My Neighbour Asked For Tea…

Brewing a Life…

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash

I told myself I’ll rest for an hour and more and set an alarm that read “Alarm in 1 hour 13 minutes”.

It was 9.30 in the morning but I was awake from 5am in the morning, as had to go to church with my wife.

But more of was that I was suffering this pain running through my left leg waist down, some muscle inflammation is what my Doctor had diagnosed it to be, thus this running pain all one side.

Since I’ve been on my feet for close to 4 hours, I felt I would rest my leg before I go to work.

I was almost asleep and my door bell rang, I said to myself, must be some sales guy making me get up to answer and say, I wasn’t interested.

But still from habit I got up to check who was there.

It was my neighbour, Mr. Telore, over 70 of age.

“Hello Uncle”,

Oh Hello, Niki, is anyone at home? he enquired.

Well, no, nobody’s there, I said.

Give me a cup of tea, he said.

His request, a straight one, shocked me.

After his asking me a cup of tea, and just as it reached my ears, and he still standing before me, my mind ran a thought that this man has been my neighbour for more than 15 years now and has not nodded more than a ‘hi’ to me, and today he asked me a cup of tea.

Yes, surely, I replied.

He said, he is leaving the door open, and I can enter with the tea.

Ok, I replied.

I can manage a bit rather enough cooking to survive, but Mr. Telore couldn’t, thus he asked me a cup of tea.

There was a cook, who would come once a day to cook for him and his wife.

I let the tea brew longer, as the more it brews, the better is its taste.

But the sight of the tea brewing had run a few thoughts on life and its ways.

“My wife is admitted” said Mr. Telore, and the maid had kept the tea in the flask, I just forgot, she does that, and I disturbed you.

It’s ok, I replied.

You can have some biscuits with the tea, I said.

I had placed a few biscuits with the tea.

Is there anything else you need,I enquired, as I’m leaving for work I continued.

No nothing, thanks he replied.

I had left for work and as I travelled the train for work, my mind lay plugged still towards Mr. Telore.

He was a fine artist, but now seemed around 75 years old to me and surely had retired.

Life as circle came questioning myself, even I would be reaching his age, and just 25 years away.

We when young never think when watching the elderly that the stage is for all to reach.

I had in my life shrugged a few off speaking to my mind, this old man won’t understand, and surely someone is going to speak of me the same, a few decades from now.

The elderly now seemed, I was respecting them.

Mr. Telore must have had his young days, his reached his prime, and the law of the Creator was at play.

A body decays inside, it ages.

Even the body tires, and its all seen now in its stature that looks old and weak.

The thought of the brewing tea had me think of the tea grains all virgin, and raw, its brewing was continuous and long.

It brought colour to the uncolored water, and the milk when added changed its colour further.

Brewing is the life we live.

Yes all dissolved in experiences and moments.

Some brewed long, some were in a hurry.

The end was what when tasted proved a life that was well lived or just strolled.

Mr. Telore also showed me how life reaches moments at this age of aloneness and thoughts.

Mr. Telore can complain his state or just live the present with memories of the past.

There isn’t a moment that can ever be called slow or unwanted.

There must be a thousand moments from his past that he can re-live in written words or a painting in his case.

So nobody calls this age, lonely.

Just let the tea brew.

In brewing live those moments to call them sweet.

Let the brewing tea remind of all the testings of life that was lived.

Memories of all kind just relive to treat your day.

Your life brew happened only for you to see and feel.

The tea (life) will get it’s taste in brewing (moments).

Time and tea with the letter ‘T’.

The More One Brew, the Tea Taste Better

Is what is advised as read above.

Life is worth it when lived to cherish each moment

Cherish the life you live.

Let the moments brew to find in your last day of living, you lived it great.

Like the tea that brew for Mr. Telore, brew to live it completely.

Each moment is weaving to make that life tapestry.

Your life is your story all written for you.

Let these ordinary moments even of a brewing tea speak to you.

Now if there’s too much tea that you’ve read, have one now.

Just let your tea brew longer…