Ginger tea and Reshma's love💕

 

@4:44am

इंतज़ार में सुबह के उज्याले के,

सुन रहे हम, शांत सागर की लहरों को...

और, बारिश की बूंदे पलहैपल का एहसास दिला रही थी,

मानो जैसे – ब्रम्हमुहूर्त में अमृत बेला हो।

Intezar me subah ke ujale ke,

Sun rahe the hum, shaant Sagar ki leharo ko...

Aur, barish ki boonde pal pal ka ehsaas dila Rahi thi,

Maano bramha muhurt me Amrit bela ho.

--

What started as a seed thought which turned into a longing....after my last visit to this beautiful corner of 'my' world....and holding a promise which was also a constant reminder to me - of returning a shell back to the ocean. And now, when I am here..It struck me, how long it has been since I visited!  Which feels like  - decades ago, 

when I was a different me. :)

Yesterday, the longing shattered it's chains and enquired with a dear friend and a loving neighbour friend ...would you accompany me? Expressing tyat I would really love to have a company along!..for the numerous beach walks,

 for the sea-waves staring sessions and all the emotions that it churns out of anyone...bare!

But each has their own priorities and there I was, dwindling to find my own. Amidst this all, there came a point where I dropped everything and just went for a lake walk, had my favourite boiled corn and a lot of hot boiled groundnuts! ...my dinner and it was already starting to rain.

At work, I have had a few commitments and I could check them all..felt happy about myself and that the lingering thought of work is past me now!

 Yeah, took me so much time to even decide if I shall carry my laptop along or no...and after a bit of brainstorming with a friend, decided Not to 🤗.

Viola! I dint see the bus departure timing properly and was in the assumption that it is at 11pm. 

I got back home from walk and started to pack.

I had booked both my tickets in a blink of an eye and a sense of accomplishment took over me. Drizzles which got converted into a heavy streams of rains faded away...my heart was already there...but worries were with me; of that of packing, it being the working day, upcoming events lineups, most important - I have had boiled groundnuts which can disrupt my gut-ease effortlessly and at any random time, and I am travelling in a semi-sleeper bus!!

For some reason I kept reminding myself to take it all as casually as just another day...no rush, no anxiety just one thing at a time. 

During this two hours gap, I attended a neighbour aunty who came to return my plates with some sweets and who speaks core native Telagu language, which I don't understand, so it was all gestures, but her presence was making me feel jittery...I tried hard to explain her that I need to pack and that I shall connect later... but she wanted to (un-invited-ly)  take a tour of my house for the nth time and put some more effort to talk and then leave..ufff!

Then, I sorted clothes to pack, my neighbour friend came and was surprised to know that I am going ahead with my travel...she helped me with digging out my packed bag pack from within a suitcase that was itself packed in a cloth piece to avoid dust!

And while speaking to her, taking a few trips between hall to the bedroom and back or to kitchen in between, I finished packing.

I then sorted garbage to be discarded the next day and handed it over to my neighbour. (So thankful to her for her kindness and heart), washed soiled vessels from morning breakfast when I had invited a neighbour's aunty who was leaving that day while I would be in office. I then sorted veggies and fruits too. Gulped two bananas and few cashews 

😂🙉

Now my neighbour got me some packed snacks to carry so that I don't starve and also some bites of hot Tomato rice ..yummy it was 😋.

 I had decided to leave home by 9.30pm to reach the pickup location which in the rains would easily be an hour+ ride from my home. I thought of attending to few time critical tasks and completed it by 9pm. 

I got a call from the bus conductor that the pickup location is silkboard and departure is 10.05p!!

The reminder of being at ease was tested in real-time and it actually won. I dropped the concern and reminded myself...if I miss the bus, the trip wasn't ment for me💝

(OH! This last line reminded me of my US trip - caltrain episode. when I was onboard and heard the song - 500miles...if you miss the train I am on...I am gone...a hundred miles....)

Well, I have had the exact same experience sometime back when I visited Pondy where I booked tickets after a heated argument and thought it was for night but it was for morning 10am with just 1 hour to pack and reach the departure location and how the auto guy turned out to be my Masih!

This time again, I got auto at 9.30pm, made it to the bus at 10.01pm and was in compete awe! I made it!!

--

The bus reached Pondy an hour earlier i.e 4am and I walked from bus stop till beach road..almost 45mins with my luggage, in the isolated lanes.

Later, at the beach, 

sitting under the drizzling sky, with my luggage by my side, my windcheater as my matress on the soaked stone slabs; I thanked 

 my body for it's cooperation inspite of sleeplessness and all the groundnuts, my neighbour for her care and love and time, for friend to be my sounding board and everything that brought me here in my now.

To the unexpected drizzles in this month, which is when I wrote the above lines...💕.

--

When the guesthouse opened at 5:30a, I waited in the waiting area for reception to open at 7, took another nap in a plastic chair and then at 6.30am decided to head for my ginger tea and cake. There was just this one slice of it which someone else took and figit-ed with..but kept it back. it broken my heart and I left the tea shop, but seeing that the other tea shop was closed too, I returned to KBS with a thought - if the cake slice is still there, it was meant for me :)...and Indeed IT was there😍.

--

But yesterday night, when I left home, i realised, I forgot to take the shell that I had to return back...

--

Loads of love Tan!