Taxi ride gone wrong
I was around 42 years old then, my wife was 39 years. We had gone to somebody's place for an invitation.. My wife and me, around 20 kms from our house. While returning, it was quite late around 9.30 pm. We were not getting any taxis. Those days there were no Ola Ubers. Only hired taxis by meter. There was some problem, so buses were also very few and therefore very crowded. We were waiting on the street for more than half an hour. I was feeling desperate, on the lonely streets so late at 10 pm with my wife. My wife was also dressed up in a good sari. It was not so safe late at night in the city then.
Suddenly a taxi stopped in front of us. It was almost full. The driver wanted to know where we will be going. When we told him, he said that he is going in the same direction. He can take us and charged an above normal amount. I agreed to pay.
The taxi had 3 ladies and 2 girls of 12-13 years of age. One of them was a little older, about 65-70 years or so, who was sitting on the front seat alone. The other two ladies were quite healthy and they were sitting on the back seat with the two girls. These two ladies were possibly around 35 to 40 years of age.
We came to know that in fact the ladies had only asked the taxi driver to offer us a lift seeing that a well dressed wife and husband were distressed in not getting any taxi. The two ladies shifted a little and adjusted on the back seat and took the two girls on their laps. The problem was the back seat of the car could at best accommodate 3 persons sitting. So only one seating space was left. As it is the two ladies were healthy and they had two teenage girls on their laps.
One of the ladies suggested that I sit and take my wife on my lap, which was a very normal suggestion. But the problem was I was 5 feet 3 inches and around 62 kgs at that time. And my wife was 5 feet 2 inches and around 72 kgs in weight. There was no way I could carry my wife on my lap for the 20 kms long distance. The ladies understood our predicament. Then they suggested that since we were husband and wife, let my wife sit and take me on her lap.
My wife readily agreed. But I was feeling shy and hesitant. So my wife tried to reason with me that we really did not have any other alternative. I had to agree. So my wife sat down first and then I went and meekly sat on her lap. The two teenage girls were giggling. Their mothers were also stifling their laughter.
I was sitting awkwardly on my wife's knees. So the lady sitting next to us suggested that I will be hurting her knees more if I sit like that. She asked me to shift back inwards towards my wife's body and lean on her, so that my weight will be distributed on my wife's body and full lap. That will not put pressure only on her knees. My wife had her arms around my waist and on my thighs. Since she was heavier than me by 10 kgs, she literally lifted me a little, held me under my thighs and pulled me inwards. I rested my head on one of her shoulders. I stared out of the windows to avoid looking at the other ladies and the two young girls.
The three ladies started chatting with my wife. My wife was also talking freely with them holding me on her lap. She had her arms wrapped tightly around my stomach, so that I would not slip forward with the movement of the car and on her slippery silk saree.
I was feeling so awkward. I was the only man in the car, and I was being carried by my wife on her lap. The ladies were chatting totally ignoring my presence. As if I was also like one of the two other kids sitting on their mothers' laps.
After about 2-3 kms my wife started adjusting my body on her thighs. The lady sitting in the middle asked my wife whether her legs were hurting from carrying me for so long.
My wife said, "No it's ok."
I felt that it was definitely hurting; my wife actually suffered from leg pains sometimes.
Then that lady said to my wife, “If you don't mind, I can take your husband on my lap for some time. You take my daughter on your lap, she is much lighter."
My wife reluctantly agreed. That means her legs were really hurting. That middle lady asked her daughter to stand up and bend forward over the seat. Then she put one hand behind my back and the other under both my knees and literally scooped me into her lap. The little girl shifted on my wife's lap. The lady or my wife didn't even bother to tell me or take my permission. The middle lady pulled me inside her body and adjusted me to sit on one of her thighs. It was then that I understood that her thighs were much bigger than my wife's. She put her fat arms around my stomach and held me tightly on her big wide lap. I was having problems with placing my hands. There was no other place, so my hands rested on her fat arms only. I saw that her wrists were practically double of mine, they were so thick and rounded.
She bent her head forward, looked at my face, smiled at me and asked, "Are you comfortable Sir?"
What could I say, I just nodded a yes.
Then she asked, "Sir, what is your weight ?"
I said, "I am 62 kgs."
The lady started laughing, "Oh that's why I'm not feeling your weight. I'm 83 kgs. That is 21 kgs heavier than you. Aap itna light ho, ki mey apko godi mey utha ke ek ghanta ghooma bhi sakta hoon. You are so light that I can even pick you up in my arms and carry you around for one hour. What is your age Bhaiya (brother) ?”
I said, “I am 42 years old.”
The lady smiled, “Then you need not feel shy. I am 40. I am 2 years younger than you. Imagine that you are sitting on your little sister's lap. Let's not trouble your wife anymore now. I'll carry you now on my lap for the rest of the journey. If you want you can rest your head on my shoulder, close your eyes and take a short nap sitting on your sister's lap.”
I was so ashamed and embarrassed that a woman of almost the same age as mine was carrying me, a full grown adult man of 42 years, on her lap on such a long taxi ride. To avoid looking at the ladies and at the two giggling girls, I actually closed my eyes and rested my head on the lady's shoulder and pretended to sleep. I could hear the three ladies and my wife chatting continuously for the rest of the journey.
My wife became friends with those ladies and exchanged phone numbers. They even came to our house later. I felt so embarrassed that I purposely returned late from office that day when they visited, so that I don't have to face them. They invited us to their house. My wife went with my daughters. I did not go, making excuse of urgent work. I could not face those ladies and the two giggling teenagers.
