Daily life of a PhD scholar

2: Cold Coffee and Bad Cold

"Up for a cup of coffee?" Piyushi asked in exhaustion.

"Cold? Yes." Somlata promptly replied.

"What should I have?" Fiza asked in utter bewilderment.

Piyushi, Somlata and Jia looked at her in awe.

"Cold coffee?" Somlata suggested doubtfully.

Fiza shook her head.

"Cucumber?" Piyushi suggested after some thought, "In this sweltering heat cucumber would be soothing."

"Nah," Fiza vehemently shook her head.

"Thukpa?" Jia asked.

"In this heat?" Fiza asked in horror.

"Momos?"

"Pasta?"

"Chowmein?"

"Fried rice and chilli chicken?"

"Golgappa?"

"Paratha with dripping butter on it?"

"Vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate fountain?"

Fiza put up her hand. "Are you guys even listening to yourself?"

"Do we need to?" Jia asked with a tired smile. "Two double periods. Two. My brain has shifted its gear to random mode."

Nobody told them coursework for PhD would be this tough.

Well, it's not tough per se but studying at 27 is.

Taking classes is okay, but attending lectures and taking notes constantly...

"Why are you even worried about what to have?" Somlata asked a valid question, "We are going to the canteen, there are many options, just pick and choose."

"Pick and choose are the same thing." Jia pointed out.

"Whatever." Somlata shrugged. "Choose and pick."

"Don't talk for a while." Jia comforted her by patting her shoulder and turned to Fiza, "You say."

"My body and soul are burning up in this sweltering heat," Fiza narrated sorrowfully, "And my head, throat and nose are hurting because of a nasty cold. I want to eat something warm to soothe my throat and head but, I want something cold to soothe my body."

"Such a dilemma." Piyushi sympathized.

"These kinds of problems are too hard to deal with," Jia said gravely and then brightened up, "why don't we cumulatively come up with a thesis that addresses situations like these?"

"Cold coffee it is," Fiza declared, "I will get the coffee and wait for it to become a bit warm. Problem solved."

"Should have thought of that earlier. My stomach is thundering." Somlata groaned.

"I thought you were forbidden to talk, Som." Piyushi pointed out.

"What about the thesis?" Jia asked excitedly.

"On that note, Jia, you are also forbidden to talk," Piyushi sighed.

Fiza shook her head as she looked at the bright sunny day before them.

She did not know what was the worst—the fact that she forgot what thesis she was supposed to work on or the hot-n-cold contradiction in her body.