Foresight

Chapter VII

"Bhaiya, ek masala Chai"(Brother one masala tea), Rajesh places his order at their regular tea joint. Adjusting his backpack, he lights up one cigarette and calms himself with a drag. 'Where are this guys', Rajesh ponders while glancing at his watch and releasing they are getting late. While sipping on his tea, he spots Neeraj at a distance, at the distance, running with a backpack of his own. Puffing panting, he reaches at the joint and orders a tea for himself. Catching his breath, he lights a cigarette for himself. "Tarun is late again?", asks Neeraj though releasing it is a stupid question to ask given the fact that they both are present at their usual meeting place and Tarun is not. "Probably he just woke up", Rajesh mutters through his anger, sipping on his tea and flicking his cigarette butt.
"Ma, I am getting late", Tarun shouts as he emerges from his shower, dripping wet all the while realizing that he is yet to pack his bag. He jumps into his comfortable pair of shorts, take out his backpack and shoves his clothes into them, without realizing what he is packing and what not. He takes a second bath of deodorant, dousing himself to the point of suffocation and grabs the first t-shirt he can lay his hands on. He dashes to the main door, with his mom in pursuit, as she tries to balance the plate, not wanting to spill the oats on the floor. She stuff's a spoonful of oats in Tarun's mouth as he tussles with his shoe. "Bye Ma, see you on Monday" shouts Tarun as he races to his car, the blue i20, his graduation gift. He vrooms past the morning traffic of cyclists and joggers, thinking about all the curses Rajesh and Neeraj are pouring, for he is late by a good forty minutes.  A 15 minute drive, in which he could have possibly beaten world class racers in the roads of Mumbai, he screeches to a halt at the joint.
"Sorry guys" he pleads to Rajesh and Neeraj, as he gets out of his car and lights a cigarette. "Its ok man, it was our mistake to expect you on time." Neeraj replies with a sarcasm on his tone, while Rajesh dumps their backpacks on the back. "So when did your car get delivered?" Rajesh asks as he closes the trunk. " Dad drove it home yesterday", replies Tarun spewing smoke from his mouth and throwing down the remnant of his cigarette butt and crushing it under his foot. "Chal guys, lets go" Neeraj says, stepping into the backseat and stretching himself over the back. Tarun and Rajesh get on the front and drive away, kick-starting the trip which will turn their lives around.