A Coffee Please!

On a rainy day, I heard a voice of somebody calling me, ‘Get up and look who has come'. 'Who has come?' I asked to myself. 'Get up! or else', I got up thinking about who is waking me at 11'O clock, I saw my elder sister talking to me. I saw her face and greeted her by touching her feet, who came from Udaipur to meet me. I brushed my teeth and went to the kitchen to have some breakfast. The moment I reached there, I saw dirty plates being washed. My sister came and told that everything was finished; only some bread pieces were left. I did not want to have plain bread with milk. So, I opened my refrigerator and saw a big Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk. I took it and hid it under my T-shirt, but after seeing my sister smiling and even before a guilty feeling coming in my heart, I asked her, ‘Do you want some'.

She replied, 'Why not'. We both went in the hall, where I sat on floor and she on the sofa peacefully. She opened the packet first as she was my elder sister, as well as, my unexpected alarm in morning. It was 12'pm when we both were done eating chocolate. After a few seconds, she read aloud 'Free cup of coffee inside', shockingly I said' What are you talking about'. She said, confirming the fact about the free coffee and saw a 17-digit code. Initially, I thought she has got affected by some chocolate virus. But, when I saw the cover with my own eyes I could not believe that companies do not fake, when they launch such advertisements. I told her that there was number on the white cover inside pack, on which we are supposed to call and spell the code. She dialed the number and I recited the code to her. Amazingly, she stood and said, ‘I just ordered ourselves two free cups of coffee'. We both stood and danced for few seconds after a second she shouted, ‘We’ll have two hot coffees'. I shouted, ‘what, two hot coffees, this is what you ordered'.

After a few minutes, I told her lowering my tone,' What you ordered is good, as I don't have outside drinks and the same time this might be my very first factory made coffee'. She later said, ‘You better don't waste your time here, get me some coffee', after pausing, ‘We have registered ourselves for the coffee'.

I left. As soon as, I opened its door, I saw a young girl doing some project on her laptop, some portraits of a men with  different mustaches hanging on the wall, a menu board below Cafe' rooftop and few people working there. I went to the reception and saw a thin young boy, who asked me, ‘what will you have sir'. I kindly replied, ‘I won two free cups of coffee when I bought a Dairy Milk Silk', he thought for a minute and called his colleague, ‘Ravi, see what sir is asking for'. Then, I talked to Mr. Ravi for a minute and he gave me his Cafe' manager's contact number and asked me to call him. Meanwhile I saw two of my classmates walking on path and quarreling over something. I stayed inside the Cafe' for a minute, so that they could go. But after two minutes, Soumil my friend entered the Cafe' and ordered some Coco Shots. I stared at him for seconds and then he shouted,'Hey Ankush what are you doing here', I gently replied,' Waiting for someone’, he gave a look in entire Cafe' and saw that there was no one except the girl who was doing her project and we both talking. The reason, I didn't wanted to meet him was, that I wore track pants and a sleeveless t-shirt along with a pair of flippers. But, I was sure that he wouldn't have minded it at all. We talked for a while about where he went and which movie is good to watch these days, he told he watched Kick that day and he left. I thought this is the perfect time to call the Cafe' manager and ask him about the deal. I went outside the Cafe' and stood under the sky-walk to cover myself from rain and get enough network coverage. I talked to him over phone and he said that he will take care of the rest from there. I went to the Cafe' and saw Ankita Save one of my other classmates who was coming from her classes. I shook my head and smiled, she in return smiled too. I went inside Cafe' and by the time Mr. Ravi was talking to someone over phone. I stood at the counter for few seconds and keeping his phone he asked, ‘Silk customer', I smiled and replied, ‘Yes, Silk customer'.

He asked me some codes and asked me to settle somewhere. I asked him to pack a cup of coffee and serve one of them here; he shook his head in agreement.

I settled myself outside the Cafe' so that, I could admire rain and a cup of coffee. And interestingly, coffee was presented so wonderfully, that I thought to buy and drink it but very soon put that thought away. It was presented on a brown colour tray, with two types of sugar, one a brown sugar sachet, other, and regular white sugar. The coffee was served in a cup labeled with CCD also with brown colour effervescence and a heart-shaped cream on its top. I took the first sip.

Wow! It was very hot and bitter. I waited for it to get a little bit cold and added white regular sugar in it. It was still bitter for me to drink. So, I decided to add brown sugar as well.

I shook it with the spoon kept on the tray. I took, little sips of coffee, talking about it, as a critic inside me. Finally, I finished it and took the cup and gave it to the waiter, I could find near me. He smiled and said, ‘Sir, it was my job', I replied, ‘Well, I practice the same thing at my home and you people made me feel like, it’s my home'. He smiled showing all his shining teeth and put the cup somewhere around wash basin. Another receptionist handed over my packet of hot coffee. I left taking my umbrella, a hot coffee and importantly an experience of having coffee outside.

My sister drank half the coffee and hurriedly left to catch the train. I drank the other half of coffee and carried on to do my daily work. Next morning, I got up at 6:30a.m. and opened the doors of my home and read the right corner of the newspaper, ‘Come with this DNA newspaper at the nearest McDonald's and get a coffee worth Rs.59 absolutely free'.

I wished myself, 'Happy Id' and laughed loudly. :) :) :)

Ankush Talesara