part 22

"Get Out" – Darren Roared – "I Hired the Taxi, Not You!"

"No... No..." – Babu cast a fearful glance out of the window at the grim reaper of death approaching the taxi and stammered nervously, "I... I'm in a real hurry."

Darren, already fuming, became even more enraged at this response.

"Didn't you hear me?" – he roared again – "I said, get out!"

Babu could clearly sense that the burly Darren might lay hands on him at any moment, so he tried a different approach.

"Driver sir," – he pleaded humbly – "Please help me out here. I really am in a hurry."

"What can I do, sir?" – the driver replied – "I'm saying I can take both of you."

"And just a moment ago, you refused to take me?" – Darren snapped at the driver.

"Oh, master, calm down and just get in as well."

"Shut up!" – Darren rebuked the driver – "This guy is causing trouble, and now you're siding with him too?"

"Boss...!"

"And you...!" – ignoring the driver, Darren turned to Babu with a menacing voice – "Will you get out yourself, or should I throw you out?"

Terrified by Darren's fierce demeanor, Babu trembled even more. He glanced outside again, where Murad—the grim reaper—was closing in. It was clear that if he stepped out of the taxi, escaping was impossible.

"For God's sake, have mercy," – he pleaded desperately – "I'm really in a hurry."

"Damn your hurry!" – Darren, now completely furious, began shoving Babu toward the taxi door – "Go die somewhere else!"

"Please...!"

"Oh, boss—listen to me" – seeing the escalating situation, the driver finally intervened firmly.

"What...?" – Darren snapped.

"Boss, now listen" – the driver insisted, standing his ground – "Either both of you go, or neither of you will be in my taxi."

"Hey, I booked this taxi first!"

"No, you didn't" – this time, there was a certain defiance in the driver's voice, which even Darren noticed – "I had already told you this taxi was booked."

"But...!" – Darren was surprised at the driver's change in tone.

"Boss, no ifs or buts" – the driver glanced at Babu, sitting in the back looking miserable, and declared his final decision – "Either both of you go, or both get out."

"I'll call the police," – Darren made a last attempt.

"Boss, if you don't want to listen to me, then go ahead and call the police."

Darren looked at the driver, who was no longer speaking in a submissive tone, then at Babu, who was gazing at him with pitiful eyes, and finally, he made a decision.

"Fine," – Darren settled himself back into the rear seat and shut the door – "But drop me off first."

Babu sighed deeply in relief, silently thanking the driver.

The driver started the taxi.

"Where to, boss?" – the driver asked Darren.

"South Delhi," – he replied – "Friends Colony."

"And you?" – the driver asked Babu.

"I need to go to Noida, but drop me wherever you can," – he said in the same anxious tone – "As long as I can get another ride from there."

"Oh, well... you two are actually headed in the same direction!" – the driver said cheerfully – "I'll take the Gurgaon-Faridabad highway. I'll drop boss off first, then take you to Noida."

"Much obliged," – Babu sighed in relief and turned to Darren – "Thank you too. But believe me, if I weren't in trouble, I wouldn't have caused this inconvenience."

"No problem," – Darren, his anger now subdued, replied in a changed tone – "Maybe I overreacted too."

"It's alright," – Babu, still clutching his briefcase to his chest, now placed it on the car floor between his feet and said – "I'm grateful."

Darren readjusted himself in his seat and said, "I regret my rudeness."

"Actually, I was in the wrong. But what could I do... I was desperate."

"Oh, let it go, boss. Now we're all travel companions on the same road."

Instead of replying, Darren checked his wristwatch and then gazed out through the moving taxi's window at the sky, which was still covered in dark clouds.

The taxi continued its journey.

Faridabad-Gurgaon Highway

"What's wrong?" – Darren asked.

For the past ten minutes, the taxi had been crawling along, and now it had come to a complete stop.

"Boss, there's a traffic jam ahead at the toll."

Both Darren and Babu rolled down their windows and craned their necks to look ahead.

"The toll is still far away," – Babu observed.

"Yes, boss," – the driver replied, now unusually quiet – "What can we do?"

"I'll go ahead and check," – Darren opened his door and stepped out of the taxi – "You, follow me."

Before either Babu or the driver could say anything, Darren was already walking ahead.

The taxi remained stationary.

"Thank you, Sardar ji," – after a moment of silence, Babu addressed the driver respectfully – "Because of you, I was saved today."

"Oh, no worries, boss."

"No," – Babu insisted – "You don't realize how big of a favor you've done for me."

"It was no favor, boss."

"Because of you, my life was spared today."

"How's that, boss?" – the driver asked in surprise.

In response, Babu began to narrate the whole story—carefully omitting the fact that he was a courier in a drug racket and that today, he had planned his exit from the business.