Recap: Episode-1, Episode-2, Episode-3
0830 to 0955 Hours:
"You've got the keys, right?” she asked me, as we took the elevator to the ground floor.
“I have them, yes!” I said roughly checking my jeans pocket. I wore my lucky 'Dark Knight' t-shirt and went with the shaded blue jeans, which I was pretty sure, hadn't been washed before packing. But then, I couldn't compromise on the look, however informal it made me seem. Also the superhero t-shirt that Geetika wore a few hours back had reminded me of mine, and hence that. The Kurti she wore now wasn’t that bad either. Okay-ish.
“So if you need me for anything or if you get stuck anywhere, do call me up. I haven't decided yet on the local number which I'll keep. Once I decide on that I'll give you that number ", she said taking out her mobile phone “What's your number though?” she continued as we walked out of the elevator and towards the main gate
“Well obviously it's still on roaming ", saying which I gave her my number, as we passed the watchman’s desk, where the guy I met before was happily eating something. We walked silently for a minute or two. I tried hard not to look at her, but then, I that just was impossible.
“So... Anyways, Just be careful with Raju the watchman. He'll start with his sorrowful stories within a week or two and ask for money. Just cut him off at the start ... We'll have to cross over here to the other side! ", she said as we reached the main road. I promptly followed her
“ Don’t get me wrong but I’m against people using poverty as a weapon on us, you know..” she continued
“As a shield? Or as a means? "
“More or less. People like us... "
“Us? Don't count me in Geetika, I'm actually totally poor. Not a single rupee on me!"
“Haha! I won’t buy that, you know!" she said easing up.
“My bad. But yeah I do get your point. Ok let's see. Aren't you, and I'm totally guessing this, frustrated with grown up men and women begging at the traffic signals? "
“Well. I wouldn't really say that, but I'm not Ok with..... This is the 14 A cross, the hotel is in the 15th Street” she said pointing at a direction board. We arrived at the main road, and the traffic became a bit more apparent and serious. It was a warm morning, a far off incidence from the usual searing heat and the customary tan, as of the moment. The good thing about this city, was that the humidity levels were always at a low. I could totally dig that.
“For me it's not that I don't feel bad for them, but I am never really sure how much money to give them. It's a weird thought process I suppose. I just don't know what's going to be enough of a help ” I said remembering the road turns that we were taking, and any distinct landmarks that could help me later on.
“Exactly you know. I'm not insensitive, but the problem is, I'm just... confused”
After ten minutes of walk, we had finally reached a hotel, or as it was called ‘tiffin center'. 'Sri Lakshmi Tiffin Center and Meals Ready' to be very precise.
The single most definitive aroma that you get immediately when you enter a hotel in any city in South India, is that of Coffee. Not of Chutneys. Not of Sambar. But Coffee. The overwhelming smell of grounded coffee, and then at that exact moment, my faith in good coffee, was reinstated. Geetika walked up to the billing counter and picked up a menu. I followed her there, snaking in between two elderly men, who held in their hands a plate each of extra-long Dosas, which I remembered to be the Masala Dosas. The trick of actually enjoying the masala dosa was to start at the ends and move towards the centre, munching on the curry enclosed in it, as we did. General Gyaan, here.
“What will you have?” Geetika said passing me the menu card. She leaned on to the counter on her back and looked intently towards the kitchen, which was virtually hidden behind the delivery counters. I looked at the menu card and saw a whole lot of varieties in Dosas and of course Idlis. But I was looking for something else. Something I had when I visited my aunt in Bangalore.
“I’ll be taking Poori, they will be freshly made. The boy just took the dough balls inside ", she said in a hushed up voice. I couldn't understand why she was speaking in such a low voice. And then it struck me, that maybe she wanted to get to the Pooris before anyone else did. Everyone else was just looking at their availability at the delivery counter, and upon realising that there weren’t many, were ordering something else.
“So have you decided?” she turned now facing the billing counter, and simultaneously taking out her wallet. Wait a sec. She had a wallet in her back pocket? It seemed very normal, yet somehow odd.
“Yeah. I'll have Bisbilla bath or as it so often called, Sambar rice! ", I said as I took out my wallet as well. We paid for our orders separately and took our order tokens to the already crowded delivery counter. I tried muscling my way in, but just couldn't fight a really hungry crowd. Geetika called me and took my token, and calmly stood beside the horde of hungry men. She silently extended her hand towards a boy on the other side of the delivery counter, who was supposed to take the token and provide us our breakfast.
As soon as she did that, a dozen or more male hands fighting for attention of the boy, suddenly pulled back. They even stepped back. An Elderly man, A couple of IT guys, everyone. She gave the token, and stood there silently as the boy arranged our breakfast. Her order included two pooris and a potato curry to go with it. And mine, as the name suggested, Sambar and rice, with some mixture sprinkled on it. We took our plates and walked out of the hotel, to the counters placed to just stand and eat peacefully. A boy quickly came from behind us and with one single sweep cleaned the table with a wet piece of sponge.
“This is really hot!!” I said holding up the spoon of Sambar rice near my mouth.
"More spicy? ", she said already munching happily on a piece of Poori , which she had made into a small rough cone and scooped some curry into it
“It’s hot. I mean, not taste wise but temperature wise” I said gently blowing at the contents of my steel spoon.
“That’s what makes it delicious, no? We have a joke in our field, that 'Serve them hot, taste ka fikar not', hehe!", she said finding humour in that somewhere. Either we had nothing in common with our humour, or maybe I was just being a dick. Couldn’t find that funny at all.
“I mean... That would work. Burn the tongue and everything thereafter would seem delicious” I said finally getting to taste my breakfast. And it was actually very delicious.
“Nice no?” she said observing my expression of pure delight. I plainly nodded my head, still captivated in the taste.
“What they do is, and from what I've observed, they use a different type of pulse from the rest of hotels in this locality. I mean not the tasteless hybrid kind you get in supermarkets these days” she said as she stopped eating her Poori and got into the whole analysis thingy. A plain factoid that I had zero idea how to actually use.
“Then I guess the whole magic lies in the non-hybrid pulses?” I said not giving it much of a thought. Though her excitement was intriguing, I still wasn't in the mood to stand and analyse it. Just enjoy the taste, is all to me.
“Arey, not that only, of course. I'm sorry, am I being pesky?” She said looking at me
“No.. Nothing like that. I just enjoy my food way too much and so I don't actually pay heed to what's going on around me when I eat. Yeah I'm a huge foodie, I'm sorry” I said sounding polite and idiotic at the same time.
“Hahaha! I did see that. No there's nothing to apologize. Haha, I'm like that only!” she said finding that highly amusing. Yeah I was definitely being a dick here.
“Yeah risky business there. But don't you think we negate the magic in things by over analysing them?” I said picking up the last spoonful.
“That’s one way of looking at it. Guess that's true, that takes out something wonderful. The mystery element right. Can't help it though. That's my job!”
“To analyse dishes. I thought you made them? "
“Observation is the first step of Preparation. Can't be guilty of that, now can I?” She said, as we poured ourselves some 'Bisleri Drinking Mineral Water’, we walked out of hotel and towards a bus shelter.
“So what's your plan now?” she said as she looked at her watch. And took out her shades from one of her pockets. Ok seriously, where was she storing all these things?
“I’m going to call a cab, I think, and then maybe go to Kondapur. To my Aunt’s place” I said taking out my mobile and dialling a local cab service. I asked Geetika the exact location of my pickup point, and within 5 minutes had booked myself a hatchback. A Ford Figo.
“So, would it be OK if you could drop me off at Gachibowli? My friend would be waiting there, in another 20 minutes! ", she said as she looked up from her mobile, in which she was texting continuously for the past ten minutes, as we waited for my cab to arrive at the bus stop.
“Oh, is it nearby?” I said, when I was actually supposed to say, Sure! Please! My pleasure! And stuff like that. My stupidity records a new high.
“Not that near, but then you could take straight road to Kondapur from there ", she said wearing her shades and folding her sleeves up to her elbow.
"Great. That's cool then. I'll go to my Aunt’s place. My mom’s sister. I call her Pinni and she calls me.... What is so funny?" I said as she started snickering silently. As soon as I said that, her giggle turned to a pursed smile.
"No no. I mean nothing. Pinni is same for everyone. It's good!" she said still smiling. Though I don’t think it was the main reason for her giggle.
“Is anything wrong with that? I mean, should I be calling her something else? ", I said trying to get what was funny.
“Oh no no, don’t get me wrong. No offense”
“None at all. I mean I know very less Telugu so I... Excuse me! ", I trailed off as I received a call. It was the cab driver, asking for directions, ironically in Telugu. And as was expected, I passed the phone to Geetika, who as far as I could understand, asked him to not cross Big Bazaar.
Five minutes later the cab arrived stopping at the other side of the road. I took the front seat besides the neatly dressed driver and Geetika took the back seat. The timer on the dock in front of me, now showed that the time was nearing ten. The driver clicked the timer to start the count of 8 hours package that I had booked the cab for. It was cheaper that way, and I calculated that with the plans I had in mind, that I wouldn't need it longer than that. At least that's what I thought then...
Chai Bisket’s Story Series – Double Ka Meetha (Part – 4)
