By Abdool A. Aziz

I COULDN’T do without a car and when my car was in the workshop I borrowed my friend’s vintage 1930 Morris Minor I 32. It was a ‘match-box’ vehicle that was 50 years old but in good working condition. I felt so uncomfortable. I was a giant inside a toy vehicle. All the gadgets were faded and malfunctioned and while on the road, the drivers shouted: “Get that junk into the corner!” Yes, she was going at 25 miles per hour – top speed. It felt odd driving it as my car was a modern machine.

Upon approaching the La Penitence bridge hump, I floored the accelerator to increase the speed to enable her to climb. She did ride over smoothly, but then she kept going at top speed. I slammed on the brakes. No brakes! I pulled up the hand brakes – no response. My God, she was out of control and heading straight to some shoppers. It was a Saturday – market day at La Penitence. I began blowing my horn, no horn. I put my head out the window and hollered for people to clear the way while I worked the brakes. I cut the engine but the Minor kept rolling.

I realised that this runaway motor will kill someone. To my horror, I saw a mother and her two children directly in the path of this killer weapon. I tried shouting for her to cross the street quickly, but they didn’t hear me. “Slow that car, are you crazy you’ll kill people!” someone said.

I prayed and prayed. “Oh God! Stop this car.”
Just a few more feet and that family would have been mowed down. Just then to the right, I saw a dray – cart with its long shafts on the ground. There were no horses so I turned the steering to the left and drove her straight up those shafts. She got hung up. The shoppers were shocked to see me do that, some looked on very puzzled.

Now the dray – craft owner came up to me. Angry, he challenged me to a fight. “You bruk up me cart, you go buy he back. Come down Mad Max, leh me dash dis pan you.”
I was scared. Thank God, the police arrived. “Driving a car on a cart? You head gone?” asked the burly corporal from the Traffic Department. The car being light and small, was pushed down. I was detained and later charged for dangerous driving.

I tried to explain the mishap. “All ah you does claim mechanical faults. Did fail, I’ll be lenient, here call the owner.” And he came, I told him what happened. He looked shocked, “Dis car failed you? Never yet since I bought it, let me see,” he said. He sat in the car and operated the brakes. They worked, so too did all the gadgets. I was amazed.

No one believed my story of brake failure. My friend said, “Something wrong hey.” He giggled “Dis car didn’t like you. He spirit didn’t didn’t tek you.” He stepped in and drove off with ease. “See you later,” he said. The police took me into the station. The cart owner said, “Wha abot me cart?” I said, “I’ll buy you a new one.” And I did.

Though the car was workable, I will always advise: never borrow a car, especially a car with spirit.