The yellow ball just started to float in the sky, yet its warm rays made the cells sweat. She rested the steaming cups on the table and went in to bring its partner - biscuits, who made love with the ginger tea everyday. She pulled out the wooden chair that was cushioned with green and pink floral print.
He sat on the other side, his right hand holding the newspaper. He was flipping the pages continuously. It was obvious, unlike everyday, he wasn't interested in reading today morning, but his ego made him patient. He was a man, and his ego was far more important than anything, yes, anything.
She quitely took the first sip. She needed that fews seconds. "How are things going?" She breathed out the words before the second sip.
And off he went. He talked and talked. And she questioned, paused, nodded whenever she felt it was necessary.The words entered the ear lobes, were transferred to the brain too, but it didn't stay there. She didn't remember what he had said few second ago, but still she performed her acts dutifully. Thats what she had been designed for, she reminded herself.
After about half an hour, he went in to the washroom to get ready for the day, and she rushed into the kitchen. She looked at the watch, she was half an hour late. She performed her duties as fast as she can and rushed to the office.
As she entered the platform, she could see the station brimmed with people. It was the peak time, a complete new scene to her, as the she used to board the train half an hour before, which was free.
She had a difficult time in getting inside. As the train started to move, she found herself cramped. There was not an millimeter of space to breath. And inside the head, the thoughts suffocated her more. Events of yesterday started to veil in front of her eyes. His tone, his voice, his threats shivered her. It all started when she was late again from office. He demanded her the explanation, and she gave in. But he didnt trust her. She knew it from the silence. Later that night, stream of harsh words were stuffed in her ears that settled in her brain. She knew the cracks had been deepening, but it was a long time since she gave up trying to mend them. And it was now, as if he woke from the slumber. It hurt her, more than words could say. But she wore the cloak of silence, like always. She gave in, and agreed to spend time on the tea table. But that deepened the reasons of stretching late. She had to think of a way out.
Later in the day, a colleague called her for lunch. She found the way.
"You carry on. I will have a cup of tea. Got work to do". She decided to trim down the one hour lunch break to a 5 minute tea break. A cup of tea changed lot of things..
