...................continued


Now, with the DSP and all the cops surrounding us gone, me and chona were left with two seargents and some people who had gathered around. The seargent came towards us with his challan book and before asking anything else he asked,"Whose car is this"? I told him about my Dad. The seargent who was ASI Munir thought for sometime, clearly thinking about the grades of my father and the DSP. I enjoyed the little battle in his mind for sometime. Then he thought that DSP was his boss and started writing on his challan book. I looked at the people around and the curiosity on their faces was incredible. Then seargent said to me, "Sign here". I burst into a laughter. It was really funny, but when I looked at chona he was neither laughing nor enjoying the situation. The people around were all looking at me. I said, (trying my best to stop laughing) "Oay Kerna Aey" ( So you're really gonna do it). He said, "Kerna to pray ga". (I have to.)
I looked at him for sometime, he didn't look back. I said in very low voice,
"Let's go to the Session Court Lahore. Then we'll see who's paying."
The other seargent looked at him, but ASI Munir was confident. He started taking off my batti and honestly speaking I got a little confused. He held batti in his hand, wrapped its wire around and said, "No point talking" and gave me the chit. I looked at it but could understand nothing. My mind was racing, I thought about running away, about calling Dad but I had no credit left, about showing a bit of anger. Then I said softly,
"How much are you charging me"?
ASI:200 Rs.
I got 200 out of my pocket. Just then my phone rang. It was my sister. I told her to call Dad and ask him to call me. The ASI heard me and immediately turned away and went towards the inspecter who was on the other side of the road. He gave him my batti and then stayed there, waiting for me to come to him. Dad called me after a minute and I told him everything. He told me not to pay the ASI and give him the cell phone. I went to other side of the road and gave the cell phone to ASI and told him that my Dad wants to talk to him. He took off his cap, turned off his wireless, set his hair, took my cell, bent down in a little bow and said, "Yes Sir". My Dad talked to him for a while during which he only repeated those two words. Then he gave me my cell and my Dad again told me not to pay and to tell the ASI that I was to contest in the court about it. I told him that the driver hadn't come too. Dad got worried that I was all alone and spent a long time telling me to take it easy and not panic. I convinced him I was totally cool and he shouldn't worry about that. I came back in my car and then I thought I should drop chona at his home. Chona was relieved to hear it. As we reached chona's home Dad called me and said that he had talked to an Additional Session Judge in Model Town and a Civil judge in Faisal Town. I dropped chona and was coming back to the same round-about when Dad called me again. This time he gave me the number and address of the Civil Judge he had talked to and told me to pick up the batti from him after one hour. I was startled at the speed at which everything had happened. I told Dad that they had my lisence too. He said he'll handle it and then gave me yet another long lecture on staying cool. I told him again that I was absolutely fine and that I was more concerned about his being worried.
When I reached the round-about, both of the seargents saw me and got sort of alarmed. I didn't understand so I went towards them. One of them said,
"Khuram Sahab (the civil judge) took the batti".
I understood that they were now under control and there was no point saying to them that "I told you". I just said,
"Go and ask your DSP what was the point when I had told him everything? He knew my Dad, he knew the car was Govt.'s, he knew I had a lisence." The ASI said after a while, "Sir, you know I couldn't have given it back to you, and you also know you would have taken it anyway." I said nothing and came back in the car.
A car stopped right beside my car. I looked sideways and an saw an uncle looking at me. I lowered my window, he said,"Why have they stopped you?" I said," Because they are #@$#%$%$#@%^&^&^% ", and though uncle seemed impressed but of course understood nothing. I told him the matter. He asked me why I had the neeli batti on the roof. I told him that my father is a Judge. He said, " O Man, now they are stopping civil judge's cars , these morons are really #%$%%@$%$^^. I told him my father was a Session Judge, not a Civil Judge. His eyes widened and he said, "Session Judge!!!!, woh to tun kay rukh day ga in ko!!". (He will destroy them, but the way you say it in urdu it amounts to He's gonna kick their ass) I said, "That's what I'm waiting for here".
The driver never came. I went to the civil judge's house after an hour. Mr. Khurram was very kind. He literally forced me to have lunch with him and then tea. He had already sent his driver with giving him his own ID card which ASI could keep in place of my lisence. The driver came back and told that the inspector now had refused to give. He went out in his little garden and called the inspector. Inspector probably knew what was coming so he told the ASI to pick the phone. Now, Mr. Khurram is a geniune "paindo dude" and what he said on the phone I can never forget, and also write. But the result of that was his driver bringing back the lisence in five minutes. I thanked him for all his help and then came to the same round-about my driver was supposed to come. Instead of waiting now, I called Dad and he told me to be brave and come by myself. I was thrilled because it's an hour journey on the motorway and then half an hour on a really tricky and bouncy road. I asked God for strength and then drove towards motorway.

The journey home was absoutely wonderful. I got a bit sleepy on the way because of Mr. Khurram's excellent mix vegetables, so I stopped at one of the petrol pumps to get a drink. People there looked at me as if I was an alien, making the same mistake that DSP did i.e thinking that I was underage. I guess I learned a lot from this experience and I hope to put to use what I learned some other time.