My Security Blanket

Realization dawned on me akin to the smell of Sundal announcing the arrival of Navarathri. It has been nearly 6 months since I got my license ,yet,I cannot drive without the L board on my car.It has been in many ways some thing that protected me.

Now I've had some really bad experiences when I started to drive and hence it was put on suspend mode for nearly 2 years.It was under Dad's insistence and the lure of my i10 that I resumed driving.Like Sridevi dancing around Rajinikanth I drove around the same street for nearly a million times until I got my left and right turn right.(That goes without saying that half of those million times my dad's preaching was heard over my panicky-breaths).Of course you do understand how important the L board was during those"stressful"times.

Around February of this year I was allowed to drive alone in and around Anna nagar.The fear did slowly start evaporating but still I needed the L board for reassurance.

There were times when I almost ran into someone and they came to me,looked at my L board and quietly passed me.The countless times when I looked at my rear view mirror and saw

cars standing at a safe distance from me were always accompanied by a sense of reassurance.

As Feb dissolved into march which gave way to April,May,June etc I grew more confident and my radius slowly widened to areas like Nungambakkam,Aminijikarai,Halls road and such.The L board was still there.I was bidding my time thinking"Let it be there for a few more days".

July ,August and mid Sept were pretty busy months and I rarely was seen outside the house let alone the car.

I finally resolved that the day I took my car to Satyam alone I'd get the L board off.

Final Update:I drove to satyam and infact a bit further than that to Express Avenue with the car full of a bunch of noisy friends,blaring music and blinding flash lights but still the L board didn't come off.

It has infact become a part of my car right from the day my driving was graded as "When Gayathri has to drive the road has to be cleared to avoid any casualties " to "Oh!Okay she can drive till Kilpauk in the peak hours".I just hope some day I'll be ready to part with.

Not now maybe but some day I know I can get out of my safety net for sure.Until then Oh!My L board you are my saving grace :)

Until the next one,

Gaya :)

Update:As of 10/10/10 10:10 A.M the 'L' Board has officially come off.No more heads up for the death cab or wait the death i 10..No,wait that sounds lame.