It’s a long long day – Dawn breaks!

“I am hungry and I am already sick of keeping my foot on this accelerator” Praveen said, breaking the long silence which I had mainly utilized in enjoying the fresh morning cool breeze kissing my face.

I slowly turned to him and said, “I will take the wheels”

“If you take the wheels how will the car move?” he said and suddenly burst into a wild laughter on his own freshly cracked PJ.

I too couldn’t resist a chuckle, atleast that broke down our hour long silence and the boredom with which we had been driving on the highway that was almost empty except for the few trucks that we left behind.

“Sorry, but wanted to take revenge on your last PJ” he said controlling his laugh.

“I knew you have been struggling for this revenge since an hour” I said.

“Forget revenge, what about breakfast? I am damn hungry”

“It’s still 5 AM. We can stop at any tea stall, get refreshed and continue”

“Till?”

“Shimoga. We will stop there for breakfast. It will be around 9 when we enter Shimoga.”

“Fine. Sounds good. Let me drive for another stretch and stop over for a strong tea” he said and resumed his highway speed.

It was almost 6 when the needle on the speedometer of our car came down and the car moved from the fast lane to the slower lane and then further left just in time to stop in front of the smallest tea stall that we could find on the outskirts of Tiptur. If not for the breaks just in time, we would have entered Tiptur. I ordered a strong tea for him and a coffee for myself while Praveen quickly washed his face and freshened up.

The shopkeeper, a simple looking old man with shaggy beard and brown teeth, the result of tobacco, smiled widely showing off all his brown teeth while handing over the cups and asked, “Anything to eat Sir?”

“What’s there?” Praveen asked

“Bun, biscuits and anything Sir. But if you wait for another 30 mins you will get Lemon Rice, Tomato Rice, Upma” he said, still showing off his marvelous tobacco effect.

“Just give 2 biscuit packets” Praveen said, and then taking those from the old shopkeeper he walked towards me.

We preferred to be silent and enjoyed the dawn that was just breaking in on us while we gulped in the hot beverages that not only helped to freshen up our brains but also provided a soothing effect to our throat and stomach that early in the morning. The birds had started flying out of their nests as the first few rays of Sun had already lighted up the place here and there warning the Earth of Sun's arrival any minute. A lazy dog still slept just beside the tea stall uncomfortable with one of those rays that was falling on its body. The biscuits Praveen picked up were a great help in settling scores with the hungry stomach and making a deal with it to be silent till we reached Shimoga.

It was not until when we were back in car and the speedometer had picked up that we spoke.

“Are you sure you will drive?” I asked

“Yes, until breakfast. Then you can drive” he said, busy in increasing the speed.

“Cool. Then I will take a nap”

“I will kill you if you close your eyes. You have to be awake with me” he said suddenly turning at me.

I laughed enjoying the sudden ruffle I had created.

“Ha ha don’t worry. I am opening the mail from Chief to go over the details” I said.

“We know nothing except the location. It says rescue but what rescue?”

“I too don’t have even the smallest idea on what it is. But the mail and message both said Code 206”

“Yeah that’s when I packed up my things. It sure is something big and crucial”

“You are right, it’s surely is something crucial; something that cannot wait. Let me go over the mail to find if Chief put in some coded message” I said, opening the laptop.

“Rescue operation, that too in that remote location. Mission completion time 24 hours max. Chief has something big for us this day”

“Yes, I too am not able to make out what it would be.”

“Never mind, read the mail if you can crack any encoded message in it. Anyhow we would be getting details from a guy we would be meeting as soon as we get there. Until then I will play songs to keep me awake and away from your useless jokes” he said turning on the player.

“Wow. This is your mini rescue operation from me?”

“Of course!” he said and started singing the song that started up in the player.

I opened up my mail box and opening the recent mail from Chief, I read it again. Again and again; over and again; trying my best to get atleast something more than those plain words.

Finally, taking a break and bending my neck to both side and then taking a look out of the window glass I said, to myself, “Today will be a long long day!”

Contd Next Sunday…

Vishal…

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