Let's Have Coffee

by Parul A Mittal

  I love this unusual work place. A rope ladder leading up to a small, open porch and little shed with two windows. It’s straight out of a Magic Tree House book. I had chosen this hidey-hole to hide well. But now, I can feel a childish excitement of running a covert operation, from a secret hideout. I suddenly feel a strong desire to talk to my childhood friend Anusha. This magic tree house has brought back memories of our secret hideouts. I have been missing her more than ever in last few weeks. Ever since I got her email saying, she is alive and is soon coming to visit her parents in Gurgaon. But I have had no way to reach out to her. I have only an email address, which simply takes my mail in and returns nothing.

  I grab another big gulp of beer as I wait for the treasure hunt to begin, with only tear-shaped sadness in his blue PJs for company. I can’t resist another look at the message that I had been waiting for in the last two weeks. TBS finally SMSed this afternoon, after he landed in Phi Phi, apologizing for being busy and in no network areas. He wants to meet me next week for coffee, only it will be too late to have anything other than coffee. I am wondering if things would have been different had we met for coffee before I took on Sonia’s proposal, when an ‘F’ icon materializes on my phone.

  It’s from him. He has just replied to my bittersweet comment on FB. No way! He is supposed to be with Sonia, in their villa, at this very moment. Why is he FB-ing me from his girlfriend’s bedroom?

  ‘If the first treat is bitter, ask the sweet person for another treat.’

  Ask for another treat? He got to be kidding? I am tempted to jump off the tree house and go running into his arms, but I guess I am a little high—topographically, as well as alcoholically. So I just lie down, my heart humming ‘Chadhi mujhe yaari teri aisi, jaise daaru desi’.

  Luckily, although I am wary of using this word these days, whether I smile or cry—this chapter ends in an hour. So I might as well enjoy my stay in this offbeat, heaven on Earth. I grab hold of the gloomy figure in blue garb tailing behind me and put it in a box marked ‘Sadness. Do Not Open’. Beerily buoyant, I start dancing as the music that comes on in the lounge. It’s 7 p.m. The older people have all left on a private yatch for a celebratory dinner cruise. Young adrenalin and ecstasy are beginning to pulsate on the dance floor.

  I visualize Sonia in a provocative beach kaftan seducing TBS. She is about to challenge him to solve a treasure hunt. She will promise to fulfil each one of his fantasies and more if he can crack the clues within ten minutes.

  Hunt started. I get an update as TBS is seen heading out of Sonia’s villa. As I had predicted, he has taken on the challenge.

  Clue 1 solved. TBS moving to Clue 2…Clue 5 solved. Updates. He is solving them faster than I had calculated, obviously eager to get his prize. When it comes to guys, happiness is finding a solution, more so if it involves having sex.

  Sonia makes a grand entry on the porch. Having changed into a short, off-shoulder dress. She looks more stunning in real life than on the computer screen. It’s obvious why anyone would fall for her. She pretends to enjoy the party and chatters excitedly with the guests. I know she is waiting anxiously for TBS to make an appearance.

  ‘#9 deciphered. Final countdown begins,’ NetGen’s voice booms in my ears. I am getting non-stop live commentary on the phone.

  I hold my breath as I wait for him to appear on the patio any moment now. I can see the hiding place of the last and final clue from my binoculars. The entire proposal is a series of crossword clues leading him finally to a potpourri vase, which contains the ring. This should be easy for him. The potpourri container holds the ring in a pouch, exactly the way he hid the butterfly-earrings for me. I can’t hear his voice or smell his fragrance, but I can feel the colour rising to my cheeks as he enters the porch. In denim shorts and a pale-blue shirt, he looks dashing even at a distance in the dim light. He glances at the potpourri vase and then looks around. Sonia is standing real close to him, giggling and whispering something in his ears, but he seems distracted. ‘Why is he not reaching for the vase?’ I ask but no one in the team answers. I know they are all waiting in their positions, to capture the finale.

  After what seems like eternity, he finally fishes out the pouch from the vase. Sonia is bubbling with excitement like a shaken cola. I don’t want to see or hear the drama any more. I stumble over the pile of empty beer cans and step out on the open wooden platform. Two orange and white butterflies follow each other around the tree house. They seem to be in perfect harmony. No binding of marriage and yet they are together forever. Involuntarily, I smile as I recall these lines from Samir’s notes. Sweet memories seem to be my refuge right now. I don’t want to focus on the present and it doesn’t even register when it starts to rain crazily. The lounge porch is covered so there is no need to panic, but the tree house porch is not exactly waterproof.

  Suddenly I hear his voice calling my name over the din of the rain. It sounds clear and up close. It’s coming over the phone connection I have on with NetGen. Standing on the ledge of the platform, I try to focus on the lounge porch, which is roughly twenty-feet away. I can see Samir holding the ring in his hand. But instead of looking at Sonia, why is he looking towards the tree house? I can’t help but melt into a smile when I figure he is looking at me with his mischievous eyes. I feel something glowing within.

  ‘What is Meha doing here?’ he asks.

  ‘I hired her,’ explains Sonia. ‘She is our proposal designer. Isn’t she terrific?’

  ‘Yeah…she is terrific.’

  ‘This whole treasure hunt proposal is her brainchild,’ Sonia is being kind to me. Why is she so nice? It would have been easier to hate her if she was nasty, mean and rude.

  ‘What? The treasure hunt…’ He looks from Sonia to the ring, utterly confused. ‘You’re…er…proposing to me, right now?’ It seems like he was so involved in solving the puzzle that he has missed the whole point of the exercise.

  With an angelic smile, Sonia tilts her head to a side, extends her left hand, waiting for him to slide the ring on her finger.

  ‘Can you wait? I need to talk to Meha,’ says Samir.

  ‘I am sure it can wait until after our engagement dance,’ Sonia asserts, slightly irritated, but Samir is moving forward.

  ‘You are ruining it, Sam. Let’s dance,’ Sonia is exasperated, but he is long gone. ‘Why do you care for Meha?’ Sonia shouts aloud after him.

  He is coming towards me, ignoring the rain. I can hear the engagement song playing in the background. ‘Tera hone laga hoon…jabse mila hoon…come and feel me…’

  I walk forward too, wet hair on my face, water dripping on my nose, crooning ‘come and feel me’. Except I slip and fall over the ledge of the tree house, in my inebriated state. But I don’t land with a thud on the ground. I land softly in his warm arms, just like I had bumped into the crisp-linen-shirt photographer five years ago, crooning this very song. Without any warning, the wild-rose fragrance of his deodorant invades my personal space and magically transports me into a blissful, dreamy state.

  Tsunami

  My head is resting in someone’s lap. I breathe in the wildly sweet fragrance. I know whose lap it is. I feel his fingers running through my hair. It slows down the merry-go-round spinning in my head. I know this dream. I have had it before.

  As if on cue, my favourite song starts to play in the background. ‘Nahi jeena tere baaju…main tenu samjhawan ki…na tere bina lagda jee…tu ki jaane pyaar mera…main karoon intezar tera…tu dil tui-yon jaan meri’. I don’t want to live without you. How do I make you understand that my heart feels lonely without you? You don’t know my love or that I wait for you, but you are my heart—my life!

  It takes me a minute to register that it’s actually my phone ringing. Only yesterday, while I was waiting for Samir in the tree house, I had set this song as my caller tune. I reach out for my phone, but I can’t find it. It goes unanswered. I try to open my eyes but it’s too bright. Argh! Surya has again barged into my room. Through half-closed eyes, I
lazily watch cotton candy clouds float above me. Wait a sec. I don’t remember putting cloudy-sky wallpaper on my ceiling. Something is amiss. I am not at home, at least not mine. Where am I? It can’t be a dream because I definitely heard the phone ring and I can still see the white castles sailing in the blue sky. Focus, Meha, focus. Okay, yeah. Last I remember, I was in a quaint tree house. Samir called out my name. I started walking towards him and… and I fell. Oh my God, No! Really? There is no other explanation for the clouds and Samir’s presence. I am dead! I hope its heaven. It sure feels heavenly lying in Samir’s lap, being caressed by him. Did he die too or is he a figment of my imagination?

  I wish he would kiss me.

  He pushes a lock of hair from my face, looks into my eyes, and smiles. ‘If you are waiting for a kiss to wake up from your beauty sleep Senorita, it’s not happening.’

  I am in heaven and Samir is with me. He can even hear my thoughts. I smile. I suddenly wonder where Sonia is. Did she and Samir get engaged?

  As if in response, he hands me my phone and there is a message from Sonia. I get up and sit straight. I am still groggy so I rest my head against the bench and read the message.

  ‘You backstabbing bitch. You stole my Sam. I won’t pay you a dime now. I will see to it that you suffer, like the way I am suffering. You selfish, dark-hearted…’

  I don’t read the complete message, but it’s obvious that Sonia is livid. And she is talking about money so she has no idea that we are dead, which means she isn’t! I feel jubilant.

  There is also a missed call from Ma. I am happy to see that heaven now allows free incoming calls and SMSes from earthlings. I would really like to let Ma know that I have reached heaven safely. And that I am sorry I didn’t listen to her. I try to call her but there is no signal. I guess Ma will have to wait.

  I look around and see vast ocean all around. I wonder aloud where exactly in heaven we are and how did Samir die? Samir doesn’t answer. He is distracted by a commotion. I hear familiar voices. A group of people wearing what seem like orange life jackets are rushing towards us. Are they here to save us? Am I in a transient stage between life and death? Meanwhile, people are helping us wear life jackets. I shut my eyes and resist as much as I can.

  ‘I would rather be dead if it means I get to be with Samir,’ pines my heart.

  My mind is shocked at this candid admission. ‘I also feel at peace here,’ it admits.

  I can’t believe that my heart finally got my mind to agree with it. Hmm, deathly influence, I reckon!

  ‘You look muddled. Here, drink some water,’ Sam says handing me a bottle.

  I guzzle down the whole bottle. I hadn’t realized how parched I was. I devour the chocolate chip cookies Samir gives me. I crave for some ginger tea to clear my head. Which food delivery app works in heaven? I turn to ask Samir. He seems anxious. Why is he talking to these people? I want him to be just with me. I hold his hand and try to comfort him.

  ‘Samir ji, you saved us all. Thank you varry much sir ji.’

  My eyes are shut in an attempt to continue my stay in heaven, but I am certain that it is Pyare’s voice.

  ‘We’re still not out of danger,’ I hear Samir say. He sounds worried. ‘The ferry has been instructed to stay in the middle of the ocean. Captain tells me that both the shores are completely washed out.’

  ‘Whatever happens is for the best. If you had gotten engaged, we would have stayed back for the morning photo shoot and gotten drowned.’ This is Amit’s voice.

  ‘Straight talk is this ji, ki proposal chaupat so we salamat. Nahin to hamara bhi photo tang jaata ji,’ Pyare concludes.

  ‘Any news of Sonia or her parents?’ Samir asks. I can sense guilt mixed with concern in Samir’s voice.

  ‘Sonia ma’am is like a demi-goddess. God rest her soul. But why did you refuse such an apsara?’ Amit inquires sounding genuinely curious.

  ‘Guys please. Can we stop this nonsense? I really hope Sonia and her family are safe.’ Samir shouts angrily.

  I feel tears stinging my eyes. He still cares for Sonia. And he doesn’t sound dead. Somehow, I am getting the feeling that my time in heaven is over. I am trying to negotiate some more time with God when someone splashes water on my face forcing me to return to senses.

  I open my eyes and see NetGen’s wan face staring right back at me. I hear Pyare informing me in his broken English, ‘Tsunami again…all over news…so many dead.’

  Tsunami? Didn’t that happen back in 2004? I remember we did a charity sale in school to raise money for the victims. Hundred feet high-waves swept away homes, cars and trees. Still confused but more awake, I look around. We seem to be on a ferry, heading away from the Phi Phi Islands. Apparently, a Tsunami has struck the island minutes after we boarded the ferry. I find it hard to believe that killer waves could be swallowing people right now on the shore, while the ferry rocks no more than a baby’s swing in the heart of the ocean.

  I haven’t the foggiest idea about why we took the ferry today instead of tomorrow, but it looks like that has saved our lives. I also don’t know how I got into my teddy bear print night suit. I look at Samir. He is standing at the far corner of the ferry looking out at the sea with forlorn eyes. He is worried for Sonia. I really hope for Samir’s sake that she is not dead, although she just sent me a venomous SMS.

  ‘Wait, what time did Tsunami strike?’ I ask abruptly, the gears suddenly churning in my brain. This is the first time I have actually spoken in all this while. My voice is still hoarse from all the drinking last night.

  ‘About thirty minutes back,’ says NetGen.

  ‘Then she is alive,’ I announce, walking towards Samir. ‘Sonia sent me a SMS…er…about five minutes ago,’ I add, checking the exact timestamp on her message.

  Samir leaps towards me at this joyful news. All I can think of is that he looks damn hot in a white shirt with three buttons open. He is standing so close that I feel tempted to accidentally bump into him.

  ‘I can kiss you Senorita for giving this good news,’ he says softly so that only I can hear.

  A bubble of hope rises in my heart and a ripple of excitement runs through my body.

  ‘Although you perhaps deserve a mega bouquet of kisses for saving all our lives,’ he says and winks at me.

  ‘I do?’

  ‘Except, I haven’t brushed and neither have you. And you even puked last night.’ He smiles cockily, his voice full of amusement.

  ‘I did?’

  ‘Ya, all over my favourite shirt,’ he sounds disgusted, but his eyes are sparkling.

  ‘And then we had to get you changed!’

  Huh? I don’t know whether to be excited or embarrassed, but now I know why I am draped in a teddy print.

  I look around. Most people have gone to the lower deck, possibly for food and water. We are almost alone barring a few strangers holding their phone up in the air to recieve the signal. I also lift my hand up and try calling home, but the ferry swings violently, throwing me literally into his arms. Once again, his fragrance invades me—sweet, luscious, and inviting. Ahh…this is dream come true. If only I could ignore the loud drumming inside my head. I press my fingers against my temples as the throbbing pain blinds me. He gently takes my hand and walks me to a chair.

  A few minutes later, the invigorating aroma of ginger tea wakes me up.

  ‘Brooke Bond Red Label—The Taste of Togetherness,’ Samir offers me a cup and sits beside me sipping his.

  The warm liquid soothes my aching head a bit. Just like we had sat together at the Goa beach in silent togetherness, I could sit here for ages, sipping Brooke Bond, for a taste of his togetherness.

  ‘It’s funny that we always meet at an engagement,’ I blabber, to distract my mind from dwelling any further on the taste or togetherness.

  ‘Well, technically, this was a birthday party, which you were trying to make into an engagement,’ he clarifies.

  ‘I wasn’t. Your girlfriend was!’

  ‘And you foiled her pla
ns?’

  ‘How so? What did I do?’ My integrity at stake, I am sort of indignant now. I agree the thought of ruining Sonia’s proposal did cross my mind, but I don’t want credit for a crime I didn’t commit.

  ‘Who designed all those treasure hunt clues based on our Goa encounter? Two-lipped flower is Tulip, Hindu Mythology FWB is Radhe-Shyam, Dried-petal-mixture is Potpourri.’ His eyes stare at me mischievously.

  I guess unintentionally, I might have dropped some hints. Okay, maybe lots of hints. But that still doesn’t explain how I made him reject Sonia. It’s not like he loves me or anything. Does he?

  ‘How exactly did I break the engagement?’ I question, looking at him expectantly.

  ‘Look, I will be honest here. I was planning to meet you next week in Delhi. I had no idea you were here. I was really intrigued by those clues and then I saw you dancing at the tree house. I didn’t know what to do. Okay!’

  So he got confused. Maybe he felt a resurgence of attraction towards me. Does that mean he loves me?

  ‘What did you tell Sonia?’ I ask up front. I really need to know if he admitted his feelings for me to Sonia. She sure as hell is blaming me.

  ‘I was honest with her. I told her I love her, but I just wasn’t sure this was it.’

  How typical of Samir! I am sharing a together-moment with you, so obviously I love you, but why complicate it with marriage? Hello? I am the one getting blamed for treason, while he walks away smugly with an honest label.

  ‘What about me? What did you tell Sonia about me?’ I demand seriously. Funny that I still have a faint hope that he might love me. A hope that is blinding me to the financial crisis I am in.

  ‘Nothing, there isn’t much to say really. We just had a one-night stand long time back, right?’