My lovely driver

1. The interview

The biker crossed among the long rows of jammed cars in Bangkok's traffic and, wherever he went, left horns and mad drivers screaming behind him because of his sudden and dangerous intrusion. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it if he wanted to be on time for his job interview.

Quickly looking ahead, he identified the capital's most dangerous intersection. Every day there were several accidents, some with fatal victims. So he decided to be prudent and slow down. To his absolute bad luck, the driver coming in the opposite direction didn't have the same diligence.

For a few seconds the world seemed to fall silent and all that was heard was the screech of sudden braking. Then a tall man dressed in an expensive-looking suit got out of his luxury car and approached the biker who was still recovering from his fright.

The car had invaded the biker's preference and in a clearly improper maneuver, put both at risk. Luckily, no one had been injured and neither had the vehicles damaged. On the other hand, the realization of this fact didn't lessen the well-dressed man's fury.

While the man in suit was yelling something and gesturing a lot trying to give credibility to his arguments, the biker slowly regained control over his senses. He managed then, albeit briefly, to notice that the guy had a creepy thick voice that was heightened by the scowl he was carrying on his face from the recent near miss. The biker then realized that the driver was asking him to participate in what had been a monologue until then.

"Can you at least take that ridiculous helmet off and talk to me?", the man demanded.

The biker smiled under the protection and did as requested. To the driver's absolute surprise, when the helmet was removed, strands of the biker's brown-almost-golden hair could be seen. He looked to be very young, no older than 20 for sure, and that fact, added to his very long hair, made one wonder if he was sloppy or if this was just part of his carefree style.

When he finished removing the piece, the biker let a broad smile appear on his face, which he knew was the weak point of many people he interacted with. Adding his rehearsed look of pity, he noticed the quick change of expression on the man's face who seconds ago had seemed willing to be ordering his arrest in a high, damp dungeon.

The driver felt like a castaway who sees a ship in sight for the first time in months. The vision of the biker ahead of him seemed a mix of fantasy and reality. He was too cute not to belong in a fairy tale or something. Overcome by this vision, the man in the suit found himself choking until he finally lost his voice and stopped complaining.

"Hey, you guys! Get out of the way!", a driver yelled.

"Yeah! If you've already solved the problem, clear the lane!", a trucker added, resting his hand on the horn to be more persuasive.

"W-well I-I think… since there was no damage, we can leave…", the driver finally said.

"What did you say?", the biker asked, doubting that he still had his hearing intact after the symphony of horns that had started among those who awaited for them to clear the way to continue on to their destinations.

"It was nothing! Take care!", the driver said just before getting into his car and continuing the route that had been interrupted.

The man in the suit had a hard time to calm down, but driving was something that always relaxed him and that made things easier. Still, the image of the little biker elf appeared inside his eyelids every time he closed his eyes.

After parking in his private parking lot and taking his private elevator, he arrived at the floor where his office was located.

"What do we have for today, Prem?" he asked his assistant.