Edition # 9-The night, The merc and The dent-Compiled by Kaustubh Labhe(TE EXTC)

It was cloudy that night. Eddie had to go out. It was his ‘promotion’ party that night. Eddie was promoted to a senior post in his multinational company. A plush apartment and a luxurious merc were given to him by his company. His face lightened with the newly success that he had acquired. His tux shining, royal black, so was his merc. He stepped out of his house. It had started pouring. He looked at his merc then looked up, “damn this rain…” He sat inside the car, carefully shut the doors and turned on the air conditioner. He slid a C.D in and took off.
The street lights weren’t working. It was tough for Eddie to drive like this. Eddie tried looking outside the window. It was dark. No sign of humans. There weren’t any other vehicles as well. “If this thing breaks down here, then I am doomed”, he thought. He passed by a slum. Few children were playing in the rain. Looking at them he smiled to himself. He felt proud. Huh, a Mercedes really makes one proud. He felt lucky that night. He was on the other side of the one inch thick glass window. He stepped on the accelerator trying to ‘show off’. Suddenly he heard a thud. Something had hit his car. “Shit”. He took of his coat and stepped out. It was a stone that had hit his merc. He looked around and saw a little boy standing almost a yard far. He had no cover from the rain, umbrella, coat nothing. Eddie walked towards him, slapped him and lifted him by his collar. “You pest, you ruined my car, my new car.” He threw him on the ground. The boy coughed. “Sorry sir, I didn’t mean it”. Eddie was in no mood to listen to any apologies. He asked the boy to take him to his father. “You will have to repay the damages, bloody ‘bhikari’”. “Where is your dad”? The boy pointed his finger towards a tree. A weak man was lying under it. “There’s my father. He is unwell. Nobody was willing to stop for helping me so I did this”, the boy said with teary eyes. Eddie stood still, ashamed, weak himself. The worry about the dent on his car had vanished. He dropped the boy and his father to a nearby hospital in his new merc.
Next day one of his colleague asked Eddie about the dent on his car.
Eddie smiled and replied, “Dude, it’s my promotion gift from God”.