I felt the sting of a water droplet hitting my face. I looked up to see dark clouds in the horizon. Dark clouds with a war raging within them. It's going to rain. The impending rain reminded me of my selective amnesia when it comes to rain coats. Oh shit! I am in trouble.
When the first droplets of water hit the red earth, baked into perfection by the summer sun, it fizziled a little. I could see steam rising from the dirt track ahead. The Earth was parched. So was I.
I ran over to an old tea shop in the side of the road. It's thached roof was some shelter. The smell of elichi, ginger, cinnamon and cloves assaulted my senses and I knew then, I was a goner. I never had the willpower to say no to a hot glass of chai. An man, about 70(दत्तोबा), with one missing tooth was stirring the kettle. "Chai ?" He asked, when he saw me eyeing his kettle. I held back my grin when I said "yes".
Bamboos were swaying wildly in the wind. Bending and touching the ground but not breaking. The winds are strong in this part of the world. I moved a little closer to the door entranced by the sights before me.
Looking back it was a rather stupid thing to do. For reasons ranging from catching a fever, to loosing every last penny I had in an unknown part of the world. But I have always been well-versed in stupidity. I could feel the universe calling me and for once I wanted to listen. I put the empty chai glass down and stepped into the rain.
I was drenched to my bones in under a minute. The clouds were not holding back. Petrichor, that is the name of the deep musky scent in the air. Maa taught me that word. She was very peculiar about using the right words. Laziness was not tolerated by my mother.
She always yelled at me for making muddy foot prints inside her house. "Wipe your feet,son. It's not that hard to understand". I was never good at listening, even when canes were involved. So I would do it again the next time it rained.
I spotted a muddy rag outside the tea stall. I had my doubts about that rag's ability to clean anything, but I wiped my feet on it anyway. I walked into the cafe once more. The old man asked "chai?" Eyeing my shivering body. This time I didn't hold back my grin "I'll have 2."
When the first droplets of water hit the red earth, baked into perfection by the summer sun, it fizziled a little. I could see steam rising from the dirt track ahead. The Earth was parched. So was I.
I ran over to an old tea shop in the side of the road. It's thached roof was some shelter. The smell of elichi, ginger, cinnamon and cloves assaulted my senses and I knew then, I was a goner. I never had the willpower to say no to a hot glass of chai. An man, about 70(दत्तोबा), with one missing tooth was stirring the kettle. "Chai ?" He asked, when he saw me eyeing his kettle. I held back my grin when I said "yes".
Bamboos were swaying wildly in the wind. Bending and touching the ground but not breaking. The winds are strong in this part of the world. I moved a little closer to the door entranced by the sights before me.
Looking back it was a rather stupid thing to do. For reasons ranging from catching a fever, to loosing every last penny I had in an unknown part of the world. But I have always been well-versed in stupidity. I could feel the universe calling me and for once I wanted to listen. I put the empty chai glass down and stepped into the rain.
I was drenched to my bones in under a minute. The clouds were not holding back. Petrichor, that is the name of the deep musky scent in the air. Maa taught me that word. She was very peculiar about using the right words. Laziness was not tolerated by my mother.
She always yelled at me for making muddy foot prints inside her house. "Wipe your feet,son. It's not that hard to understand". I was never good at listening, even when canes were involved. So I would do it again the next time it rained.
I spotted a muddy rag outside the tea stall. I had my doubts about that rag's ability to clean anything, but I wiped my feet on it anyway. I walked into the cafe once more. The old man asked "chai?" Eyeing my shivering body. This time I didn't hold back my grin "I'll have 2."
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