Just the day before I killed an ant by inaction. Now, I have an ant living in my car. I saw this ant two weeks ago actually. On the dashboard. Before I could reach out and flick it away with little respect for its dignity, it had already scampered inside. Inside where? I don’t know. The engine?
It appeared again on Friday. This is not a small ant. But a big red one. We have a different word for that in Kannada, but in English I think an ant is an ant, regardless of size. Once again, it disappeared before I could catch it.
Today morning, there it was again. This time taking a walk on the windscreen. I was on one of Bangalore’s busiest roads, and in between trying to avoid screeching horns, scampering pedestrians, and irate motorcyclists (Why irate? Bangaloreans just like to drive in a rage, for some reason), I could see this ant walking merrily across. I had to smile. This fellow is something of a survivor. I wonder if I have a family of ants living under the car’s bonnet. He hovered for a while, and then disappeared into the AC vents. I drove without company after that. But it makes me smile. To have an ant for company. Considering the quality of human beings I have met recently, I will take them any day.
