Lit eZine Vol 5 | p-27 | FICTION | A Deceitful Dream

FLASH FICTION

A DECEITFUL DREAM
by Rahima Imanaly

It was a frosty and sunny day in November when Kymbat bought a car. She had been dreaming of buying it for two years, and voila, she got it. It was a little comfortable Volkswagen, not brand new, but comparatively in a good state. It was worth its money, not very expensive, just that amount of money, which she had collected during the long months of her job as a schoolteacher. A low-priced “people’s car” was widely available for female drivers, who managed to buy it and felt a peculiar sense of freedom when driving in the little city while shopping, or arriving in time for their job, impressing their colleagues and relatives with new images of prosperous-looking and attractive ladies. 

By nature, Kymbat did not like mechanics; she was more inclined to arts and humanities. Learning to drive a car and getting a driving license was a kind of challenge to her inner nature. She was more “a bookworm” and read books in big quantities in her spare time. Books filled her life with dreams, energy, ambitions, and hopes. Her mother was against the idea of driving from the very beginning. “Be careful,” she said. The junior sisters had their problems and did not pay any attention to the importance of the moment.

The car demanded constant care. There were repairs from time to time and they were rather time and money – consuming. Kymbat tackled every obstacle and diligently attended to all the necessary tasks, such as buying the needed tools and equipment, inspecting the vehicle, and regularly washing it at the washing station. 

She continued driving and was proud of herself. She already had been driving for two and half years and gradually had been transforming into an experienced driver. Her appearance and clothes followed the new image. The once delicate and sensitive girl, transformed into a confident, ambitious, and assertive person, who knew her goals in life. She forgot about her books waiting on the shelf in her room because she simply did not have time for reading.

 The car made her shine in a way. People recognized her in the streets and waved their hands. Colleagues were proud and joyful to be her passengers after some school events when she dropped them off near their homes. Some of them envied her and asked their husbands to buy similar little ones.

Then, something wrong happened. Kymbat felt that everything turned around her upside down. She had become a professional driver and a nice pal, still did not feel happy. This feeling jarred her, causing the feeling of insult, which grew up with a new and growing force. In an attempt to resist the feeling, she told herself that these were the flaws of driving in general. But her behavior shifted to nervousness, irritability, and grouchiness. A sense of unease overcame her as she realized she had taken the wrong path. Her former intuition that she was always right in her choices suddenly gave a break. It let her down. 

While rushing to drop off her sister at work one day, she accidentally collided with the car in front of her at a green light intersection, causing damage to its rear bumper. The driver of the front car turned out to be a female, who had a formidable look and frightening manners. They talked, and Kymbat having found herself guilty, agreed to pay for repair to this threatening woman. From that moment, she felt everything went worse and worse.

The day came when she felt a sense of disgust. The smell of machine oil, the rude drivers on the roads, and the greedy mechanics who always seemed to find many issues during routine inspections disgusted her, causing her to worry about her car. Something repelled her from driving and since then she has stopped enjoying it completely.

 She consulted with her mother and sisters about the situation. Mother said regretfully, “I warned you, do you remember?” 

“You are in crisis,” said one sister. “Wait, everything will be settled.”

 “Do you mind, if I buy it from you?” said another sister, who felt the need for a car for business trips. 

Kymbat was in two minds. She did not know what to do. She felt that her intuition and her inner feelings let her down, and she felt as if she had made a mistake. Owning a car was seen as prestigious and it boosted her image, but it ultimately caused her a lot of trouble. The city was small enough, and the bus system was efficient. Moreover, walking around the city used to be one of her favourite activities. All the shops were in the town, and the taxi was not expensive. She could restore her walks and go shopping by taxi, she thought.

Finally, she decided. The plan was for her to sell it, save the money in a bank, and let the future dictate the next course of action. Once she made up her mind, she immediately felt relieved and happy. She successfully sold the car and started a new life without it. Her whole life changed completely. She enjoyed walking and worked out her routes to different places in the city. While riding in a taxi, she positioned herself in the rear seat, calmly observing the driver’s driving style and occasionally offering guidance on more optimal routes. She noticed flowers in the city gardens, felt the breeze of the wind on her face, heard the singing of birds, and enjoyed the children’s laughter. However, the most wonderful thing she did was that she read many interesting books, which made her life bright and full of beauty.

Rahima Imanaly is a professional philologist, a retired teacher of English at Kazakhstani University, and an emerging writer of short stories. She is the author of the non-fiction book, Aspiring Me: a Memoir of Teaching, published by DarynPress in Almaty, in 2023. You can find her on social media @rahimaimanalieva

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