Jekyll & Hyde (Swaroop Agaskar)

Happens to me every time that I drive, does it happen to you? I get transformed from a well disciplined citizen to a person absolutely ill mannered and vicious…if you are a Dr Jekyll does the Mr. Hyde in you come out too.....its always said you haven't learn to swear until you've learned to drive.....but this feeling is something different.....read on, its me.....courtesy: R. L. Stevenson. Well I am not always that way when I am on a bike, but I am that way on a bike though not always.

(This article is just an exaggeration of human feelings and happenstances, to be taken in a light sense. All views are solely of the author and open to debate)

Jekyll.......

"Its perfectly fine" I said as I reached across to grab the copy of "Time" as I sat in my clients office. I was supposed to wait half hour more than the appointed time. But the smile on the secretary's face stopped any thoughts of protest. So well said by someone," A smile is a curved line that puts everything straight". And when she apologized for my wasted time, I shot back," No, probs. I can use it to add my knowledge ', tapping the magazine now held in my hand.

Finally, when I met the person, he had a list of complaints for my perusal regarding the work going on. But tea, cookies and my good mood rubbed on him. I left him, with he sitting in the chair thinking I was the nicest person alive on earth and I was doing all I can. The crux of his problems was anyone but me. "people are nice" I murmured to myself.
Out of the office, and I met an another architect friend of mine, he was doing up the office bang opposite. "It's always nice to have friends of the same fraternity," I thought, "never rivals". There is never a need feel bitterness for works other people have on hand , there is opportunity for everyone.

Deciding against the lift, I took the narrow stairs down. I retraced my steps, almost halfway through the flight, just to allow a lady climbing up to pass. Her glance at me said she was thankful. Appropriately renumerated for my good cause I went the whole distance without any more interruption.

I wished a "Good Morning" to the old security guy at the doorway and walked to the bike parked alongside the curbing.

The transformation......

I put on my helmet. And, as the it closed over my head, it seemed to open my eyes, to the actual world. The vision was now framed through the visor opening, undistracted, I saw trouble everywhere. The slamming down of the visor completed the transformation . "Bloody Hell, I am late, all because of the old fool", I said loud

Hyde.....

Frustration roared through the silencer of the bike, in a classic example of physics, mental energy transformed into kinetic energy by means of an action they call a "kick start". The old security guard waving at me made me think "what's that a*** waving for, am I embarking on a world tour?. Why did I even wish him good morning….it's the same old morning for him".
The bike was shuddering like an untamed horse, caught between my hand turning the accelerator and my foot planted on the brake. I was looking for an opening in the stream of traffic to get into it." Boss, u don't get opportunities that knock on your door. You take a marker, scratch the word "opportunity" on the door and break it open", with this words I cut into the traffic leaving screeching cars and bikes.

Everybody seemed to be getting in the way. I rode my way in between cutting lanes, bursting the throttle and all to tide over the innumerous hurdles that people were creating for me…."people are bad, absolutely bad"

Then , even with the green light on, I was stopped by a lady of a voluntary group to let some old people cross. "I am sorry for the waste of your time", she said with a smile, "but you will be doing a good deed today but letting them pass". "Good deed? Wasted time is wasted life, you never get the moments back, they are lost, I know my time is more important than that crap of a good deed", I said to myself. I hated that false, plastic smile she held, "how ugly a smile can look on a face". I lifted my visor to show the lady that I wasn't amused and hardly interested in her deed talk. The message got through as soon as she saw my face, because the smile disappeared, and so did she.

Finally I reached the parking lot, full as usual next to the huge park . I made a place where there was none. I remarked that the bloody park be removed and converted into a parking lot. Just why cant nobody see logic. The old and kids can stay at home and play, wastage of a good space for a silly purpose.

I swung off the bike , removed my helmet as the song "big yellow taxi" playing somewhere reached my ears. Well I thought, I do always find a parking space, no need to change the paradise for kids and all into a stupid parking lot. As I started walking towards a café, the smile on my face was saying it all……it was saying move over Hyde….Jekyll is back

- Swaroop (swaroop@agaskars.com)