Tea Kadai Bench
It was raining heavily, I had an umbrella but it was no match for the strong winds, I was soaked waist down. The only nearest shelter was a bakery canteen. As I felt cold as ice and my muscles wouldn’t move I decided to wait there until the rain subsides. When I say canteen & bakery don’t imagine a 2000 sq ft facility. It was a decades old building with a small room and even smaller kitchen.
I decided to wait below the window shades, but an elderly woman pulled me in, took away my umbrella put it aside and compassionately asked “Aiyoh! Enna thayi nanijutiya? (Oh dear! did you get wet?). She pointed me to sit on the bench besides the only table in the room, you could tell its age by counting the number of layers paint that was peeling off, it looked dilapidated but beautiful. Even before I sat down a man left piping hot glass of tea frothing with clear white foam on my table and instructed “suda irukku parthu” (careful it’s hot). I sat there on the typical see-saw like bench rocking side-to-side, I never understood if the benches weren’t level enough or the floor; either ways it was fun.
The small room was brightly lit by a hurricane lamp that illuminated bhajji’s and bonda put on display in a tiny glass box, even the state of the art paint was no match to white lime walls, so bright and beautiful. The fresh smell of bread, the clattering sounds from rusk rustling through the metal tins, the warm tea were all bliss to my senses.
Even before I could take a look around the small cottage style canteen, there were two plates of vadai and a jar of warm rusk on the table, followed by the question “Enna thayi innum tea kudikalaya? seeni pothuma? (Go ahead drink your tea dear, is the sugar right?)” I was holding the tea glass tight letting the heat seep into my arms, which was truly soothing to my frozen muscles. Seeing me still shake from cold she asked “adupu kitta utkariya? (Do you want to sit near the fireplace)” she pushed the plate of vadai towards me as she spoke.
I sat next to the fireplace on a wooden plank which they carefully covered with a cotton towel to make sure the fireplace dirt doesn’t stain my clothes, until my clothes became dry I sat there. I wasn’t hungry and never intended to eat but I couldn’t say no. How could I say no to the sweetest couple? I’d never forget the dainty little tea kadai that looked straight out of fairy tale.
