The last memory I had was clock striking 4 O’clock
in the morning, before I drifted into deep sleep. I opened my eyes with
heaviness in the head. I looked at the clock and realized it was too late and
had missed my cab to work already. I had been dreaming about him the entire
time. I decided to take the day off. I turned the phone on to place couple of
calls, one to my manager and the other one to my dad before turning it off
again.
I missed my dad badly, for he would have fetched me
a cup of strong coffee or take me to a nice place. Memories of him filled me with some energy to
get up and move on, even in life. I wanted to arrest all the flow of thoughts.
A cup of strong coffee was what I wished for.
I wanted a different start for the day and my life.
I ditched my usual hangout dugout for a newbie en-route to my office. The board
read “45th Street”, unusual for a cafe. It sounded more like a restaurant or a
lounge. The ambiance and layout was peculiar. There was mix of greenery and
openness which brought some refreshing change from the usual coffee places. I
chose to confine myself to a corner though the stool by the counter looked
inviting. To my relief I noticed that the music was being played at the right
decibels, helping me to calm down. Being a weekday, cafe was relatively less
crowded.
I did not look venture into the menu and restricted
myself to my usual cappuccino. While I waited for the steaming cup cappuccino
to be served, my mind was apprehensive about the taste. I really was not in a
mood to be disappointed. I just comforted myself, hoping for the coffee to taste
like how I preferred. I closed my eyes and just let myself to sync with the
ambiance.
After couple of minutes, the lady whom I have seen
earlier in the counter came to me and served me the coffee. She smiled and said
"a strong coffee for a strong person; I hope you would like the coffee. In
case you need any change, we would serve you another one”. I thanked her and
took my coffee. I was about to pop couple of pills to counter the headache, I
heard the familiar voice. “Do you mind if I suggest something!?” the same lady
said. “Yes”, I said clearly little annoyed. She said “I would suggest you eat
something before you take those pills”. I guess, my expressions clearly
communicated the need for my privacy. She smiled and went back to the counter.
I ordered for a cheese toast involuntarily and her words indeed made
sense.
The effect of the pills started to show signs of
improvement in my energy levels. I was feeling better. I liked the feeling of
being at 45th Street. I wanted to thank her for her suggestion, but she was
engrossed with other customers. I did nothing but just sitting in the corner
lost in my world. It was 2 PM already and I had emptied three cups. It was a
pleasant day without any kind o tensions hovering in my mind. I looked around
to thank her, when I heard “would you like to try anything else!” I reluctantly
replied in negative. She smiled and it struck a chord. We started conversing
and slowly discussed many things. Couple of more hours had passed by without
even realizing. I decided to take some rest and I thanked her for the company
and for the great day I had. She smiled and said “we would love to have you
back”. I smiled affirmatively.
I felt rejuvenated. I felt I wasn't alone anymore.
I felt at peace. I felt at home. I wondered if it was the coffee or the lady or
the place that made my day. I did not bother to ponder over it so much, because
I knew where I will head to next time
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