I. Hate. Tea.
These words were not to be put together, if they were linked to me. I mean how could I hate tea.
In case you don't relate it well, or fail to understand this, let me tell you about myself.
I was three when I took my first sip of the drink and it tasted like had come out from the divine goblet. Hot. sweet. fresh. All at once. Wow!! I knew I had discovered my addiction, but it was'nt untill my second standard that I really caught onto it. It was the only thing my mother would keep away from me, the sweet poison.
"Amma", she cautioned my Grandmother, "this is not correct, you are spoiling him"
"Relax Mini, its just tea. Besides we make it mild and of milk only!" Grandmother said, a tea addict herself, and mom knew she had lost the battle already.
Over the years, my tea and me went through a lot of changes... and now my tea was strong, hotter and sweeter. and I was.... well I was a teenager.. well what else can I say....What else needs to be said?
So I was now a guy who was always seen in coffee shops, but havin Tea, mostly the Assam tea,or the masala tea and a cute girl occasionally... But I was waiting for my best friend that day. We were meeting after a gap of seven days.... seven whole days!!!! For people who SMS each other 1st thing in the morning even before brushing their teeth, then called up each other once were done with breakfast, then met up in the evening for a cup of tea, seven days was a time unbearable to stay away from each other! So there I was waiting for Komal , and she came in fifteen minutes late...as usual...
Heyyyyy!!!! she said, and we plunged each other in a bear hug.
Hieeeeeeeee!!!! I replied, So how have you been? And how was your tour?
Ohh!! Didnt I tell you. She had gone for a study tour to Chandigarh.....as part fo study tour organized by their college.
Missed you yaar!!" I said, as we took our seats, and Komal did something very uncharacteristic of her. She reached out and pulled my cheeks.
I missed you too yaar!! We had so much fun!! You would have loved it!! The photographic locations were awesome, you really would have loved it.
I know.... Ok now lets order and then I want a minute by minute account of what you all did. Ok.I said.
Ok, and how about the masala tea, like the one we had during our exams freak out time? Komal suggested.
Sure that will be cool. I said
So we ordered two masala tea & started chatting. Now who have been to a CCD, and by chance had the masala tea, would know how it is. Its hot and if you try it like the tequila, its so bitter and concentrated.
Komal started telling me memoirs of the trip, right from the minute they boarded the train. From all that she told me, I gathered the best part of the tour was the night they spent in the train! With everybody staying up the whole night and playing ‘truth n’ dare’....That’s one game I still haven’t grown out of. Not a single time when we all met and always landed up playing atleast a 5-6 rounds of' ‘truth n' dare'.... and as it turned out, it was Komal’s brain behind this for sure; but everybody loved it.
And at one point of time the bottle turned toward Dinesh. She said.
Ohh no not again. Actually I have'nt met a single friend of komal till date but still if i was to find out the person, would easily do it even in the crowed street. That was the magic of Komal's anecdotes. I already knew them all like they were my friends, I knew who was the dude, who was for whom, who was the poor me, who was the joker.. of course it was Dinesh, so I started laughing even before she telling me anything.
No!! No!! Listen, she said. He choose a dare and one guy asked him to pick up a girl at random and propose her.
No ways!! I said.
No really!! And of all he picked up pooja and oh my god! He proposed so sweetly, on his knees, and all eyes were fixed just on him, and even pooja was like, her jaws will drop off any moment. And then he just got up and sat on his seat. And all of us were clapping ad cheering for him.
Really, I said. I could'nt believe it.
Ya....'
And then she kept on describing things about the trip. How they reached late, and could'nt get a decent hotel to stay, and how they they got wet in the pouring rain... and it went on and on. Finally it was time to leave. We paid the bill, and then Komal went on to catch the bus back home where I was getting my helmet on so could get back home. And suddenly I hear a voice shouting my name. I remove my helmet and turn around to see who it is, and I see its komal who came runnig across the road.
Are you nuts? I said, What happened.
I got you something actually, but forgot to give you. She put her hands in the bag and removes a small packet.
What is this?? I said as I took the packet from her. The aroma was enough and we both ended up shouting gleefully.
Tea!!!!
I knew you would like it! Was searching for a gift for you, but could'nt find anything good. So bought this italian tea. Don't how it may be, but thought you may like it. Komal said.
‘Oh my God! That’s so sweet of you! Thanks!’ I said and engulfed her into a bear hug. She hugged me back.
By the way dont mix them both, the one with the red rubber band is the one you need to mix ice and for the blue one, you got to pour in hot water. She said.
They smell almost the same. I said.
Hmm, that 'almost' makes the difference, she replied and I smiled.
Wowie, thanks yaar. I said and there was a auto rickhsaw which slowed down near us.
Aana hai kya madam, He enquired
Haan haan, komal said and ran off.
Call me, she shouted as the rickshaw drove away quickly I just gave a thums up!
I got home and finished dinner in a hurry and mom was quite surprized to see me in the kitchen once we were done.
What are you doing? Mom asked
Making tea, and its quite mild. I said without looking at her.
Hey prabhu! she said and walked off.
I poured the hot italian tea into my favourite red n yellow mug and made my way through to my bed. Found my ipod and ahaa, that played my favourite song, on the shuffels list. What else! My tea, the ipod, the book and the cold outside. The perfect combination.
"This is life" I said to myself as I took the first sip of the coffee.
I spat it back into the mug.
Aaargghhhh!!! I said and tried another sip, it was a small sip although this time. Spat it back again. Picked up my cell, it was eleven thirty. No matters. Opened my message window
‘wht shit hv u givn me ?? U tryna kil me or wht?’ I typed and sent it to komal.
wht?? came the reply after five minutes
wht is the italian teaupposed to be?
u din lik it?
‘I HATE IT MOR THAN ANYTHING I HAVE EVER TASTED! ITS DISGUSTING!’ I replied.
thts wierd? ppl lov it and u dnt... and u call urself a tea addict.
ya rite. I shouted
Akash shut up! came the shout from my parents room this time.
ya ya!! I said and threw the blanket off me. I went inside the kitchen and switched the light on. And wahsed the mug and kept it back on the stand. I opened the refrigerator and took the half finished Dairy Milk bar. I munched onto it irritatedly… but the chocolate soon took over me and I got engrossed in the book and slept off sometime around two-thirty.
For the first time in my life, I got up and didn’t have tea. Mom was in heaven. It actually took me many days to start off again.
God' What happend to you yaar, komal asked me the day after the Italian tea incident, and she was laughing all her way through.
Nothing I said,I like tea, but guess this italian tea is "not my cup of tea". And this made Komal laugh all the more. An now my name in her fone book instead of aki, has been changed to Italian Tea.
