Short Story: Happy Auto Service

Utsav Kaushik narrates how repair and auto-service can make or mar your life, with a tongue-in-cheek humour.

The spanner icon blinked on my bike’s odometer like a tiny orange conscience. I noticed it again one night while heading home from the office — a patient, persistent warning that the bike needed servicing.

I had ignored it. The headlamp had gone out a week ago. Every night ride had become a blind pilgrimage, and yet, I rode on — convincing myself that light was optional if you knew the road well enough.

That night, when I reached home and pushed the bike up the ramp, the engine coughed like an old man trying to quit smoking. My mother opened the door, folded her arms, and said exactly what I knew she would.