A cup of tea

The smell that rose from the mug was distinct. It had an exotic fragrance that the city life screened away in the IT hubs all over the world. I looked at the mug as if it was something taboo, something stolen out of another man's life. But this house had been my world for the first twenty years of my life. Perhaps the most beautiful years of my life. It stood more to the village side of the nation and hence had more space, more privacy. The tea plantations that spread across the hills lining the horizon formed a visual treat that I had once taken for granted and later missed more than I could have dreamed possible.



My life took me away from this heaven all at once and ignorance prevented me from thinking twice. My life was here, my mother was here. And all of that I left for a prize too small. And when it dawned on me that the choice was wrong, all that was left was a shell of the past.



I left the room and walked around just to see if much has changed. I can remember every inch of this home like I never could any of my new houses. My legs had a mind of their own here and they took me to corners that once smelled of my sweat. Memories of innocent friendships and playful pleasures came back to me. Or had they never left the back of my mind?



Life was simple then. Pleasure meant a rubber ball and a sunny day. Now it meant expensive cars, finest wines and exotic holidays. But could all that money can buy compensate the pleasure of that simple rubber ball? If I answer that, my world would come tumbling down.



My feet took me away from my home, to the nearby stream were me and my friends used to swim. The stream had dried up but if I stood and listened long enough, the flow of water and sounds of laughter could still be heard. I sat on the dry banks and tried to shed a tear for the long lost days. But all I could do was smile at my own stupidity. Those days are gone for good. I started my return, this time my head guiding the way.



At a distance, my home looked as beautiful as the days bygone. As I reached closer, I saw someone standing at the door looking at me like a long lost treasure. My heart skipped a beat and my breath stopped short. I kept looking into those beautiful eyes. For that one moment, I was once again twelve and was running back home to my mother's arms. Tears that just moments before had refused to yield now flowed free blinding my eyes. I blinked away the tears and looked at the empty space. i knelt down on the dirt road and wept till my soul was pure once more.



Once I had left this land which loved me. Now I pay the price in memories and tears.