Friend in Need

Harinder woke up with a start, his body still aching from last night's events. He stretched and groaned, rubbing his face as the memories of running from Harjeet Singh, Sukhman's father, flooded back to him. "That was hell of a run," he muttered, shaking his head.

His mother's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Oye, Harinder! Darwaza khol, koi knock kar raha hai!" (Hey, Harinder! Open the door, someone is knocking!)

Harinder dragged himself out of bed and opened the door, only to find Sukhman standing outside, looking weary but determined.

"Paaji, you are quite early today," Harinder quipped.

Sukhman nodded. "I want a favor. Can I come inside?"

"Yeah, surely."

Once inside, Sukhman explained everything—how he had left his home in the early morning, the argument with his father, and his need to get to Hotel Rosemary to sign the contract with Vaayu GP.

Harinder's eyes widened. "Oye, pagal ho gaya hai? Apna ghar chhod diya iske liye?" (Are you crazy? You left your home for this?)

Sukhman sighed. "Mainne pura try kiya papaji se baat karne ka, par woh sunne ko tayar hi nahi the. Aur main aur kya karta? Yeh ek baar ka chance hai, mujhe ise pakadna hi padega." (I tried my best to reason with Papaji, but he didn't listen to me. What else could I do? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I have to grab it.)

Harinder stood up, grabbing his shirt. "Toh matlab tu ghar chhodte waqt paise bhi nahi laya, isliye ab tu time par nahi pahunch sakta. Sahi keh raha hoon na?" (So basically, in the urgency of leaving your house, you forgot to take money, and now you can't reach there on time. Am I right?)

Sukhman scratched his head. "Haan..." (Yeah...) He felt a little stupid.

Harinder rolled his eyes, snatching his car keys from the table. "Theek hai. Tag along."

His mother called out from the kitchen, "Beta, jab bahar ja raha hai toh thoda samaan bhi le aa na!" (Son, since you're going out, bring some groceries too!)

Harinder chuckled. "Haan maa, le aunga!" (Yeah, Mom, I'll bring it!)

The two boys rushed to Harinder's car and took off toward Hotel Rosemary.

---

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in Sukhman's home. His mother, Baljeet Kaur, found the letter he had left on the desk. Her hands trembled as she read his words, and she slumped into a chair, weeping softly.

Harjeet stormed into the room, his face livid. "Yeh ladka mujhe barbad kar ke hi chodega!" (This boy will be the end of me!) He picked up the phone and called the police. "Mera beta ghar se bhaag gaya hai. Use dhoondhna hoga!" (My son has run away from home. You have to find him!)

Manpreet, Sukhman's sister, remained silent. She knew exactly why her brother had left, but she held back from revealing anything. She had faith in him—faith that he would make the right choice.

---

On the road, Harinder and Sukhman made a quick stop at a roadside dhaba to grab some refreshments.

"Jaldi kar yaar, mujhe lagta hai papaji police bula chuke honge," (Hurry up, man, I think my dad must've called the police by now,) Sukhman urged, glancing around nervously.

Harinder rolled his eyes. "Relax paaji, kuch nahi hoga." (Relax, bro, nothing will happen.) He picked up their food and returned to the car.

Just as they were about to leave, a police officer stationed near the dhaba caught sight of Sukhman. Recognition flickered across his face. "Arre, yeh toh wohi ladka hai jiske liye missing report file hui thi!" (Hey, this is the same boy for whom the missing report was filed!)

The officer immediately signaled for backup.

"Bhaag, Harinder, bhaag!" (Drive, Harinder, drive!) Sukhman shouted as he scrambled into the car.

Harinder floored the gas pedal, but soon they saw flashing lights in the rearview mirror. The police were in pursuit.

"Sukhman, tu soch kya raha hai? Yeh hamari last race hone wali hai!" (Sukhman, what are you thinking? This is about to be our last race!) Harinder shouted, gripping the wheel.

Sukhman took a deep breath. "Mujhe steering de!" (Give me the steering!)

"Kya? Tu pagal hai kya?" (What? Are you crazy?)

"Mujhe bas bharosa kar!" (Just trust me!)

Harinder hesitated but switched seats, letting Sukhman take control.

Sukhman immediately shifted gears, pushing the car to its limits. He zigzagged through the highway, taking sharp turns at high speeds, narrowly missing trucks and other vehicles.

"Yeh koi race nahi hai bhai! Tu kya kar raha hai?" (This isn't a race, man! What are you doing?) Harinder yelled, clutching his seat.

"Agar pakde gaye toh Vaayu GP bhool ja!" (If we get caught, forget Vaayu GP!) Sukhman retorted, gripping the wheel tighter.

The police sirens grew louder. Sukhman spotted a narrow dirt path leading off the highway. Without hesitation, he swerved sharply, sending dust flying behind them as they veered off-road.

The police jeeps tried to follow but struggled on the rough terrain. Taking advantage of the uneven road, Sukhman sped through the bumpy path and re-entered the main road at a different point.

"Lagta hai chhod diya unhone..." (Looks like they lost us...) Harinder sighed in relief, his heart still pounding.

Sukhman smirked, finally slowing down. "Tujhe race dekhni thi na? Yeh le, asli chase tha!" (You wanted to see a race, right? This was the real chase!)

Harinder shook his head, exhaling sharply. "Paaji, tu sach mein pagal hai." (Bro, you're seriously crazy.)

Sukhman just laughed, steering toward their final destination—Hotel Rosemary.

---

By evening, they finally reached the hotel. Harinder's car had a few scratches but was otherwise fine.

Sukhman stepped out and stretched. "Okay, let's do this."

They entered the hotel and took the elevator to the 5th floor. As the doors opened, they saw Nandini standing there in casual attire, scrolling through her phone. To be honest the attire is too casual that any man can get a cold freeze from that sight.

Sukhman and Harinder both hesitated, feeling a little awkward seeing her in a non-professional look. But Nandini barely noticed them and gestured for Sukhman to step forward.

"Ready to sign?" she asked.

Sukhman took a deep breath. "Yes."

With that, he signed the contract. At that moment, he officially became a GP driver.

Harinder patted his back. "Mubarak ho, paaji. Ab teri asli kahani shuru hoti hai." (Congratulations, bro. Now your real story begins.)