A Cup of Tea
By Tshering Chekii - May 25, 2017
“A cup of tea.” I said.
“Anything else.” She asked.
“No, thanks. I just had a lunch.” I said. I looked into the diagonal pattern of table cloths in red and white, stain from ezay was still there. Mental note to self, if I open a restaurant, never to buy a white linen clothes. But white is a color of purity, only if you can keep it clean.
I started guessing the dimension of the room, looking at the aesthetic
view of particle board paneling on the wall but timber paneling would have been
better, rich creamy colour of wall and I was doing everything to keep myself
from running away.
Run away but why and from whom?
“Hey? Tshering? Why are you so lost?”
I jerked from the inner monologue and her confused inquiring
eyes made me more perplexed.
“Huh? Sorry, nothing.” I said and looked into beautiful frame
with a black and white painting of an old man. I stopped breathing when I
looked at the serenity and contentment on his face despite ragged clothes,
barefoot and scarred face.
“Tssheringgg.” Her cautious voice gently tugged me out from
envious happiness of old man in a painting.
“Huh…yes.” I noticed a cup of tea in front of me and coffee on her
side.
“You are doing it again.” She said sternly.
“What?” my mind fail to assemble what she was saying.
“Mumbling to yourself, cracking knuckles and existing in different world.”
“Huh?” I asked.
“What is bothering you?”
“What do you mean by wanting to be happy? Aren’t you happy?”
“I know I should be happy: I having a successful and stable
career, loving people around me, have everything needed in life except
happiness.”
“Define happiness.” I avoided her intensifying glare.
“Something is not right. There is no inner peace, I am perplexed
and agitated all the time. I am not satisfied with life. Look at that picture
on the wall. All I want is serenity and contentment in that old man’s face.
Look at him, he has nothing yet everything.” I saw people around me, staring.
Maybe I was louder than I intended.
“Why aren’t you happy?”
I didn’t bother to answer as I gulped a cold tea in a one go.
Coldness of a tea didn’t bother me but life did.
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