Simple Life

                      .........the clock ticked to 2am, and Punit stood on the lone road. There were few dogs that looked towards him. Punit walked a bit, he saw a small temple, he bowed down and prayed. Punit heard a sound, it was of an auto rickshaw. He could only see the light in the dark but it soon turned into proper shape. He raised his thumb to  indicate the driver to stop the auto rickshaw. The rickshaw stopped a bit ahead from the place where Punit was standing. Punit walked to the vehicle and leaning enough so that the driver can see his face said "Vintage woods..."
                       The driver twitched his nose and said "Midnight fare, remember.." Punit smiled to it. He sat in the rickshaw. It was a clean auto, with nice seat covers. The driver had decorated the inside with photos of gods.
Punit looked at each photo and showed his appreciation by nodding his head. As the rickshaw moved, Punit started to look outside. It was a silent city. A few homeless sleeping on the footpath. The only sound that echoed was of the auto rickshaw. Just then Punit's eyes caught something. There was a figure standing. As the vehicle moved closer, he could see the figure clearly. 
                        It was a man about the same age as Punit. He was raising his hand to indicate the driver that he needed a ride. As Punit had already engaged the auto, the driver ignored the signs showed by the person on the road. As the vehicle passed by the man standing, the driver felt a pat on his back. He turned his face a bit, to hear Punit. Punit said "Stop the auto, let the man sit, we can give him a ride. Where will he find an auto at this hour in this lonely city..."
                        The auto stopped, Punit leaned out of the vehicle and whistled. The man read the sign and showed a broad smile. When the man was standing right next to the auto, Punit said "Come in, I know its tough to get an auto at this hour, I always give a ride to a person if I see them standing, not all accept the invitation." The familiar sound of the auto started again. Punit introduced himself to the man, to which the man replied "Thank you so much, myself Sur.." "Sur! thats a nice name...very unique I must say...so where can I drop you..." Punit tried to be friendly.Sur replied "I am not going too far, I will stop the vehicle when I am near to my place..." Punit smiled and said "If thats what you want..." 
                        "I had a very bad day today, nothing went as planned..." Sur said. "I don't like to stay awake but you know how life is, some times its so difficult at some other time it is very simple." Punit took a handkerchief from his trousers and wiped his nose. He then looked out again, it was a long ride. He then looked towards Sur, who was still lost in his thoughts "In my opinion life is simple, we make it complex by adding things to it...I believe in Simple Life, may be you will not get the desserts after the main course, but you will get a very nice sleep...except today of course..." Punit smiled. He scratched his hair and then continued "You see there are days like these, but if life would have been just about the good days..." Sur cut him by saying "I understand your point.." then looking towards the driver said "Stop, I will get down over here..." Sur got down of the auto, he thanked Punit and tried to pay him, but Punit refused and said, "The smile on your face is worth everything...."
                          Punit stopped the driver after another 15 minutes. He had reached his destination. Punit said "Alright, time for me to go..." The Auto driver smiled and said "You are a nice man, you helped that man, it was a nice gesture..."
                          Punit moved a step back and said "Well I had to he is my brother..." The auto driver was confused "Your what...but then.." Punit smiled and then laughed. "Ok, he was my brother, he died a few years ago, it was his ghost, we often take the auto together and act like stranger, its fun.." The auto driver at first was confused, he then gave a scared smile and finally laughed "You are not just a nice man, you have a strange sense of humor too..."
Punit said "good you got that..." 
                          Punit handed the money to the driver, which slipped from the driver's hand, as the driver bowed to pick up the money, he saw Punit's leg twisted 180 degrees from its knee cap. The next day morning office goers saw the auto in the middle of the road, while the driver was dead on the road. Doctor said he had an heart attack.