My mind doesn't rest long on that because suddenly… WHAM… I am skidding
across the road. The visor of my helmet goes by my sight. To lessen the impact,
I turn on my back… skidding further on the tarmac. I stop. I get on my knees…
my right shoulder hurts.
I look around. Nobody is in sight. No vehicles in
sight. Am I looking around for help or am I looking around to avoid
embarrassment? I cannot think. My left index and middle fingers seem to be bent
at an odd angle. Gritting my teeth I push them back, one by one. I can feel a
searing pain at the back of my right hand. There is a long tear on the glove…
and I can see red flesh.
Using my teeth I pull off the glove. The skin is torn
at three places and my knuckles are bruised. I am still sitting in the middle
of the road. I am in a trance.
My bike is inside the drain… on its side. I limp across and try to
right it. I cannot right it, let alone take it out of the drain. Dilemma… what
to do? Summing up energy that I didn't know I push it. Slowly seconds turn to
minutes I am able to right it. Then I press the starter button expecting the
engine to come to life… but it just coughs twice and goes silent. I curse to
myself. Now what? I dust my jacket and
jeans. Ok… last try. This time the engine roars to life and I prod the machine
back on the tarmac. Mud flying and smoke bellowing… we are on the road. I park
beside the road and assess the damage. The mirrors are twisted the wrong way…
can be twisted back. The right knee-guard is bent at an odd angle as it was
scraped along the tarmac… cannot be twisted back. No major damage… and the
engine are still running. Now what? Should I try to continue my journey?
I make doma and chew it. I have to cool my nerves. The sun which had
been warm to this moment doesn't seem as warm now. I collect the visor and fix
it back to the helmet… it is just unhinged.
I get on the bike and put in into gear. My left hand hurts more. As I
try to take off the glove, it seems tighter. I pull it with my teeth. Both the
guilty fingers are swollen and I cannot pull the clutch. NOW WHAT?? I check my
mobile phone. No network.
What the heck!! I grip the clutch with the entire fingers and it works…
though the pain is almost unbearable. Now I forget about the scenery. I tell
myself… concentrate on the road. Forget the pain. Forget the pain. Slowly I
ride further on… and this time I look at the speedometer frequently… I keep the
speed at 40. Soon I reach Khaling… and as I reach I can see the people staring
at me. Are they appreciating my ride or are they staring at the skid marks on
the bike? Suddenly I am conscious of my appearance. I am thinking of having tea
there but I let it pass. I move on…
As I reach Yonphula I can hear my mobile phone ring. I park and check.
It is Serious… I call back and tell him that I am coming. Soon I reach
Kanglung. As soon as I enter the rented flat I inform my five room-mates that I
have good news and bad news. I tell them of my nasty fall.
Then as we are talking about my experience I realize the graveness of
it. What if I had gone off the cliff? What if… ?
Lesson learned… Why do we fall?
So that we stand up taller with the experience it gives us…
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