Delhites-The Caffeine Affair

A simple love story between two people from different faiths and the outcome.

March 2016

The Caffeine Affair

Love Jihad

Syed and Gayatri didn't mean to fall in love. But love happens when you least expect it. It creeps up suddenly. When someone needs attention, care, conversation, laughter and maybe even intimacy. Love doesn't look at logic, or at backgrounds and least of all, religion.

Gayatri was from a very conservative South Indian family that went to a temple every Saturday. Syed bought goats for his family every Eid. That said it all. Their paths would never have crossed if it hadn't been for that fateful day. That day when he walked into the coffee shop, Gayatri wondered if destiny chose our loved ones for us. Did we have any role to play at all?

She looked at her watch. Syed was late. They met every Thursday at five pm to catch up. Their conversation lasted for hours. Sometimes at the cafe, sometimes in his car, sometimes in places that she could never tell her friends about. They would never understand. And yet Syed made her happy.

Suddenly her phone beeped. He had sent a message. "On my way, I have something important to tell you."

Gayatri stared at it and realized she had knots in her stomach. Thoughts flooded her mind. What did he want to tell her?

[Flashback]

To update the reader ‘that fateful day’, which Gayatri was referring to was the first time she bumped into Syed. She loved her time away from home. The overtly conservative atmosphere at her house made Gayatri enjoy her freedom outside. Café Caffeine Day was her favorite hangout, where she would spend hours, at times just thinking while sipping on coffee. It was on one such Thursday, while paying her bill, she accidently turned into Syed, spilling coffee on his shirt.

“Oh my God, forgive my clumsiness” she said with a feeling of embarrassment and guilt. A forgiving Syed replied “Miss, do not think too much about it. It’s just a coffee stain, I will get it dry-cleaned.”

“Oh please Mister, I will get it dry-cleaned at my store, I insist.” She said. He was amused at her reply but still persisted. “Miss please do not worry, I will get my shirt dry-cleaned at the famous IyeRON Man store.”

Gayatri was pleasantly surprised by his assurance and just smiled at the mention of the store. She then calmed down and said “On one condition only, that I buy you a cup of coffee”. He replied in the affirmative. She than introduced herself “Hi, my name is Gayatri and by the way my family owns IyeRON Man.” Syed was bemused and then both together burst out laughing. This is how both, Gayatri and Syed started meeting frequently at Café Caffeine Day on Thursdays, at five pm. Syed lived far away from Gayatri’s part of Coimbatore, hence he would make the journey every Thursday to meet with her.

[Present]

Syed walked into the Café calmly, he sat down and holding Gayatri’s hand, he said “Gayatri, I told my father about you when he broached the topic of marriage. He was angry and distressed, when I told him that you are a Brahmin. My father is very egotistical. He was not ready to listen to reason and he asked how I could go against my family tradition and religious values. My mother refused to even listen and she talked of killing herself. The situation last evening was pretty bad and it took me a long time to pacify everyone. I however managed to convince father to meet with you and see what a nice person you are.”

Gayatri Iyer was twenty six years old and was the only daughter of Sailaja Iyer. She was doing her PhD in Physics and was raised by her mother. She had lost her father as a teenager. The Iyers was a joint family steeped in religious tradition and culture. After the untimely death of her husband, Mrs. Sailaja Iyer had taken on the responsibility of the entire Iyer household. She immediately started managing the family dry-cleaning business and over the years turned it into a successful chain of dry-cleaning stores in Coimbatore named IyeRON Man. She was a strong pious woman who managed her business and family dutifully and she was strongly influenced by traditional beliefs of the ethnocentric Iyer community.

Syed Malik was also twenty six years old and a graduate in commerce. He assisted his father Abdul Malik, in their family business. He was a responsible young man and took keen interest to assisting his father in the business at an early age.

Gayatri instantly found Syed to be a good friend with whom she could share everything. He filled a certain void of a friend in her. Syed on the other hand was attracted to Gayatri’s honesty and simplicity. He appreciated that in spite of being from a conservative Brahmin family, she was friendly with him and looked beyond his background. Destiny brought both of them together and Café Caffeine Day was their world where no one questioned their caste, race, culture and religion or put logic to their friendship.

Gayatri patiently listened to what Syed had said. Her heart felt heavy and she was struggling to hold back her tears. She was sure now that she was in love with Syed. She looked forward to her Thursdays to be with him and the sudden prospect of losing him to another, made her realize her love for him. “Gayatri I know, I have seen it in your eyes for a long time now” he said trying to comfort her.

Feeling better she said “Okay, now that you know how I feel, what about you?” Looking into her eyes Syed responded “I have been in love with you for a long time now Gayu.”

For the first time both of them realized that they wanted to get married and it was time they told their families about their intentions. Gayatri was now terrified about how her mother Mrs. Sailaja Iyer would react to her only daughter in love with a Muslim man. Their love had evolved from a beautiful friendship over time that was above caste, race, culture and religion. What now stood out was the true test with both, about the seriousness of love they had for each other. Gayatri agreed to tell her mother and asked Syed for a week.  

As expected Mrs. Sailaja Iyer did not take her daughter’s sudden disclosure well. Gayatri was nervously calm and confidently tried to explain to her strong and conservative mother about the circumstances in which she met Syed and how she had grown to love him. Mrs. Sailaja Iyer had an unexplainable expression on her face, when her daughter explained about accidently spilling coffee on her lover’s shirt for the first time. She continued explaining to her mother that caste, race, culture and religion were limited and restrictive to modern times and she believed that as an adult, other things took precedence over them like humility, simplicity and humanity. She derived internal strength from the comfort of knowing Syed loved her irrespective of being a Brahmin and he never spoke of her converting to Islam as a condition for marriage. Mrs. Sailaja Iyer listened to her daughter patiently and realized threats and ultimatums would not work. Being the head of the Iyer household she agreed to meet with Syed albeit with no assurance of acceptance of the union.

That Thursday morning Gayatri called Syed and said “Syed it’s me. I managed to convince mother to meet with you. She agreed to our same place and same time.”

Syed listened and replied “My father would also be coming to see you. Now that he knows I have a Special Coffee every Thursday.”

Gayatri’s heart raced at the fact that both the parents would be facing each other. Here was an Egocentric Muslim man who agreed to a meeting with a conservative Ethnocentric Brahmin woman and they were both opposed to their children’s choice.

Gayatri and her mother Sailaja arrived at Café Caffeine Day at five pm sharp and took a table in a corner that appeared conducive to the important discussion. Syed and his father were slightly delayed because of the traffic. Every time the Café’s door opened, Gayatri turned anxiously. Sailaja observed silently her daughters tension and told her

“I will go and get myself some coffee, would you want some?”

“Yes mother I wouldn’t mind some” Gayatri replied.

Sailaja walked up to the self service counter of the Café and ordered for the two cups of Coffee.

At that moment Syed and his father Abdul entered the Café. As they were passing the counter, accidently Sailaja turned with the coffees in her hand into Abdul spilling some on his shirt.

“Oh, I am sorry…” she said and suddenly was shocked looking at his face.

Wiping away the coffee on his shirt Abdul said “It is okay Miss and….” words stopped as he looked at her. He couldn’t believe who he saw standing in front of him.

He managed to say “Sailu, how are you?” with a smile.

With a worried and excited look on her face “Abby, I cannot believe it is you…!” she responded but realized that their children were standing there.

Gayatri and Syed were shocked with the awkwardness and were confused that their parents seemed to know each other. Abdul immediately gathering his wits turning to Gayatri and Syed said “Children, leave us alone for some time. Why don’t you go for a walk, there is something I need to discuss with Mrs. Iyer.”

Sailaja nodded in agreement and walked away with Abdul towards the table they were initially supposed to use. They both sat down as they saw their confused children head out of the Café, as instructed for a walk.

Sailaja sat down in front of Abdul and they both looked at each other silently. There was an immediate recollection of their lives from over three decades ago. They were in love with each other and ready to elope to get married when Sailaja’s family found out. Caste, race, culture and religion were all the reasons why their union did not happen and was not accepted. Both had tried to reason with their families but the timing of such a union was still not acceptable in the conservative city of Coimbatore. The death threats, the beatings, family honor at stake, emotional black mail had all but destroyed their hope for uniting in matrimony. With a broken and heavy heart both moved on and got involved in their new lives and responsibilities.

Abdul took a deep breath and then clasping Sailaja’s hand said “Sailu, times have changed. Do you think we should let our children go through what we went through?”

“I know what we went through with our families was not fair. Let us not take out our life’s disappointments, on our children. Both of us were emotionally blackmailed into marrying our family’s choice. Look at how funny destiny can be, we were in love but could not get married. Now our children are in love with each other and want to get married. This situation is weird and I think there is an obvious reason Sailu. To undo, what was done thirty years ago. All those years ago I lost you as a mate but now please, I wish to have you as a friend.”

Sailaja listened silently to Abdul with a heavy heart and tears rolled down her cheeks. She clasped his hand and said “Yes Abby, let’s get our children married and let them lead a life free from family pressures based on culture or religion and society. If they are ready to face the world, we should support them and face the world together. All those years ago when we first met, I accidently spilt coffee on your shirt at ‘Thambidurai’s Coffee House’. It is ironical and an unexplainable coincidence that our children would meet the same way. What are the odds of that happening, and today I spilt coffee again on your shirt.” Abdul smiled and asked,

“What is the cure to stop the coffee attacks from the Iyer women?”

 Sailaja responded unabashed “Simple, IyeRON Man to the rescue.”

They both laughed and then Abdul picked up his phone to call Syed. Sailaja jokingly asked “By the way do you still love Kathrikkai Curry? Do you still creep out of your home to eat it?”

“Ha-ha, No” he replied “I am the master of my house now. I eat it in front of everyone. What about you. Do you still love Kaleji masala? Do you still creep out and eat it?”

With a small smile Sailaja replied “Unfortunately, yes. I have to creep out and eat it because you know why.”

This friendly chatter continued while they waited for Gayatri and Syed. They were trying to come up with an explanation to the kids of how they knew each other but decided to keep private, their past.

Love is a random feeling which does not have a particular time and place to strike. It has no caste, no race, no culture, no religion and no boundaries. Love is unconditional and it can really blossom over a lovely cup of Coffee.

Love always

Darius

 

 

Reviews

[annalysiar]

Thus story has real potential. Its a soft spoken, emotional story that is sweet to the heart. Great write