Tea, I Love You!

"Well, for me tea is an underrated beverage. Tea is a common thing in many countries but still people give very less footage to tea compared to other drinks....."

"May be tea is your personal choice over coffee and other drinks."

"Okay! Mr. Prompt Analyst. Yes, I love tea. You want to know the reasons?"

"Reasons? I thought you like tea because you like tea or your taste buds prefer tea? Okay, tell me the reasons."

"When I was in High School. I daily watched a group of children begging on the traffic signals near my school. One day I took some old utensils, thousand bucks (my monthly pocket money) and went to the leader of the 'Begging Gang' a malnourished and dirty kid with no quality of leader but was comparatively 'better' than others...that's why he was the leader. I gave him the utensils, then we managed things to prepare tea and a illegal 5 Kgs (though, it was near to a 2 Kgs) gas cylinder. He knew how to make tea. He started his business on roadside and started earning good amount on from the very first day. After 2 Months he purchased a wooden tea stall. Encouraged by this self employment success story. Now the 'Chhotu Gang' is diversifying planning to open their tea stalls in other areas of the city. They were orphans....the only things they needed was right guidance and a little investment (huge for them)."

"Great! Superb! You are better than many Management Gurus, but you said reasons?"

"Thank you, Second reason....one day when I was a little kid, mom was out of station to meet her cousin. My father was preparing tea for himself and me. Now, we hate black tea in India. A tea (for us) must contain a fair amount of milk and few other herbs apart from tea leaves, the whole mixture is boiled till you get a (orange+brown)/2 colored tea. The mixture was boiling. Suddenly, A thief came from behind and put knife like desi thing to my father's neck. Papa instantly emptied the contents of pan on the burglar's face....he cried with pain and gave his knife like desi thing to Papa and pleaded to lock him in Bathroom so that he can use shower until Police arrives and the color of his face was (orange+brown)/2.

.......Third and the most important reason is that I am alive and talking to you because of tea. Yup, actually, last year after the completion of my studies my 'traditional-cultural-ethical-religious-type family' started searching a well settled Boy from another 'traditional-cultural-ethical-religious-type family' for arranged marriage. Their search ended and a family came to evaluate me on their traditional parameters. They were behaving and asking weird questions...actually they were too traditional to resist...plus I don't wanted to marry that Mustache Man. So, I prepared an awful tea with 'irresistible' tangy flavor. I served them tea. After few sips they got up and departed. I heard them saying that if the taste of first tea prepared by a to be bride is not good then it's a guarantee of bad luck for both the families after marriage (if marriage happens after the not so good in taste first tea). Seriously, I wanted to kiss that traditional man/woman who framed this awful first tea rule. Later, after a month the same 'traditional-cultural-ethical-religious-type family' found guilty of killing the newly wed bride (who came to their home with so many expectations and dreams) for Dowry, traditional reasons. After that my parents gave me the freedom to choose my life partner myself...who suits me irrespective of the traditional tantrums. I chose you. Will you marry me?"

"Yes, I love you!"

"I love you....and tea."

The End!!!!

Author notes -

Sometimes due to coincidences or strange events some specific things, people and places become very special for a person (Tea in this case). Though, these things, people and places are ordinary for others. So, what is/are very special to you that is normal for others?

*) - Chhotu is a common name for male child laborers, beggars.

*) - A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage. Dowry deaths are the deaths of young women who are murdered or driven to suicide by continuous harassment and torture by husbands and in-laws in an effort to extort an increased dowry.