HYPE FOR HOPE

 "Do chai!" a man in a crumpled business suit ordered. His dishevelled hair clumsily stuck to his forehead and his eyes discreetly observed the surroundings. He
noticed a frail young boy carrying 4 teacups with his fingers dipped in them for support. He was passing the labyrinth of tables deliberately trying not to spill the
contents. The irani chai's exquisite aroma wafted across the cafe and tingled the man's nostrils. The cafe was filled with different people fighting their own
battles of life just like the man and consciously waiting for their miracles to happen that will magically wash away all their miseries.

     He noticed a young couple seated opposite to a stout looking man, who he learnt, is a marriage counsellor trying his magic to stop them from filing for a
divorce. Their adjacent table seemed to be tensed as a father is deliberately trying to explain the arduousness of life to his 21 year old son. There was a lonely old
man in a corner table with a taqiyah on his head who seemed to have shut down the external world and is so immersed in enjoying his tea. There was a group of
friends each one being above 40 years surrounded by fits of laughter reminiscing their childhood memories on the other table.

     He was absolutely amused seeing the different dimensions of life in just one cafe. He raised his eyebrow at the difference between a group of high-school boys
with their uniform shirts messily pulled out of their trousers, noisily laughing at something that could probably be an explicit teenage joke and the needy server
of the cafe, a young boy who should be struggling with trigonometry and Coulomb's law but instead is juggling between different tables to serve. The cafe owner
 himself was sporting a pensive expression and looked like he is desperate to shut down his business and go back home to his family.

     The man realised that he is not alone in this world who is troubled and neck-deep in miseries and that there is one whole cafe full of people with their own
 problems either surrendering themselves or cheerfully fighting them with their heads held high.

      He finished his tea, swung his blazer over his shoulder and walked out with a skip in his step trying to expunge the thoughts of his failed business deal and
instead focused on the next adventure in store for him. 

Pic courtesy: Pinterest