Taxi Driver's pit stop
It was early in the morning - about 6 o'clock - I was on my morning walk. Roads were empty, only the taxis zooming past – in their year-round practice of F1 races. [Half the cabbies here believe that if Michael Shumaker calls in sick then they are likely to be called in!!]

And then it happened. About 50 meters from me on the road there was a shop - looked like a mechanic's shop - a taxi screeched to a halt near the shop - almost dashing into pavement. The driver coolly got out and lit a cigarette. Three/four people from shop rushed out - it looked like a fight - one of the guys barked at the driver - who in turn barked back – but with a smile. The mechanic gave a short nod.

His companions were already in action - two of them throwing water on the taxi - another one pouring some soapy liquid - one small boy scrubbing - in couple of minutes someone started looking at air pressure in tyres - tighten a nut here and one there. By the time taxi driver finished his cigarette - this group of four was critically examining now-gleaming taxi - giving the final touches. Money exchanged; the driver got back into the taxi and sped away. That's when I realised that what looked like a mechanics shop to me was in fact a pit stop for taxis!!
(C) Abhijit Tongaonkar - 2006