Song of the Firebird

Nine

It was not his first time driving a car. Even though he was able to afford a nice one besides the old one in his garage, he wouldn't buy. Despite it helping him in all his errands, he was not willing to use his old one either. He had lost interest since long. He thought that he wanted a break - both from driving and an unhappy relationship. Sighing, he dialled up his lover. As soon as his call was answered, he pulled over and began talking.

'Can we meet by the café in the Sorbet St.?'

...

'Okay.'

Disconnecting the call, he resumed driving at a slower pace. She would take at least an hour to come to their rendezvous point. Meanwhile, he applied for a leave of absence at his job. He might be sincere and easy going on the outside. On the inside, he brandished himself, a coward, for more than a million times. Sometimes the company of friends do not change the fact that one can hide away from the vices. It might help a bit but might not be able to stop or prevent from happening. With one responsibility relieved from him, he turned to the next biggest one in his mind. Tackling them one by one, he was saved from the madness that amassed around him.

.

.

.

Danny had solid fifteen hours before coming in touch with Jay. He believed that he would stop his charade and be who he actually was. Slowly, he pressed on the accelerator and sped past the speed limit, not worrying about the tickets that would decorate his mailbox in the coming days.

Not a big fan of automatic gears himself, Danny had seen the wonders of manual gears during his life as a night racer. As soon as he slipped the key into ignition, the sound of engines brought out the unearthly side of him that he had cherished all along - the one that did not submit to anyone's will. It gave him the freedom that the world denied him. Inside the car, he was in an intoxicating relationship - like the man and the machine were inseparable and invincible, no matter how dire the situation was. Who would not want a car that would sync well to the person who drove it? His strong rapport with the clutch and the gears was no match for countless bottles of booze, in terms of providing comfort during the bad times.

The memory of getting his first car was fresh in his mind. His father bought him third-hand junk for his graduation, wherein he became the first graduate in his family of five. With his efforts and his connections, Danny constantly made changes in his car, eventually turning it into a competitive one when compared to a new model from the same company. The very same junk saved his position in top-five for three consecutive years.

Night life was often short-lived even though the dark hours might seem long. There was nothing like an ideal city. Each place has its own differences that make our skin cringe with distaste. When the whole world was asleep at night, motorsports stole the limelight past midnight, all things illegal. One can see people, young and old, men and women, rich and poor, living, admiring, creating messes, making out, clashing, placing bets and fighting all night. Nightlife was always different from its counterpart. The most important thing being not getting caught. Only the smarter and stronger ones are able to survive. Others simply end up in detention centres. The survivors never gave a damn.

He was one of the very few drivers who was able to evade the cops until date. Starting life from the most vulnerable stage, he knew the cruelty of the outside world. He had to take caution to save his reality. The moment he stepped behind the bars, he knew that the people depending on him were doomed. He could not shake the harsh fact that the people who bet on him literally paid his siblings' tuition. They didn't have to know that. Thanks to those bets, he was able to provide his family, a debt-free life. At one point, he stopped racing and began concentrating on his job. That time, codes replaced his car.