Caffeine shakti

I had a late night last night, and, as is the case with mothers with young children, an early morning today. With the kids packed off to their grandmother's, I hastily swallow some dosa morsels and automatically begin to make coffee, except I find that I've run out of milk. And I'm not much of a black coffee drinker. I think of the meeting I have to get to and, my mind still half-asleep, decide to get coffee en route.

I'm in my car and I have a long drive to the other side of Bangalore. Coffee coffee coffee ... my brain is beginning to do a slow war dance which, I know, will soon become a full-fledged battle with axes and everything if I don't inject it with that caffeine soon. I close my eyes (briefly) and recall the luxury of the drive-through Starbucks cafes in the US. Yeah, sure the cappuccino cost $2.60 or something, but right now I would pay a lot more if one popped up before my eyes and an attendant handed me a Styrofoam cup full of hot steaming coffee... Aaaah!

With a sigh, I shush the drums in my head and step on the accelerator. Why in the world can't at least one of the gazillion Coffee Day cafes that dot the streets of Bangalore have a drive-through facility? I mean there are TWO McDonald's (that I know of) that do!! Now I'm annoyed.

I'm listening to Sriram, the RJ on the morning show, empathising with some girl who for no apparent reason is feeling "low". I want to call in and ask her how she'd feel if she were in my shoes! OK, so my caffeine-deprived brain is starting to have a meltdown, I need to get. that. coffee. now. So after a bit of memory searching I recall a Coffee Day cafe close to my meeting location. As I pull up, there it is again - that infamous, irritating No Parking sign. Of course - you guessed it - I park right in front of it and indignantly make my way into the cafe to get my "take-away coffee" (apparently they don't understand if you say "to go"). I figure I can only deal with one thing at a time and today the need for coffee far outweighs legal parking.

I wait a full five minutes before my coffee is ready. There are some five people behind the counter, and I cannot fathom why. There is one other customer in the cafe, but no one seems to want to serve him. I stay close to the counter to make sure one of the five gets my coffee done. The glee on my face when the deal is done is obvious as all five coffee people are grinning at me as I head out. I smirk at the lone, seated customer as I pass by.

Coffee safely not wrapped in foil (as they are wont to do if you don't say anything) I get back in my car, still safely untowed and unticketed, and head off. A few sips later my balance has been restored and I am feeling more myself and ready for my meeting. Rihanna's big hit is playing and I nod my head in time to the only girl in the world. I wonder if that low-feeling girl is now dancing away to this same song, and I smile, hoping she has a good day. I tell myself that stopping by a Coffee Day isn't half bad. I get to defy the law, get a short walk, make sure that nothing illegal is added to my coffee, and get to smell wonderful aromas of coffee brewing while I wait. Beats the laziness of a drive-though any day, not to mention the curt, faceless "Good morning! What can I get you today?" that crackles out of a speaker box at Starbucks.

A smile ready to surface, now that my brain is all satiated and happy, I pull up by the office building for my meeting. I'm careful about parking where it says 'P' and I make sure I've left enough room for other vehicles to pass. I make a mental note to buy milk on my way home as I step out of the car. My coffee drained, I take the empty cup into the building with me so that I can responsibly find a dustbin for it. I'm feeling magnanimous and ready to take on the world, late nights and early mornings included.

Cofee Dayge Jai!