Racing Against the Rain

The sky begins to pout on my face and hairy arms as I maneuver through cars, buses, taxis, motorcycles, people, carts, ducks, chickens,...on my Vespa (Old Blue). I quickly glance over my shoulder and glimpse the ominous black clouds behind me. I accelerate. It is an E-ticket ride as I weave in and out of the ubiquitous Jakarta traffic. My side mirrors narrowly miss the mirrors situated on the cars to my left and to my right. It is exactly like a video game. The only difference is I rack up life points. A winning game is when I reach my final destination in one piece...which today is home.
The raindrops grow as I evade the car racing towards me on this supposed oneway street. I weave Old blue left to pass a bus only to find a man pushing a cart. I brake hard and swerve back to the right only to overlook an open manhole. I quickly jerk Old Blue hard right as my mind ponders the cost of a box of Depends.
I down shift and pick up speed on the wet roads trying to avoid the noxious fumes billowing out the back of three-wheeled Bajai and leaded fuelled buses. Traffic is serious business in this third most polluted city in the world…but hey, what better way to catch up with your pals than while stranded in traffic for hours at a time right? Or read that novel you can never finish? While now you can…in traffic. I continue to look for small openings between cars and fill them as they come.
I slam on the foot brake. My back tire locks up. I slide sideways on the wet road and wonder how much its going to hurt when I either slam into the truck in front of me or plow into this crazy woman who has chosen this most inappropriate time to dart across this hectic street. “That was close,” I whisper through my pollution mask as I reclaim control of Old Blue and watch my life points rack up on the video screen in my head. I turn off this street and play chicken with the oncoming motorcycles and cars as the rain continues to fall…still gently.
I decide to take another road, a shortcut, which means a steep decline. As I descend, the car in front of me decides to stop halfway down the hill forcing Old Blue and I into a full power slide…hang on Old Blue!!!!
Old Blue and I finally make it home from work. I have over a million life points and soiled shorts. The thunder pounds and the cats and dogs drop from the sky…