ExCiTeMeNt aT pEaK!!

ANOTHER INTERESTING PROMPT BY PREETI SHENOY :)

"The table is set perfectly, for 'tea for two'. (and the piece of cake is ready too).  I am really looking forward to this. There is still a good half an hour left for my guest to arrive as per the  text  I just got. Suddenly the door bell rings. The shrill cacophony of the electric bell almost gives me a jerk and I am awoken from my short slumber. Having prepared everything for my guest-my childhood friend, I thought of enjoying the cozy comfort of the sofa and drown in nostalgic memories of the days when we were together at school.  

Gosh! We will be meeting after so many years. Even if we keep talking for days and nights together, our gossip won’t come to an end. A hint of smile pervades my sleepy face as flashes of me and her playing ‘combined pranks’ at school begin to gain clarity deep inside my skull. Last night, I made a large card for her on which I pasted a few photographs-she lying against my back as I lay on the green grass reading a magazine under the winter sun on a picnic, me pulling her pony tail which rose only inches above her rubber band. I tried a new calligraphic form to write a few sweet words for her on the card. A pair of red roses (I know she still loves them) picked fresh from the florist this morning await their recipient.  

Now, as I stand on my toes again, I can feel the rush of adrenaline and my excitement knows no boundaries. I get ready to run to the door (my elation increases three times on the prospect that she arrived earlier than the scheduled time. I just can’t wait any longer). The roses on one hand and the other hand extended for a tight hug, I whisper-‘ready, steady, go.’ ‘So here you are!’- shouting this I bang open the door. With my eyes closed, I give her a tight hug. But she didn’t hug me back. Never mind, probably she is holding something by her hands and so is unable to squeeze me between her arms. Embracing her, I stood still for a good 30 seconds. ‘Aye aye o..what happened to you today, didi?’ stands our maid with a broom in her hand( Our maid, with her above average looks suddenly appears after a long gap of 15 days!!).Excitement turned me blind!!

An hour later, my friend arrives and we commence our never ending gossip with the narration of the short incident that transpired and have a hearty laugh.

TeA wiTh aN ArOmA oF lOvE...

The creative prompt by the bestseller author PREETI SHENOY.Her latest novel is "TEA FOR TWO AND A PIECE OF CAKE"...(and she is a versatile personality and i am one of her fans..:))

"If I could invite anybody for 'tea for two' today it would undoubtedly be .................................." 

Why is that longing for having sips of ginger-aroma tea with you so intense today? ‘Ginger tea’ because it is the immediate remedy to my cold and I haven’t informed you yesterday that I caught a terrible cold a few days back and following the doctor’s regimen of ‘L-Montus’ twice a day after food has not proved to be of any help to me. You asked me why my voice sounded different. I changed the topic, lest you be worried and repeat your long list of do’s and don’ts.  Your hands have a curing effect that is better than any medical prescription (perhaps your love is the actual remedy to all my minor ailments). I remember clearly in what quantity you add the tea-leaves, sugar and the crushed ginger pieces to the boiling water. Back then, I used to lean by your kitchen door and gaze at you, your hands performing swift movements to prepare two cups of rich aroma-laden tea and a salty snack to go with it; the small talks that I used to have with you between sips and the giggles that followed.

Although you are always in the back of my mind, why am I missing you so much today? Because today is my 22^nd birthday and although I have celebrated the day with my friends in the hostel, a void remains. If I could invite anybody for ‘tea for two’ today it would undoubtedly be my mom (well, the ‘piece of cake’ being the largest piece of my birthday cake)..:).This time, I will be the one to prepare the tea as I have learnt it well by observing you do so several times and you can simply relax and gaze at me..:)