Old Man and his Car

Old Man and His Car

It happened to Ivan on an otherwise ordinary day while returning from school. He used to ride his bicycle fast and reach home in twenty minutes. That day he was late. Games in the field took one extra hour of his time. Usually he’d be at home by five in the evening to get a cup of coffee and a hug from his mother. He knew she would be waiting for him. It was already seven, and it was getting dark. The clouds above threatened to bring heavy rains.

He took several short cuts, crossed Konica and entered the Lattice Bridge road. At the bend near the signal an old man was standing. Raising his hand he walked towards Ivan and stopped him.

“Ivan, Ivan”, he called out.

The old man tried to look friendly towards Ivan. Ivan pulled the brake and the cycle came to a halt just near the old man. Still he was sitting on the bike keeping his left leg on the ground. He was wondering who it might be at this hour to stop him at the middle of a road. The old man was lean and dark, but dressed in angelic white pants and a long loose shirt that was the fashion a generation back. He looked at Ivan in a casual and familiar way as if he knew him for a long time.

“How do you know my name” Ivan asked curtly.

“I know you. Are you not the son of Joseph Ivan? I know your father. I know your grandpa too”, said the old man.

“Yes. My father is Joseph. What can I do for you? I’m in a hurry. I’m already late. My mom will be waiting for me”, said Ivan.

“Well. Ivan, will you please take me in your bicycle. It is about to rain. I’m too tired to walk. Just up to the end of this Road. My house is there at the corner. It’s about a kilo meter from here”.

“Ok. Sit on the career” said Ivan half-heartedly.

The old man sat comfortably at the back of Ivan’s bicycle. Ivan started pedaling. It was not a difficult job. For the old man was of a light built. In fact Ivan needed no extra effort to pedal. He felt he was carrying a bagful of feathers. The old man first started whistling to the annoyance of Ivan. He then started talking. Ivan was not happy to listen or in a mood to talk. He thought the man was talking to himself aloud.

“Ivan. Why you’re silent? Let’s talk about something. Let’s talk about your hobbies. Let’s talk about all the latest models of cars. Are not you interested in cars?”

Ivan didn’t reply. He was pedaling silently, though he’d love to talk about new cars. He thought of his mother who would be at the gate waiting for him. The old man was more inclined to speak continuously without waiting for Ivan’s response.

“To day you’re late. Seems you spent too much time in the foot ball ground”, the old man continued.

“How do you know I was in the ground and am late”, asked Ivan at last.

“I’ve seen you in the school. Often I’ve seen you leaving the field at four in the evening and ride fast on this road”, was the old man’s reply.

“Ivan. Stop, stop. That’s my house. Leave me here. Thank you”, Said the old man.

Ivan was too happy to get rid of the man. He stopped and glanced at the house pointed out by the old man. It was equally old, for there is nothing remarkable to remember about it. The man took out something from his pocket and gave it to Ivan. It was a coin. In the dark Ivan could not make out its size or value.

The old man said “Ivan, take this coin and you’d always remember me”. Ivan did not want to be complimented for such a small help to an old man.

“No, thanks”, said Ivan.

The old man slipped the coin into Ivan’s shirt pocket. Ivan was about to move. The old man said Good night to Ivan. “Call me one day. This is my house. I’d be happy to receive you and show my coin collection. You’d love to see the latest Fiat car I’ve bought last month. It is Fiat Punto Dyanamic”.

At the mention of a new car Ivan turned to smiling. Suddenly he got interested in the old man and his car. Yet he was more anxious to move away and run to join his mother at home.

“Ivan”, the old man again continued. “How is your grandpa? I was his best friend those days when we were in the college. What happened to that old Fiat he was ridding around?”

Ivan did not wait for another word from the man. He got on his bicycle and rode fast without even looking back.

“Let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll show you my new car”, the old man shouted at Ivan.

At the gate as Ivan expected, his mother was waiting. He told her how he met an old man on the road. He narrated the event, every bit of it. He said how the old man referred to his grandpa and the old Fiat their family owned years ago. Ivan’s mother did not show any interest.

After dinner Ivan was alone. He was recollecting the unusual meeting he had had that evening. He was suddenly interested in the car the old man mentioned. Only one man in the town is having Fiat Punto, Ivan told himself.

Next day while returning home he rode slow and glanced at the old man’s house. It was a huge one. But there was no sign of anyone living there. The compound wall was dilapidated with cracks and fissures. Ivan could see a garage where he imagined the new Fiat might be parked. His curiosity was roused. Leaving his cycle near the wall, he pushed open the gate. It made a loud screeching sound. He walked towards the house with a hope of seeing the old man he had met previous day though he couldn’t remember his face.

As he was nearing the portico a window was opened and an old lady was seen peeping out. Ivan never expected to be greeted by an old lady seeing him through a window. The lady motioned him to come closer to the window.

“Hallo young boy. What do you look for?” the old lady asked Ivan.

Ivan looked around and made sure that this was the house the old man showed him the previous day.

“I met an old man yesterday. He said this is his house. I met him on my way home. I took him in my bicycle up to this compound wall. He gave me an old coin and invited me to see his coin collection. He said he owns a new model Fiat. I’ve a fancy for new cars”, Ivan told her without a break.

The old lady didn’t say a word. She just smiled back and waited for Ivan to continue. Ivan was surprised at the old lady’s uninterested look. He made a gentle pat on his shirt pocket to prove that he still had the coin given by the man. He turned his glance to the garage.

“So the old man is still loitering around and scare children on the road”, said the lady casually. “Look into the garage and see for yourself”.

Ivan did not understand, but he was curious to know what the old woman was saying. He peeped into the garage only to see a very old car with flattened tires and caught in a maze of cobweb. It must have been there for half a century, Ivan concluded disappointedly.

“What do you mean by scaring the children on the road”, Ivan asked. “I want to meet him. He promised to show me the new Fiat he has bought recently”, Ivan said. The old lady this time laughed aloud, hysterically.

“O! My dear young man, how can I explain this? That man, my husband, died long ago. Often he appears to children on the road and fools them. It is true he loved cars and had a coin collection. Yesterday it was your turn to be fooled,” said the lady stuttering out every word slowly.

“But the coin he gave… “, Ivan couldn’t finish. The old lady closed the window with a bang. Ivan took to his heels, grabbed the bicycle and jumped on it. While riding fast he checked his pocket. Alas, there was no coin. He remembered the old man’s last parting words “let’s meet tomorrow. I’ll show you my new car”.