BETWEEN THEMPart 20
Krish was reaching work early these days.... It was like the place held his interest.... Some kind of unknown and unrealized bonding.....
He smiled wanly... The only factor that made these days miserable was the Bangalore cold.... a hateful chill that made you cold right into your bones.....
He would have liked a little sun...
And maybe a spattering of rain then.....
He badly wanted a cup of hot hot tea.... And it was today that the dispenser at his office was empty... except for lemon tea....
Yuck!
He heard that somewhere on the next floor there was a coffee shop....
He went up to it.... And looked around the small yet neatly kept place.....
There was a single woman in her mid thirties attending a group of four young women....
She turned around and smiled when she saw him....
"Welcome sir.... How may I help you? .... Maybe you should have a look at the menu...."
She fumbled around and brought up a nice little colored card.... that had almost every variety of coffee listed....
And no tea.....
A literal coffee shop?.... Without tea??
He hesitated.... He had never liked coffee.... In fact he hated it.....
Maybe just for now... In all this cold.... He had to give in....
He ordered the first coffee type on the list.... espresso....
He knew what it was.... something like u forcefully pass hot water through the coffee powder so that you get a naturally strong brew......
Yuck again!!
While he waited he looked around the place..... The group of girls were leaving, though not before glancing back at him.... He smiled at one of them, and the others giggled their way out...
His coffee was ready.... He made a face at the first sip, and the woman frowned....
"You like it sir? Maybe you would like more sugar..... Though it spoils the taste of espresso", She added more sugar in his cup....
It still tasted nothing better.....
He looked at the menu... wondering how some people took up careers as coffee tasters.... with all these kinds of brews and still to him every coffee kind had tasted the same....
Even every type of tea at that..... Except lemoned ones...!!
"You own this place?", he asked the woman....
She blushed... "No sir, I work here.... Someday I might really get to own some such place..." and smiled....
He smiled too....
Krish gulped down the remaining coffee.... The faster he got done with it the better.... At least the taste would not linger....
"You new here? I haven't seen you around...."
"Yes... "
"Your name....?" She blushed even as she asked it.....
Just then a plump small man walked in staring at them.... It was obvious he was the owner.... The woman bristled....
"I am Shanker... And how much will that cost me?..." Krish thought better than to give out his first name right then... The man was staring at them and she had already gone pale....
He paid her and as he walked out he stopped near the man....
"You have a nice place here... And great coffee...Never tasted something as perfect as that... "
The man grunted.
Nice reply... Krish shook his head.....
Krish headed back down the floor....
Had he waited to savour the coffee a little more in the shop.... he might have come across Shriya who was just then stepping into the little outlet, smiling at the woman as she entered....
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