Lost Hope

A few seeds sown into freshly tilled, moist soil. That’s how it all began for both of them. Since that day, for just over three years, both the tea and coffee plant grew well, tended to by the loving yet expectedly rough hands of plantation workers. They were fed and nurtured, protected against weather of all kinds to finally grow into Tea Leaf and Coffee Berry. All this for one ultimate purpose — to be picked, processed, packaged, brewed and consumed by hardworking folk, stuck in the everyday rut of satisfying servitude.

Tea Leaf and Coffee Berry grew in different parts of the motherland — one requiring black soil, the other volcanic red earth. But that was just one of the few things that was different between their lives. Both were oblivious to the happenings of the outside world. They had, for the longest time, only overheard stories from the plantation workers. Stories of their “good-for-nothing husbands”, “nagging in-laws” and recipes handed down through the generations. And stories from their plant elders on the journey that is to ensue after they are picked. For three years, they were being groomed to be consumed and breathe life into tired souls constantly on their feet.

As the seasons passed, their longing to begin their journey only grew exponentially. On one fateful day, two women, living very different lives, set out on their daily duty. They each swung their woven baskets over their head and walked down the narrow paths, brushing against every plant. One looked keenly for fresh, small leaves on the tops of tea plants, while the other looked for ripe coffee berries. Tea Leaf and Coffee Berry were among the chosen ones this time - off their plants and into the basket where they met others just like them. 

From there, the tea leaves were rolled, fermented, dried and packed, and the coffee berries were pulped, fermented, dried, roasted, ground and then packed. Tea Leaf and Coffee Berry had transitioned to Tea and Coffee during the process; they felt proud, more mature, more refined. Soon, after going through a greasy-palmed middleman, they found themselves displayed on a cold metal shelf of a busy supermarket, where they sat, waiting to be picked up. 

As expected, they did get picked. But where were they going to go? A quaint house where they would be consumed by warm people, in front of the television, perhaps? Or maybe a roadside ‘Tea Shop’ that opens even before the break of dawn, ready to serve the early morning shift? It was neither. It was a hospital’s hot beverage vending machine. Tea and Coffee were poured into the machine and each brewed in a vat of hot water, turning into decoction. 

Hours went by and with every cup of strong coffee and strong tea, Tea and Coffee were closer and closer to falling into a paper cup loaded with a spoonful of sugar and slipping into the mouth of chatty colleagues, taking a break in the pantry. Tea’s and Coffee’s time had finally come. Their entire journey culminating at 12 pm on a regular Tuesday afternoon. Preethi, the CEO’s secretary, had decided to take a break while her boss went into a meeting with the Director. She pressed the ‘Hot Tea’ button and tiredly watched the decoction fall, followed by the milk. Followed by her was Surendar, the Director’s secretary, all sore-legged and exhausted. He waited for his strong coffee to fall into his paper cup. One swift hand movement and both Tea and Coffee would be consumed. 

One swift hand movement happened but the result was not what they expected. The paper cups were set down on the newspaper laid out beside the vending machine in a hurry. Both Preethi and Surendar were called back to their desks by their bosses, forced to abandon that one hot beverage that could’ve jolted them out of their tired state. And what ever happened to Tea and Coffee? Before being poured down the sink, they sat expectedly on the counter for another 20 minutes until they went cold — both in temperature and in hope.