3 BISCUITS AND A CUP OF T
As they left the outskirts of the city, the road bisected past the vast expanse of the fields. Acres and acres of them.
Most were crowded with sugar cane crop but some were littered with banana and lemon plantations.
He asked his driver to slow down.
To soak in,
The sight of the orange hue of the early morning skies in the backdrop of those fields, catch a glimpse of the funny non-threatening scarecrows that stood out intermittently
and follow the flock of sparrows fluttering over a nearby field.
He opened the window to let in the early December air, which had a distinct sweet sugary smell.
"Sweets" were his Achilles heel, a temptation he gladly never fought against.
'Parle G' dipped in sugary tea were his earliest memories with sweets.
Tai and he would sit on the chatai in the kitchen every evening, before going out to play. The roots of his biscuit dunking habits could be traced to those evenings, in that kitchen cum dining room cum lounge cum guest bedroom. Aai would arrange his biscuits in the saucer around the base of the cup and he would devour those 3 biscuits within minutes. Rarely did any biscuit break off, and even if it did, he had mastered the technique of scooping it off with his fingers.
There, however, remained a puzzle he couldn't solve, nor did he pay much attention to.
There were always 3 biscuits in the saucer,
not a biscuit more,
not a biscuit less.
The biscuit dunker took a deep breath in and smiled, as he was pleased with himself. After seven and half years of rigorous, punishing long hours of studying and apprenticeship, he had returned back to his country. He had set up his accountancy firm and quickly climbed up the social ladder.
His shallow breathing now became rapid as his car entered his Tai's town.
He had looked after Tai in every way he could, sent her money almost thrice a year. He had also sent her an iPhone, so they could WhatsApp each other. But somehow, she seemed to have forgotten him. She was only a year older than him, but he thought himself as her older brother. After she lost Sureshji, he had rung her every week for a few months, just to ensure that she had recovered from the loss.
But, somehow Tai didn't seem to have appreciated his gestures.
The car couldn't pass through the narrow lane to her house.
So he walked those final 100 yards .
Tai's home was as he had imagined. Small, but very well kept. As neat as his Tai ..
After the initial excitement, his niece took a liking for him.
"Mama, come I will show you our garden", she dragged him to a small earthy 6 feet square patch patch behind their flat. It was lined neatly with broken pieces of bricks. Shevanti was in full bloom in the midst. He remembered, Shevanti was Tai's favourite flower.
After lunch, he gave them their presents. He was sat on a worn lime green sofa
The sofa rexin had faded and it's seats sagged, as the springs hurt his bottom.
"So you did bring it with you here," he said looking at Tai.
" Yes, after Aai was no more, i thought it would keep my memories of our childhood and home", Tai said.
They talked and laughed and cried together over their childhood memories.
Naina was excited with her new set of table tennis rackets. She pulled mama into the kitchen.
A make shift TT table was laid out. A wooden rod was balanced on steel cups, placed on the dining table as net. She had 2 old cardboards that were used as rackets. Not today though! She would play with proper rackets.
About 25 years ago, they played TT too, in their old kitchen cum dining room cum lounge cum guests bedroom. Tai always played with (and seemed to like) the cardboard, whilst he used to play with the one wooden racket. He was much better and always won.
Naina's excitement couldn't be contained. This was her mama, whom she had only heard of. Seeing him in flesh had been her dream.
After lunch she showed him her hidden wealth.
The multicoloured, varying sizes marbles...
She was an expert in hitting one almost 2 feet away.
" You should see Aai, mama. She can hit one 10 feet away. Did you ever play together ?".
This was odd.
Tai always used to lose when playing against him. She couldn't hit one even half a feet away when he was her opponent......
Very soon Naina and her mama were tired by their excitements and took an afternoon nap.
He woke up to the ringing of bells and his Tai's recitals.
" Sadaa sarvadaa yog tuja ghadaavaa
Tuje karni deha maaja padaavaa.."
He remembered him sitting next to Tai, as now Naina sat next to her in front of the Ganeshji clay idol.
Naina then recited the timetables from 2 to 30.
Just as he used to.
And Tai corrected her.
Just as she used to...
His foundations of maths and multiplications were in front of a similar flickering oil lamp.
Tai added oil to it and cleared the soot around the wick, to help it flicker brightly...
The sun had almost touched the horizon.
He washed his face and came to the kitchen, which seemed to be the fulcrum of activities.
He pulled up a chatai. Tai served a cup of T.
There were 3 glucose biscuits in the saucer, arranged the same way as Aai used to arrange for him.
Naina soon joined and squeezed next to him.
Tai placed a cup of T in front of her too.
He happened to notice that Naina had only 1 biscuit in her saucer...
He took one from his and placed it in hers.
"No mama, you can have mine ", she said.
The 25 year old riddle of 3 biscuits became a little clearer to him......
Time can be very relative, he had experienced before, and soon realised again.
3 days were gone at the blink of his eyes.
Tai and Naina followed him to the end of the lane, where his car was parked.
Tai had a small packet in her hand.
"It's the agarbatti dhup from Ravalnath temple's offering. I know you don't believe in these things. But keep it in your pocket. Will make me feel happy."
Something, he had never done before, but somehow felt compelled now.
On that dirt track, he bent down to touch Tai's feet.
" Stop becoming emotional. It's very unlike you ", Tai said, blessing him.
In that setting sun, his eyes caught glimpse of a pair of chappal which were well worn out. Tai's feet were sticking out from those chappals. The ring holding the great toe had snapped.
Despite all the resistance that Tai had to offer, they went to the local BATA shop and got a new pair of chappals for her.
2 pairs of chappals left that shop.
A new pair in Tai's feet and an old one in the BATA box with him.
If you ever need the services of an accounting firm, one comes highly recommended.
No one can match his expertise in North Mumbai.
It's the tallest building to the west of Pawai lake, the top floor facing the lake side.
His office and staff are extremely helpful and courteous.
There are, however, two oddities you may come across.
If you visit there in the evening , he himself will serve you a cup of T.
With 3 glucose biscuits arranged at the base of the cup in a saucer.
It's always 3,
not a biscuit more,
not a biscuit less.
And
If you happen to stroll towards the windows, you will find an open BATA shoe box with an old pair of chappals in them and a fresh shevanti flower on them...
Pure, unadulterated, true love may be a rare find
But
To recognise that true love,
one needs to be able to recognise those worn off chappals.