Crashlanding

Call it complacence or overconfidence, Ash had his first accident last week on his way to uni. I was hitching a ride to Dubai on the fateful evening. He was navigating a roundabout in our emirate, and was trying to move to the right lane after indicating, when he hit a taxi. For a minute, we froze and thought it might be the end but God forbid, there were no cars coming behind or they braked, and ours came to a halt after a jolt. Both of us were new to the formalities and got out to face the Pak taxi driver. After the initial back and forth, he told us we should park elsewhere and wait for a traffic policeman in the vicinity. 

The official was cordial and kind, and told Ash that even the most experienced drivers make mistakes and not to worry. He heard both parties out and decided Ash was at fault, so we paid the fine and collected the report crucial for insurance approval and repairs. I also paid a small amount to the driver who said he lost his savari/passenger (a lady who probably left without paying after the accident). 

Either he was joking or helping us to relax, the policeman told me he couldn't believe I was A's mother and thought I was his sister!

The steering however had a malfunction following the collision and we waited for V to go to a garage in Dubai. Ash will have a tough time travelling to uni by public transport -- takes about 3 hours changing 3 buses -- for a week until the car returns. To make matters worse, V has gone to India for a fortnight.