The Coffee Table

This story is selected as Editor’s Choice and won INR 500

I was withering in pain. A pain my body had experienced once before. I wanted to scream, I tried, but I couldn’t. I wanted to stop Riya, grab her and tell her how much I loved her. And I loved her; I loved her too much to stop her. I had to let it go, once again.

**

2 years before

The sensual aroma of grinding coffee beans would please the nostrils while the eyes savored a lush green garden filled with squirrels engaged in their lovely activities. The fresh and refreshing air would ease up the brain and the musical chirruping of birds would provide a sense of completeness, a sense of euphoria.

This was the usual environment that one entered into as he stepped into the cafe, The Coffee Table. The cafeteria was attached to a gift shop and this was the place which had encompassed my life for the past decade.
After 3 consecutive business failures I ended up with this gift shop along with the cafeteria. I spent the first half of my life in this endless toil, searching for something I knew did not exist.

The shop was located opposite to a lush green park which was the reason to air was always fresh and refreshing. The pleasant environment ensured a wide range of customers, ranging from joggers in the morning to the lovely couples in the evening. I would often converse with the customers which led to a healthy bonding. Sometime these conversations would last an hour or two. The young ones would talk about their tales of love while the older ones would talk about their journey through life and their vivid memories of old times.

One fine day a young girl in her early 20s walked into the gift shop. She had soft brown hair and a fair complexion. She was indeed really pretty. She started browsing the key chains. Her face bore the innocence as that of a child.

“Seems like you need some help” I offered.

“Yeah, I really do” she said smiling like a little kid.

I helped her finding a keychain for her boyfriend whom she was meeting at the park, a fine young man named Aryan as she told me.

“Thank you so much!” she said as she was leaving the shop.

“Anytime young lady, bring Aryan for a cup of coffee sometime” I smiled.

“Sure thing uncle!” and she left.

**

A few weeks later the same girl entered the shop, I didn’t recognize her for a while as she had hardly visited the shop since the last time.

“Hello Uncle” She greeted softly.

“Good evening, what are you looking for today”

“A greeting card, it’s my friend’s birthday tomorrow”

She was barely able to speak. Her eyes were moist and strained, one could easily point out she had cried a lot. Not an unfamiliar sight for me, a break up I had assumed.

“Long night I guess” I said pointing towards her moist eyes.

“Yeah” she muttered

I helped her find a suitable greeting card, she paid and was about to leave. I still couldn’t take my mind off her moist eyes and felt a strange longing to make it right. After a couple of thoughts I hesitantly muttered “Well I know it is none of my business, but it is going to be all right. Just give it some time”

Her lips trembled, sensing that she would cry any moment I spoke almost immediately “Oh I am really sorry dear I didn’t mean to pry”

“It’s okay” she added “can I sit here for a while” pointing towards a nearby table.

“Sure, as long as you want to” I smiled. “A coffee is a good idea I’ll say”

“Ya sure” she forced a smile

I kept the coffee on her table and since there were no other customers I sat with her. She told me about the chain of events that led to her break up. We talked for a while as she gradually started feeling better. The conversation now shifted to me.

“Have you ever been in love” She asked, lost in her chain of thoughts.

“I guess so” I said, a little amazed as no one has ever asked me this, the young one’s preferred to tell their tales.

“Would you mind telling me about it” she looked at me, the childlike innocence was back.

“Back when I had just completed my schooling I started taking tuition to collect some money. I had a really cute student and she was 3 years younger than me. She had amazingly beautiful golden hair, just like yours. Her dad was a business tycoon and was one of the most powerful men around the city. We fell in love and as you might have guessed, her family did not agree. We were young and in love, a dangerous combination” I smiled.

“We ran off and married.”

“Whoa that’s cute!” She was cheered up.

“And that’s when the cuteness ended” I said, not at all delighted walking back in my memory lane.

I got up to attend and attended a customer. As I came back, she immediately fired “The cuteness ended?” She asked curiously.

“She realized being poor was way too different than she had imagined. My business failed and she could wait no more. She was pregnant and she did not want our child to be born in poverty. Eventually the marriage failed and she went back to her dad, I have never seen her ever since”

“Oh I am so sorry” Riya said, now cautious, sensing the drift in my mood.

“Post that I was too busy trying to get a business set up, probably in a hope that she would come back. But I failed numerous times and ended up with this gift shop where I get to meet young little birds like you” I smiled. She could probably see the hollowness in my smile; she shifted the conversation out of empathy.

She then told me about her ambition of becoming an interior designer, her schooling, background etc. Her father had died in a car accident when she was 2. Her mother remarried and had a son from her new husband. So she had a loving younger brother who was yet to complete his schooling. We chatted for a while with some brief moments of laughter.

“It’s getting late Riya, I think you should head back now”

“Thank you so much uncle, I feel really good!” she said while picking up her hand bag and the greeting card.

“Always a pleasure” I gave a warm smile as she left.

**

She kept visiting frequently, at times she also brought a couple of friends together. Her visits were accompanied with cries and laughter. Life went on.

One bright Sunday morning Riya told me about the issues she had with her dad. He was a wealthy man and that kept him busy. Somehow he managed to pay attention to his son but never to his daughter who was stepping into adolescence and desperately needed his attention.

I told her about my dad who died 2 years ago of a heart attack and about my mom whom I was living with.

I did not realize how she became a regular part of my life. Her visits sometimes frequented to thrice a week and we would spend hours chatting about love, life, relationships and goals. She loved being mentored and I loved mentoring her. I have had great relations with many customers before but there was something about Riya which always drove me towards her. I felt protective of her, guiding her through the maze of life. And I felt happy doing so.

Things went on and 2 years flew by. She had graduated a year ago and was interning at a national firm. It was then his dad decided to marry her to the son of his business partner, a young handsome and wealthy lad. Being left with no choice she decided to step happily into the marriage. She brought this handsome man to the coffee shop once. She had told Ryan a lot about me so he was eager to meet me as well.

The three of us chatted for a while before they left. She glanced back at me as they were about to leave, I gave her a nod and passed a smile. She jumped up and happily stepped into the car.

“I really need your consent because I know your judgment would never be based on any benefit you were to have from this marriage” she had said before bringing Ryan to the shop.

**

She handed me an invitation card. There was a space left and the word ‘uncle’ written next to the space.

“I just realized I never asked your name, how stupid of me!” she said pointing towards the blank space before uncle.

“Aditya” I said and she wrote it down. A car honked in the background. Her mom was here to pick her up.

“Okay, now that’s interesting!  My dad’s name was Aditya as well.” She picked up her belongings and started to leave. “See you at the wedding!” she waved.

 

I was withering in pain. A pain my body had experienced once before. I wanted to scream, I tried, but I couldn’t. I wanted to stop Riya, grab her and tell her how much I loved her. And I loved her; I loved her too much to stop her. I had to let it go, once again.

She stepped into the car and left with her mom. The golden haired woman I was once married to.
And I never saw either of them, neither my daughter, nor the woman I loved.

__END__