The Rickshaw Ride

On a Saturday, Mr. Yan left from the bar, bid his friends good night and walked towards the rickshaw stand. Midnight had passed over an hour ago. Sunday had arrived. He wasn't tipsy at all as he never sipped more than one glass of beer. He just gorged on the peanuts and smoked merrily.

Home was merely a 5 minutes ride away. Mr. Yang smoked his last cigarette taking deep long puffs. He was getting restless as he was a chatterbox and never liked to be silent for a long time so he initiated chatting with the silent rickshaw driver.

"Where are you from bhaiyya?"

To which the driver replied, "I'm from around here."

This was the strangest reply he got from any driver. Usually it was Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or some town in Maharashtra.

"How long you have been in Bombay?"

"Longer than what you can ever imagine sir-jee."

"You don't talk much bhaiyya."

"I don't drive much sir-jee."

"Why don't you drive much?"

"That's because I'm not from around here and don't belong here. By the way sahib, we've almost reached your place."

Mr. Yang got down a little stupefied by the unusual answers. He reached his trouser's rear pocket for the wallet and pulled it out. He took a step ahead to pay the driver. He had a look at the driver's smiling face. He handed over the money to the driver. The driver returned some loose change which Mr. Yang dropped.

He bent down to pick it up and saw that the driver's foot was .......... turned backwards!

The moment from that sight to standing up again was the longest time of Mr. Yang's life.When he stood up he wanted to shout and run, but couldn't do anything. He was frozen out of fear. He didn't want to see the driver's face.

Then the driver said, "I think you know where I'm from" and grunted a ghastly laugh.

The driver walked away, to Mr. Yang's opposite side. His toes on his 'back-turned' foot wiggled and waved to Mr. Yang like a pianists finger dancing away on the piano. 

Mr. Yang woke up on Tuesday on his bed; still with a high fever! He was so afraid that he slept for 2 days on a trot! His parents told him that their building's watchman found him talking to the rickshaw driver and then he fainted. When the watchman ran towards him, he found Mr. Yang shivering with his teeth chattering and his trousers soaked in his urine.

Mr. Yang never took a rickshaw ride alone for the rest of his life.