Tidbits #2

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At Anand Bhavan Singapore, where I regularly take coffee, sitting across the table was the waitress I’m more acquainted with, taking her break. She spoke intensely about so many things, almost without a gap, not letting me interrupt.

As she was leaving the table having finished her break time, I said a big, “yeah, yeah!”, as I didn’t have the heart to say that I don’t know Tamil and didn’t understand a sentence of what she spoke.
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#NoSubtitlesinRealLife  #NonFiction  ‬#TeaTimeStories

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The waitress at Anand Bhavan asked me, “So you don’t like tea?”
“No, you’re mistaken, although I absolutely love both of them, I’m a tad partial towards tea.”

“But you always and always order only coffee.”

“Here is a golden rule, Just like Andhra people are good with tea, Tamilians are good with coffee, and the other way usually yields disastrous results.”

“Does that mean our tea sucks?”

*cough-cough* “That means your coffee is better.”

#NonFiction  ‬#TeaTimeStories

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An aged person new to the city, new to the local language was shuffling across the platforms, not knowing the exact platform number for his train arrival. And as he stopped to catch his breath, he heard two gentlemen talking in a language, he could understand, “Yesterday it was Chennai Bangalore, today nothing.”

And the old man panicked for he was precisely waiting for Chennai Bangalore, and he approached the gentlemen, asking, “Excuse me, but are you sure today there’s no Chennai Bangalore?”

“Of course I’m. It was yesterday.”

“Oh my God!”

“And tomorrow is Chennai Mumbai.”

“But wasn’t Chennai Bangalore supposed to a daily?”

Everyone exchanged baffled looks. And right at the moment I stepped in, as the only one who understood what’s going on there, and told the old man, “Don’t worry uncle, they were talking about the ‪#ipl‬. And yes Chennai Bangalore is a daily train.”

The old man thanked me and glared at those gentlemen before leaving to the correct platform while the gentlemen laughed later, having finally understood what happened.

#NonFiction‬ ‪  ‬#TeaTimeStories

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It was his favorite song. Secrets, by One Republic. And it was even more awesome to listen using his new pair of noise cancellation headphones. He stood there listening, having given his passport and flight ticket to get a boarding pass.
Halfway down the song the airline crew behind the counter waved her hand frantically, causing him to do a double take and finally take out those heavy headphones.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Any seat preference, sir?" she asked.

"Oh yeah! I forgot. Window seat please."

She pressed some keys and handed him his boarding pass, "Thank you, sir, here's your window seat, Have a pleasant flight."

He was filled with gratitude and thanked her profusely. After he left, she felt very satisfied. It was never in her job description to wave the hands.

#NonFiction ‬‬ ‬#TeaTimeStories

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She drew those little fragile hands with messy nail polish away from his hands as he tried to cup her hands in his. Her lips quivered as she tried to close her ears with her hands. "I don't wanna hear any explanations," saying which she burst out into tears, smudging the freshly applied kohl around her eyes.

"She was just a friend, a childhood friend whom I met after so long."

"Really? Then how come you never mentioned her?"

"Well, we never had that discussion."

She shuddered with sobs before breaking to say, "But-But s-s-she kissed you."

"That's a sisterly kiss on cheeks."

She let the tears roll down freely and warmed up to him, letting him embrace her.

"I love you Mahi."

She looked into his eyes and asked, "So you promise you'll never cheat on me?"

With an elfish grin, he said, "I promise, except when it comes to Emma Watson."

She punched him hard in his gut and came back into his hug.

#MicroFiction  ‬‬ ‬#TeaTimeStories

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“My shoes are intent on murdering me,” she complained, taking off the red, sinister looking heels off her feet. Taking a deep breath, "Better,” she said, after throwing an angry look to those shoes she was holding in her left hand while her reddened feet thanked her profusely.

“Let’s go,” she whispered into my ears while gingerly stepping out into the evening air, barefooted, as her free hand grasped mine and locked our fingers.

#MicroFiction‬ ‬‬ ‬#TeaTimeStories

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Microfiction

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#microFiction‬ ‪#‎childhood ‪#‎nostalgia‬

The invisible feet made faint noises in the kitchen, so faint for each step seemed so calculated, as if making sure no one's watching. Just as the mother went to check on the pumpkin fritters dried under the sun, a low rumbling noise came from the cupboard as if someone was struggling to open it. There was a sound of plastic lid being unscrewed and after a few seconds the little rustle died away as the mother returned.
...
Mom called for her kid, but he didn't reply as he couldn't for his mouth was full of Bournvita.

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#HappyMothersDay #microfiction

It was smelling of sunflower oil everywhere. He felt this just as he entered home wondering what might his wife be cooking which was making house smell like oil mill. But as he was on threshold of the kitchen he realised the reason; the very expensive sunflower oil is everywhere in the kitchen floor. Just as he looked up for explanation his wife answered, "sorry the handle got tangled with my sari end and the bottle fell off". He made some grunting noises and gave some scolding and left to terrace to get some peace of mind. 

...
After cleaning the kitchen she opened the bathroom door where a kid was standing covered in oil, top to bottom. She gave him a bath, washed his clothes and said "Don't worry, and don't tell anything to dad."
The kid meekly replied, "I'm sorry mom, it was an accident."
She kissed him saying, "I know."

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#microFiction #FlashFiction 

Those jewel like eyes were looking directly into him and a few strands of her reddish bronze hair are falling into his mouth as she was dusting his wounds and scratches. It seemed like those pretty eyes were a little misty. There was a little blood here and there over the scratches about which she was making a lot of fuss. He went for medical assistance because of her insistence, accompanied by her. He got a tetanus injection almost without any tantrum unlike the time when his dad took him to a clinic. She helped him in all his activities, supporting him whenever he needed to move; during the lunch hour, the recess, and the whole day. She grabbed his books so that she can do his homework too and asked him to take a good rest.
...
As the sun was setting, and the school was almost deserted, he came up to the spot where he had fallen earlier in the morning. He bent down and touched the big sharp-ish stone and said "Thank you."

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#microFiction #FlashFiction

He brought with him into the backyard all the letters, anything that spoke of their love. As he stepped out, heavy wind hit him wildly in his face as if telling him to go back in, and his loose T-shirt was rippling wildly in the gale. Though it was still noon it was all black and looked like a dark twilight. He glanced at all of those letters for one last time and threw them over as hard as he can into the fierce wind.  

But the nature seemed to have a different plan altogether, as if it didn't want him to loose those letters which sang volumes of silent melodies of their hearts, as most of those letters were pushed back into the house along with the wind, crumpled but safe.
One torn piece of a letter hit him in his face, right on his tear etched eyes. He pulled it off and rubbed his eyes and looked at it, which read
-Always yours, Mahi

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