Just Another Love Story

I have never been a tea or a coffee person. People have romanticized conversations over these beverages. I tell you, you can even have a romantic conversation over pizza or a glass of water. But this is not about which and what food to have... This is about me. I am more of a Bournvita person or say Horlicks - the one where they promise women’s bone protection. 

Maybe this love for Bournvita originated because I'm a 90's kid. The advertisements, the gifts hampers that came along the powder boxes and the taste, all were fancy! 

Or maybe because I had no other choice as my mother is a sucker at making tea. But dad! He loves whatever my mother makes and her tea is his favorite. He loves it so much that he has it thrice every day and every other time my mom makes it with more and more passion. 

I asked him once, “how did you even say yes to maa? She makes worse tea ever." Father smiled and maa laughed. My question never got an answer. But, their story began over these cups of tea. She narrates how she draped in a yellow sari and kids from the colony told her - this man is almost bald. How conscious she was when she saw him for the first time because his color was much fair than hers. How she never made him tea until they were married and kept learning it ever since she knew he said yes to her. How dad used to write poems in letters to her but all she could give back were gifts. 

“Your dad loves to write and am happy with the fact that I’ll always remain his first reader.” 

Well, they aren’t the ideal couples. I have seen them go through each other’s worse phase, uplift each other while facing the biggest fears- argue, upset, blush, laugh- all!

But despite all the wrong combinations, I admire the fact, dad is a poet and mom a keen listener. At times, I feel nobody understands the mix of his Urdu and Hindi as much as the mother does.

So this time when my date placed an order for tea and I settled for coffee, I thought, maybe tea is actually a romantic drink just far from my reach.