Wilted Petals

Chapter 4: The Weirdest Surprise

Song: Bairi Piya

I'm one of those weird people who drinks coffee for fun. Yes, part of my reason for loving coffee is the caffeine boost it gives me during my 12 hour shifts. But it's almost like a craft. You add a little bit more time, and you can go from something bright and acidic to intense and toasty. I love my coffee break times, and until my meeting with Manish, I never thought I'd dread coffee so badly.

For the first time in a long time - longer than my medical exams- I make sure I look like someone didn't take life and nearly beat me to death with it. My hair is brushed out smooth and falls naturally right below my shoulders. My eyelids are rimmed with a thin smoking of kajal, while a nude gloss lacquers my lips. I tug the lavender colored coat over my body a little bit so that I can retain some heat, while my eyes dart over at the clock to make sure that I'm not running late. "1:45," the clock reads. Perfect, I think to myself. 

Along with being weird enough to drink coffee for enjoyment, I'm one of the few people who doesn't run on Indian standard time. In other words, I don't show up two hours late to every single event. So when I see that I'm right where I want to be in terms of time, I can't help but give myself a mental high five.

*****

The cool dew of my usual order dampens my fingertips as I anxiously wait for Manish. My watch beeps with the notification that 2:00 has finally come. So many thoughts are having a sworded duel in my mind. "Is he actually going to come? Did he decide to not come? Is he just bored and he just decided 'Fuck it, I'm not doing this shit?' Is he running late?"  

I try to swallow those back and instead focus on my cold brew and try to allow the vanilla syrup pumped in it to sweeten my thoughts and expectations. I don't have to focus much more when I see Manish making his way inside the cafe. 

His eyes dart around the cafe in an attempt to find me. To make things easier, I raise my hand. When his eyes shoot towards the table I'm sitting towards, I wave a little bit. His face immediately explodes into a smile, and he starts making his way over. I get up from the chair, and I see his arms extend in the expectation of another hug. He can never get enough, I thought, with no complaints egging it. 

"Good to see you again, Jaya!" he greets joyously, as his arms loosely wrap around me. I reciprocate the hug tightly and snake my arms around him. 

"You too, Manish." A little wave of relief washes over me, as all the previous fears of him ditching me dissolve into nothing. The cold frozen at my fingertips due to the drink melts away when I feel his arms around me. We don't stay in that position for very long, and he disconnects so that he can pull out his wallet. 

"You can go sit. I don't want you to lose your spot. I'll order." 

I nod, and make my way back to the table so that I can sit down and continue to enjoy my coffee. During that small amount of time, the thoughts of what has changed plague my mind. Manish, to me, is still the Manish I knew 9 years ago. The same man who almost never had nothing but a radiant smile on his face. The same man who almost never treated me with animosity and disrespect since the first time we talked in my freshman physics class. And he's still the same man who never hesitated to tell me how much he appreciated me in his life. 

But, what happened? Despite the facial hair and more manly appearance, he almost never changed. I still feel so close to him, but we're so far apart. And it's driving me crazy like someone's driving a motorcycle while drunk. 

Manish eventually comes back with his coffee order, to which the toasty smell of coffee and caramel blesses my nostrils. He blows on it a little bit, and sits down to start talking. "So, Doctor Balakrishnan? Man, I was away for too long. Congrats on being a doctor!"