Two Cups of Tea and a Tête-à-tête—Kunal Roy

The new year has set in. New hopes. New aspirations. New inspirations. There are thousands of more thoughts to grow and expand, no matter what the field is! 

  The college reopened yesterday. The murmur in the staff room refused to settle down. Amid I asked one of my colleagues to go out and have some tea in this cold weather. She readily agreed. A little plan was translated into reality and we went to a nearby tea stall to satiate the parched throats and rejuvenate ourselves! Two cups of tea were ordered. Wisps of steam were curling up from the cups. I took a little, careless sip and assumed a mid distant gaze! Soon my reverie was broken by her. Out of utter spontaneity, she told, " You are winning so many prizes. Had your mother been alive, she would have been the happiest person in the world". I nodded. The tea break was over. The bill was paid. But her words knocked at my mind. Smiling words but a sheer truth, I often manage to share with the closest ones. 

 I returned to my work station. But the words refused to take a backseat. I realised if it had happened only... If she would have lived for a few years more! Thoughts are always thoughts and at times synonymous with a day dream! There was not a single drop of tear to scald my skin! The tears have dried up after I have been left all alone! 

  My mother suffered a major cardiac arrest, the cause of her 'untimely' death, as claimed by medical professionals. Life became tougher than usual. Gradually everyone left and I managed to settle amid the upheavals! 

 Coming twelfth January is her fourth anniversary. No one to accompany, no one to appreciate, no one to feel the pulse amid the dark solitude. Only her words will be kept ringing in my ears, " had your mother been alive..." And once more I shall not be able to ignore the words as the silent steps of her are still felt by me. I realise from the core that she is always there. A breath where her perfume lingers. The blessings showered from wherever she is, urging me to break the shackles, face the challenges and touch the zenith - the one and only way to appease her soul and make her feel proud time and again!!

                                    - Kunal Roy 

(Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Communication, George Group of Colleges, Kolkata)