Tea & Love

The steam from a hot cup of tea makes for a captivating visual, especially on cold winter mornings. Cupping your hands around the mug and feeling its warmth can sometimes trigger emotions along tangential directions. 

It can summon memories as well as desires.

"Neha, tea is ready! Come, let's have it together!" was my mother giving me a wake-up call on most mornings after I graduated from school. School days were obviously different; and, early. 

Many times, she would simply warm her hands around a steaming hot tumbler of tea and then cup my face or neck in those warm hands to wake me up. 

Waking up looking at her ever-smiling face and then tucking my head into her lap and hugging her tight before I rolled out of bed was a daily ritual. 

And though, most mothers would advise for the hygiene ritual of brushing before I had my tea, my mom was chilled out. As long as I did maintain the ritual, whether I did it before tea or after that was immaterial.

The aroma of tea that filled the house early in the morning and her chirpy voice calling out, are memories that come rushing back to me every time I have the good fortune of getting up early and having a cup of tea. Most of the times, though, I avoid getting up just for the lack of that loving experience.

A mother is irreplaceable but a companion/partner would make for a desirable morning tea as well. 

Sadly, I don't have one yet. 

Hence, while I miss my mom a lot over the morning tea, another thought crossing my mind at the exact same moment is the yearning for a loving partner whom I could trouble with my mindless ramblings early in the morning.

Ahh! That morning cuppa and the love that it evokes!