Adieu!

I believe, Dhano is a good soul. She is not exceptionally elegant if you go by society’s established standards. However, she is loyal, durable, and quick to manoeuvre…  Yes, I am talking about my Maruti 800 personified, who my family lovingly called Dhano(courtesy Sholay). She was bid goodbye today.
I am happy for a new member of my family, however, I will miss Dhano, my friend in lots of adventures.
I still remember the first drive I took trembling. My legs were shaking when I got off the ride. It was a difficult car to drive because of its steering (as I had not taken power steering on purpose). I loved it because short drive mein long drive ka maza 😉 Due to its amazing pickup, I was always first to lead on the green signal.  Its small size was people’s envy, as I could manoeuvre it in a small place and did not have to worry about parking. Some adventures with Dhano are unforgettable.
Once, I was returning from the temple in the morning. I saw that a man was running behind his son’s school bus. I believe, Dhano kind-of, pushed me 😄 to help that stranger. I asked him to hop-in my car. Initially, he was surprised but, he sat. So, off we went chasing the bus in a very filmy way…Bhag Dhano Bhag… The child was able to get his stuff, but his dad seemed dizzy after that ride. Oh, what fun it was, to see him get down the car and with folded hands say “Jai Mata Di!”.
Dhano was my reliable companion when I was constructing my house. Long pipes, marble tiles, and whatnot were loaded in it. We overloaded it with stuff during the shifting of the house. It was so full of cartons leaving only one place for me to sit and drive. She carried the load like a pickup truck. Sometimes, to an extent, that it became difficult to drive. However, to take care of her, I ensured that I never missed any of its maintenance services.
Some months back I was frantically driving to the hospital, late evening, with my son semi-conscious on the back seat. My heart beating uncontrollably. I was pushing my anxiety away, constantly telling it to wait, so I don’t get a panic attack. Somewhere in my heart, I knew my Dhano was there and we will reach in time. We did.
Once, it was pouring cats and dogs and I had joined this new place of work and also had to visit an income tax advisor for filing my return. Now all the property-related documents and all my qualification certificates were with me. In Chandigarh, water logging takes place for a short while at roundabouts. The water was at my door level. Suddenly, I saw some smoke coming from the bonnet. I stopped the car on the side. After pushing the button to open the bonnet, I  jumped out of the car, in the rain, wondering what to do. I was standing next to my Dhano, hugging tightly, that plastic bag of important documents. I was so fearful thinking what will I do if there was a fire in the car. A cab stopped and the driver chose to help me. He opened the bonnet and checked and the smoke that seemed to be coming was from steam being formed and not due to any fire. I was so thankful. Some events become the turning point of life. That day, that adventure with Dhano was a major turning point in my life, due to personal incidents that emerged thereafter. It is only in a tough situation that we realize our strengths and also who are the people who stand with us.
In these twelve years, Dhano was taken for granted, I always knew she was there. Today as we part ways, my heart is heavy and I know that something is changing for, forever. Thank you, my friend. You always be remembered. Adieu!