Rode to town last evening to catch a movie with friend. The ride was usual, the right wrist was at freedom on empty visible stretches, quite controlled though.
A few times i tore away from the traffic around while opening up in the 2nd and 3rd gears.
I'm riding, pass Heera Panna, and i see this really old friend from school stadning by, i go into flashback for a couple of moments.
Just a few seconds after that it happens!!
This joker jumps over the railing, and decides to appear in front of me when i'm like some 3-4 feet from hitting him. Fortunately the traffic is slow, and i m not going fast by any standards, hit the brakes, i stop well in time. But, our jaywalker could not get his hands in place, and his elbow hits the Lockhart windscreen, and its done for.
I am glad i did not lose balance, held it altogether, but slightly zapped with the whole thing. Take notice of everything, the windscreen is gone, everything else is ok, but the chap is nursing his miniscule bruise on one of his fingers. Ok so now what!!
Roll the bike on a side, the fellow follows me. The usual crowd gathers, and i am sort of taken by a surprising voice. 'Main toh marne wala tha, ungli pe itna maar laga hai' is what the chap is narrating to himself, the people around, and gettin louder for me to take notice.
I sure did take notice. The chap was a cabbie, which i assume beause of their uniform, and was crossing over a railing, which he could have used a zebra crossing for a few meters ahead.
The mumbai guys would know the Hyundai showroom, just after Heera Panna, this happened right there, so we were not really too far from a zebra crossing, but the 'hero' thought otherwise.
He started a mild accusation, that in some way it was my fault, and i did not see him or i could have slowed down et all, but how would i take notice if he had just decided to jump in front of me a second or two before i reached him. Even then the bike stopped well in time, and if only he would have controlled his body weight in a better way, there would have been no damage.
So the accusation builds up, and so does my anger, then i slapped him across his face. I am sorry, but there's really a limit. The chap ran across the road where there was no crossing, and without even briefly inspecting the traffic conditon before taking the punge.
My windscreen which costs a considerable amount is broken, the guy obviosuly would not pay for it, was overly reactive to a negligible bruise and trying to usher the blame on me instead. And then i slapped him across his face again.
Frustration is dying down now, and then a cop appears loooking all concerned. I doubt the concern was for either of us, the chap crossing the road, the bike, or me. Probably thought he could make a buck. Asks me to accompny him to his senior, which i point blank refuse saying it would be a further waste of time for me, and there was no way the cop, or the chap crossing were going to pay me for any damage.
I startup the Ace, cross his senior standing at a little distance, and carry on to the movie with the broken plastic tucked away.
Movie (You Me Aur um) is good, and the company was fab

Some good dinner with family after that, and i was looking for a windscreen for the Ace first thing i was home.
manson.