8'o clock. It got late due to an ad-hoc meeting that was set up at the latest moment. I also had to cancel my jewellery shopping plan with my friend. There were already a dozen whereabouts phone calls back from home. I packed my things and headed to the parking lot. As I'd anticipated, I found myself alone at that place. I had sent a text to Mom and left for my home. The traffic on the route was moderate compared to the hassle that I had to go through, daily. I reached the bypass road through which, I would reach home much faster. I usually avoid that way since I could barely find another soul at that hour. The street lights too were not much appreciated. After a while, I sensed that my bike was getting slow. It got halted after a couple of jerks. I tried to start, but all my efforts were in vain. The only two things that I accompanied me in the dark, were the revving sound of the engine and the chirping noise of crickets. There was no one to help and I started walking with my scooty. 

Let alone the garage, I did not see another person in the next 30 minutes. I continued to walk and finally saw a garage at a distance. 

There was a person sitting on a stool and grooving to a melody song on the radio. He greeted me and started looking into the scooty. He told me that it would take half an hour to repair and asked me to sit meanwhile. The place started to get noisy with a group of people arriving at a stall nearby. Their fumbled walks and gestures made me feel that they were drunk. They started to smoke and gave me random stares which made me uncomfortable. I tried to avoid eye contact with them, but the stares did not stop. My hands started getting cold and tension crept into my thoughts. I closed my eyes and remembered my mother. I heard a bike sound and opened my eyes to find a policewoman in her uniform. She parked her scooty beside mine. She called the mechanic to check her scooty. She saw the men and shouted at them to leave the place. It happened to be so relaxing and made me feel that she had sensed that I was worried. She came near me and sat on the bench. Her warm touch on my hand took off all the anxiety that I had. Meanwhile, my scooty was fixed. I paid the money and started to leave. I heard the mechanic saying that he would deliver her scooty tomorrow. I offered her to drop at her home. Even though she hesitated initially, she finally agreed to come with me. We both started from the place. I still had shivers running down my legs and my hands trembled. She saw me being nervous and asked, "What happened? Are you still thinking about those guys back there?" "Yes," I replied. "Be calm. They are gone. No need to worry." "This is not only the time such a thing happened. There's a guy who regularly waits outside my office. He stares at me, as I enter or leave the office. He sometimes even follows me on his bike. I do not like the way he stares. His looks are not good and disturbing. It tinkers my confidence as if I am there is something wrong the way I am dressed. I could not take it lightly. I am not at a display, that people come and give weird looks. I also could not share this with anyone." She patiently listened to me and sighed. There was an ice cream bell ahead from a van at a distance. She got excited like a small girl and asked to have ice cream. We had ourselves an ice cream and sat on a bench on the pavement. She enquired about where I live, my education and my parents. As I was done with my details, she patted my shoulder and said, "You are doing good. I believe that you will have a great future ahead. However, you also need to prepare yourselves to face challenges in your path." she took a pause and smiled at me. "Dear, we all have our dreams for which we strive every day. We wish everything would be a bed of roses, but remember that thorns do exist. The one at the office, those guys back then are such people. The ones who are causing problems for you will face a situation where they understand right and wrong. You need to confront those people with confidence and if required, don't hesitate to take the help of your family, friends or someone like me. Don't get intimidated by their actions and do not let it affect you." I felt like continuing to listen to her and opined that was what I needed the most at that hour. I got a call from my mom and she asked if she could speak. She answered the call and told her that I was safe. We started from there and reached her house. It was so dark that none of the street lights there were working. A man, out of the door, came towards us. His face was not visible in the dim light. "Amma, where have you been? It's so late and I could not reach you on mobile." "Oh! My scooty tyre got flat and I was struck in the middle. Luckily, she offered to give me a ride ", she said pointing to me. "In fact, I was lucky to see you at this hour. Thanks for being with ..", I said and stopped at a loss for words when I saw his face when the lights were on. He's the same guy at my office! I was anxious but I realized that I was not scared. It’s definitely not how it was before. She came near me and wiped off sweat on my forehead with her dupatta. She introduced us to each other. All the time, he did not make eye contact. She gave both their numbers and told me to reach out if there was any problem. By this time, the street lights got up and illuminated the way ahead. I bid them good night and left for my home.

"Did you know?", he asked his mother. "If you are asking what I think, yes.", she stalled saying. "Why didn't you ask me anything?", he asked anxiously. She turned to him and said, "Telling you what you did wrong, is one part of it. Even if I am able to make you understand, there might be another one tomorrow. She needed the belief that she is ready to face it." "How did you know that?" She paused for a moment and walked up to him and hugged him. "I know how it felt and needed the same support when it happened to me."

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