Same old coffee

If you know me, you’d know that I’m a huge fan of cold coffee. That good old coffee where you can taste coffee and sugar with the same intensity. Not too bitter, not too sweet. Cold as ice, and when you drink it, the iciness can be felt in your gums. Amazing. Now, exactly that kind of coffee used to be available in my previous college cafe. Served in a medium-sized paper cup, filled to the rim and dusted with cocoa powder all for 30 rupees.

But unfortunately, during my 3rd year, a new management took over our cafe. We lost our coffee waale bhaiya and the people we were used to. We didn’t like the food, prices shot up, and the most heartbreaking change was that we lost that cold coffee. They added all kinds of new things: shakes, waffles, but that cold coffee was gone. That 30-rupee beauty which was made to perfection. My friends and I were devastated. We cursed the college admin, the student union, anyone we thought could be blamed for this sin. I went through my final year silently crying for that coffee, for that bhaiya who would add more sugar or cocoa powder if I asked.

The year went by, and now I’m in the next phase of my education, in a new college, where cold coffee doesn’t exist. Nor any decent snack, to be honest. A few days back, I went to visit my grad college friends who are still there in their fourth year. They told me the old cafe waale bhaiya was back with the same old coffee. I ran. My friend was with me. We went straight to the cafe. She bought me the coffee, which is now sold for 40 rupees. I took a sip, hoping it would taste the same. And it did. I think I shed a tear or two. The coffee is now served in a plastic cup with a cap and straw, but the taste remains the same.

I was extremely happy, having that same coffee after so long. I didn’t mind the price. After all, I was getting what I had missed the most. And I think it’s the same with people. Sometimes when certain people leave our lives, better people don’t come in. Sometimes things actually get worse. I know it sounds too pessimistic, but I need you to understand this: what we have today, be it situations, people, or things—might actually be better than what’s coming next. So I want you to enjoy them while they last. And yes, you can certainly hope for better, but it’s never guaranteed. Your hope doesn’t guarantee better things. Always remember that.

Also, the picture is of the coffee I finally got back.

See ya.