One night I was coming from Lahore via Niazi Express to Islamabad. Almost half way up, the bus started some strange knocking noise and the conductor found out that driver's side wheel had developed a crack.
Now we were stranded in the middle of the night on motorway and no choice but either wait for the the company's rescue bus coming to pick us up or start waving at the buses already on the way towards Islamabad.
I got a refund from the conductor and boarded a bus headed to Swat/Mingora thinking I'll get off after motorway. The driver was a nut case and was driving like a bat out of hell. I was lucky I got seat just beside him so I can enjoy the thrill though. The conductor was sitting on the engine cover (tapa) and they were talking merry.
After an hour or so, they both stopped chating and that's when I felt idle, bored and sleepy. The situation turned around in my favor pretty soon. The conductor slept while sitting atop the "tapa" and I saw the driver slap the **** out of him. I felt like I heard an echo through the halls of opera house. I even saw some of the passengers wake up and look around as to what happened.
That is how I learned the trick of the trade I mentioned in an earlier post! But the story is not finished yet, there's more to come!
The conductor promised not to sleep, while massaging his face, he stood up beside the exit gate at front holding the bar. There was complete silence after that.
After a few minutes, while I was amused at the situation and waiting as to what will happen next, the conductor fell asleep once again while standing there.
I had no clue how the driver was gonna reach him and slap but he did something incredible.
The driver brake abrupt enough that although we all moved and clinched but the conductor flew like an insect hitting his face to the front windscreen like a moth splashed with his hands wide open!
I still can't stop laughing whenever I remember that night! The conductor came back to "tapa"and never slept again!
