The Taal Cafe

Taalcafé

The ocean of tulips swayed in the wind, mesmerising her spectators. Laughter and smiles lighted up every corner of the farm. Yet, Mevrouw van Der Berg looked immune to the alluring charms of nature. Her grey hair danced in the wind, covering her pale face.  She stood there, breathing heavily. Suddenly, unable to bear the pain filling her soul, she fell to her knees. 

Though blurred, she saw a wrinkled yet sturdy hand coming towards her. Trembling uncontrollably, she stretched her hands to grab it.

"Kulikkithakkathi.....kulikkithakathi..kilu kilu thaki "

Mevrouw van der Berg woke up panting. She looked towards her bedroom wall and winced. The sound was even louder now.

"Kulikkithakkathi.....kulikki"

Swearing loudly, she rummaged through her bedside table for her mobile.

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"Anyone been to a language cafe?"

"Yes."

"Nice, perhaps you can explain to your peers what it is then?

" A free learning program mostly conducted by organisations like Redcross, Expat hub, public libraries etc. to help people learn and practise a language. This takes place usually in cosy cafes of these libraries or expat hubs. People will be placed into small groups based on their language level, and a native speaker leads each group and they mostly teaches by small games."

"Right, we are happy to give you guys such an offer. Students, this is Mevrouw Corrie van der Berg. She is a retired Dutch professor. She has volunteered to do language cafe for two students from our class. It will start this week and will continue for the next ten to twelve months."  

 Zoe, the dutch teacher smiled at her class and then continued, "Corrie selected two students based on their learning curve, Kaayel Okkacheriparambath and Abriana Bellusimo. You can reject the offer or start chatting in Dutch from this week."

As Kaayel looked at Mevrouw van der Berg, she saw a tinge of coldness in those steely eyes as they met hers. But it was momentary. After all, last night's "kulikkithakathi " had drained them both of any mutual courtesies. 

************

The café overlooked the shops in the Square. Mevrouw van der Berg stared over her spectacles. Her eyes never blinked as she dictated the in-house rules.

"A debate or a story will be good for our discussions. It can be about any topic, and of course, anyone can suggest it. Be here at 10AM every Monday, and be punctual. We Dutch take punctuality seriously. Let us start with self-introduction, one of you can start."

"I am Abriana Bellusimo from Italy. I have been in the Netherlands for two years. I live with my husband, and I work as a waitress in a restaurant. At times, I have to talk to my customers in Dutch. The free Dutch lessons at the Toeman college helped me a lot. Thanks to you, now I will get to practice more."

"I am Kaayel Okkacheriparambath from Kerala, India. I came here eleven months ago with my husband and daughter. I am looking for a job. And, of course, learning Dutch is a must for that. So here I am. And, you all can call me Kaayel."

Mevrouw van der Berg said in her high-pitched voice, "I call only my close friends and family by their first name. But, I could try a shorter version of your surname. How about Okache?"

 Amidst the clinking coffee cups and quiet chatters, Kaayel could hear a buzzing sound inside her head urging her to walk away. But all she could manage to say was, "Okache would be fine."