Hmm. Don’t worry I will. Thank you.”
She gave a wry smile and threw her head back on the seat, taking a drag. She closed her eyes. Flashes. Children and adults bustling around. Some were carrying plates. There were flowers around. A distinct chatter. A grim conversation of a middle-aged couple. She gritted her teeth and tried to keep her eyes tightly shut, as if suppressing her tears. It was something she was trying to cloud from her memory. At one point, she opened her eyes and came out of her trans with a jolt. It was a speed breaker. It was quite a steep one.
‘Damn this speed breaker!’, she thought. Why would anyone drive fast on such a crowded road at this hour? Why the hell do you need a speed breaker?’
Her visions were back as she blinked. The adults and children she saw the visions of, were from the prayer meet after the cremation of her beloved sister. She had passed away in a road accident, thanks to her boyfriend speeding through a speed-breaker. The bike had toppled over and had crashed onto the pavement. It had led to her instant death. The boyfriend survived. If only her sister had taken care. She would not have been in the cab, going back home from the prayer meet, carrying a bracelet and a lifetime of memories her sister had given her.