“ Oh god, there is so much sugar”, “ I think that tea is so strong. I don’t want to sip this”…This is the conversation we usually have, while sitting at small teashop near our college. But today with just one sip of that tea, I pressed ‘rewind’ button of my life. With all criticisms echoing around me, I was completely nostalgic in some other world.
That sip reminded me of the first ever tea I prepared for my dad. Being an excellent cook, he had some expectations out of his daughter (who perhaps never has been interested in cooking. Rather that’s why I was so sure to marry a chef!)
But somehow he managed to teach me how to prepare tea. One fine morning he woke me up and asked me to make morning tea for him. Half asleep, I went to kitchen, cursing my fate that why did I grew up and why am I a girl and all such crazy thoughts coming to my half dead mind. I made some light brown hot drink with unproportionate blend of milk and water, with no clues about how would it taste. I made some extra tea, which I kept in vessel only
My dad doesn’t like tea being served in a cup. He loves being served in small transparent glass .So I kept the glass on tray and went to verandah. He took a sip, and blessed me .He praised to the core and said that every morning now I will only prepare tea for him. I was cursing my fate that why did I made good tea. But then suddenly it striked me, that little extra tea is still kept in the vessel. So I thought if he is praising it so much, why not go and have a sip of the leftover tea. Oh god…. that was the biggest disaster of the day. How could anyone praise of such a bitter tea with no taste of sugar.
With days passing by, I developed the habit to taste the tea I made for my dad. Sometimes it was good as my mom, other time, it was pathetic. If anyone else had been there, he would have puked surely. But dad always appreciated (rather now, its definitely worth appreciating!) with little suggestions like ‘chai patti would have been little less’ and things like that. But with a smiling face, he used to gulp the entire thing.
Sitting at that place only, it reminded me that no matter what, parents are always so patient, accepting and encouraging their children at every level. But if this tea shop guy makes any little mistake, we make his life hell…After all he is also the child of some one.How fair is it on our part?
Even if we are not the parent and he is not our child, but definitely, I think human emotions and tolerance should still be the same!