In the parking lot
Charlane Pereira
Well, I am not talking about the scary stuff that gives people  goose bumps. Or dead men walking on the streets. Or Frankenstein haunting your sleep.
With this cryptic statement, I’ve surely got your undivided  attention.  It’s the rectangular shaped four wheeler with specific cut out edges - my well-loved car. It’s said that men and machines are like pots with flowers – the two cannot be separated. But here I am, a young lass taken up with this four-wheeler that is meant to be an obsession with the male gender.
Sometimes I wonder what  is it about  this vehicle that fascinates me?  It glides smoothly except when they bump on potholes, making you touch the roof of your car. Driving this machine at 60 kilometres per hour gives me a thrill (much to the disappointment and dismay of my parents who fear for my safety on the ‘no longer safe’ Goan roads).
I can unwind, catch the wind blowing in my hair and whiz past two-wheelers who wonder about the music fanatic driving the car blaring with Shaggy’s lyrics. I don’t need to rely on someone to drop me off at my destination (for fear of Goan society wondering who this Tom, Dick or Harry  could be).
Of course, there are many other things that can scare an amateur driver from his seat-those things scare me too. For instance, my vehicle being chased by domestic canines when I reach my village bazaar. I wonder whether I am the target of their chasing fury.
But my loyal machine outruns them all. The other day, I was sitting in my car catching up on some news, while reading a  newspaper when I heard a loud ‘toink.’ It sounded as if a tyre had been punctured. I got out of  my car  to check the occurrence – to my great astonishment  I  found a big dent on the rear of vehicle. There was a large stone nearby and a man yelling at my silver greyish car “Ghost… ghost.”
I initially thought that the man was mentally deranged but the bottle in his hand spoke tales that needed no telling.
To top it all, the car dent was going to cost me a huge sum of money. I couldn’t possibly claim the amount from the drunkard for fear of being stoned. I rushed back to my car, started the engine and made my way home. Phew, what a day!