A Random Thought!

Time: 1315h Venue: Café Coffee day at Shoppers Stop

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After a rather unsuccessful shopping trip, my mother and I reached Shoppers Stop and headed to the leather section, didn’t find what we wanted yet again and decided to have a quick coffee before rushing back in time for the children. 

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This mother-daughter trip was happening after nearly two months and was planned with much excitement. With many Leos to shop for (birthday month approaching), it was supposed to be grand shopping and there were a lot many sales so we were thrilled.

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Disappointed! We didn’t get anything we were looking for. Not that we didn’t shop but it was for the sake of it. As it is the day began with delays, first the domestic helps, then the cab, with a driver who was new on the job and didn’t know any place! This followed by loads of traffic and finally, nothing of our choice!

We had one hour and forty five minutes to reach when we entered the coffee shop and the drive took about 45 minutes on a medium traffic day. At the fag end of the outing, it looked like luck was with us after all- we were the only customers at the shop. I seated my mother at a comfortable spot after we had made our decisions on what to munch along with coffee. There was this small, short, darkish and frail young girl behind the counter who had the most exquisite eyes. She was barely eighteen. I waited for her to be comfortable before she could take the order and then waited and waited and waited as she typed. At long last, she looked up and repeated the order and had something missing which I repeated and she said almost sad, “Oh! You want that too?” I nodded.

By this time, my mother was getting impatient for twenty minutes were up. “Is she going to take as long to brew coffee, in which case we are better off without it” she said irritably, worried that her grandchildren would have to wait for lunch!! So I asked the young girl, if she could hurry with the order as we really needed to leave ‘asap’! I told her to make that just one coffee and the snacks. She looked up confused. The addition was too much for her and despite my mother’s irritation and my hurry, I felt bad. I have a soft spot for people who struggle with Maths for I do too! “May I give you your order and then make the bill?” she offered. I agreed readily and she was off after I reassured her that I’d pay whatever she told me to.

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So, we waited and waited and waited. I was pacifying my mother. She was fretting over the kids despite the fact that they had the key. To add to her woes, I announced that I had left my phone in the cab and so we couldn’t contact the driver!! Now my mother didn’t want anything but I heard some clanging; the girl was arranging plates on a tray so I went to help. Now I was praying that my mother wouldn’t lose her cool for one look at the grilled sandwich and “chilli cheese toastizza” told me that despite ten minutes in the oven they were cold and the cheese was standing in attention, in no mood to melt! I handed the plates to Mom and went back for the cup of cappuccino which looked good but she was unsuccessful in coffee art! I told her to get the bill ready. We ate as fast as we could which was facilitated by the cold “everything” except coffee which we shared. I thank my mother for telling me to make it one or we would have been stuck for another ten minutes!

 

Credits: magicpin.in

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I finished up quickly and left Ma with the coffee as I went to settle the bill. Once done, I asked her how long she had been working there to which she replied, “I got here at ten this morning” so I rephrased my question and this time she said, “Today is my seventh day.” I smiled at her and said that she seemed a rather quick learner but in a shop like this one, it would help if she learnt how to operate the oven and other machines sooner. Not all customers would be patient. As quietly and without accusing as I could, I mentioned that the food was cold. Her eyes started filling up and she said that she had never worked before and that her father had taken ill and so she was forced to find work. She wasn’t a local so I asked her where she was from to which she replied “Orissa”. Mother by now had her fill of all this and asked me to move so I thanked the young Jasmine, wishing her well and she waved at me gratefully not before muttering a sorry to my mother. My mother smiled and waved out to her too as we hurried out despite her preoccupation of how to locate the driver! Thankfully, he had found a spot just outside the main entrance and I had memorized the number plate! We reached two minutes before the kids got home as their bus was delayed!!

Just before going to bed, I thought of that pretty little girl, so vulnerable, and said a prayer for her.

Sometimes, when you contain your own emotions/reactions and try to understand another person’s reasons, for whatever it might be, life becomes beautiful for both. A random thought!

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