He heard the siren and his eyes brightened up as the police car approached him and pulled up right beside his car. Maybe they would help him get rid of this unbearable situation. He rubbed his sleepy eyes with the back of his palm and waited eagerly for the officer that opened the door of his car and walked towards him.
A few minutes later, that traffic police officer was standing at the right side of his car, knocking on the window with his left knuckle. The police officer was making a rude gesture to go him to the police car.
He got off his car and approached the police car, avoiding the headlights by keeping his palm on his eyes. The officer sitting in the front seat asked him, "Go! Go away! We don't want travelers sleeping in the parking lane."
"But it's too windy and snowing, how will I go?"
"No stay... go!" The police officer shouted loudly. His voice was harsh and he knew limited English words.
"Okay, okay, I will leave in five minutes!" The traffic police vehicle left, giving him five minutes' notice.
The night was stormy. First, it rained, then snowfall, and now a very thick fog. It might not have been such a problem if the fog was not so dense. He was driving the car and cursing his faulty heating system and bad luck.
When he left Genoa, Italy for Geneva Switzerland at 12 this morning he thought he should reach Geneva by four o'clock in the evening, but this was 11 PM and still 160 km from his destination.
That unseasonal snowfall and storm had put him in trouble. His friends had said that the road was very beautiful. It was beautiful, but the unseasonal storm had ruined everything. But what should one do with the storm? If there were no fog lights, then it would be impossible to drive. During the day itself, there was thick darkness which made driving so difficult.
He felt that it might not be possible to reach Geneva in such a storm, so while driving, he was constantly looking for a motel. He had to search for a petrol pump too.
Finally, he found a motel. He stopped the car. There was light in the gas pump, but there was no attendant. He blew the horn several times, and then, after a long time, a man came out.
He gave the key and said, "Twenty liters!"
"Gas, anything else?"
"Yes! Can I get a room in the motel here for the night?"
'Yes, what else?
'No, nothing else. The way the attendant was talking, he knew what he meant.
"Then we don't need you!"
He felt humiliated by this answer, but what could he do?
"How far is the next motel?"
"About seventy kilometers from here, but they will ask the same question. But why do you want to run away from other things in this cold windy evening?" He hated the smile and the dirty wink on the attendant's face.
He remained quiet. He paid, started the car, and drove off. His feet, face, and hands were feeling too cold. The storm was continuing unabated. There was no sign of where to stay. He was too cold and Geneva was still one hundred and fifty kilometers away. And then, even after reaching Geneva, he had to find the place where he was to stay.
He felt very upset but he had no choice but to keep driving. The road was empty. There was no traffic. The mistake he made was that he didn't hear the weather bulletin before leaving, so he got caught in this storm.
He didn't find any other motel even after seventy kilometers, so he stopped his car in the parking lane. He decided to take some rest. There were pine forests on both sides of the road. The sound of their rustling and the mixed cool smell of soaking in the snow washed away as he pulled into the parking lane. He liked the smell, but it was difficult to tolerate that strong wind.
He had lost his courage. Snow, fog, and cold had made him almost helpless. He wanted to leave, but the engine of the car wouldn't start. 'But why? Why did the police not help a tourist in this condition? He then felt sympathy for himself.'
The storm was still going on, but it was somehow approaching a motel.
Gas? "How much?" the pump man came and asked.
"No, no gas. Can I get room to stay at your motel? "
"Let me ask!" The man walked in and, after a minute, spoke on the phone and brought the good news: "Yes... room for you! The rooms are available. You will find a place. Go...! '
He reached the reception of the motel. He almost became sleepy when the blizzard's respite from the warm breeze blew in.
"Passport!" Almost without seeing him, the reception man called for the passport.
He gave his passport and heaved a sigh of relief, but then the receptionist said, "Sorry... no room!"
"But now that you have told the pump station person"
"No argument... no room..."
"I know... there are so many empty rooms!"
"Sorry, no argument... no room...!"
"Is it okay to behave like this with a tourist?" He yelled.
"Don't shout, no Room!" The receptionist then dialed a number, and he heard the siren and saw the headlights of a police car approaching him once again.
He looked at his passport and thought. "So they behave like this with tourists from unwanted countries"
I wanted to do a post after reading this post from Admin
@agmoore/a-short-story-for-the-ink-well-prompt-53
I am not sure if I succeeded in my attempt with opening lines, but will wait for your response! Thank you 