It was a dream gone horribly wrong.
The light in the windowless room was a faint yellow and I was lying on a hard bed, staring at the door knob. Expectedly, it turned clockwise and the door flew open. But what occured next went beyond my wildest thoughts. My grandfather stood at the entrance, his hair dishevelled and yet looking eerily handsome in his white dhoti. Except there was something unpleasantly strange about his skin and eyes. His complexion was dark brown and the eyes, a glaring red. Before I could lick my lips in fear, he stormed towards me, the red dots grinning madly and the aged hands reaching for my hair.
This time, I didn't scream. Nightmares like these were becoming a routine every other day. Hell, I wasn't sweating either. Only a dull throbbing in my forhead reminded me of the sleepless night.
Manoj, you need a good swig, not the Lord. Get your clumsy behind to the stove and boil the caffeine. Move now, moron or lose your sleep & sanity.
Resigned, I wearily pulled back the sheets, blinked twice and banged my leg twice on the furniture before managing to switch on the light. Cursing intensely enough to frighten the sucking mosquitoes under my breath, I silently wobbled towards the kitchen. The movement was punctured only by the sounds of the ticking clock and my grandpa's snore. I chuckled inside.
It was the devil himself who graced my dream, not my dear old man.
More confident now, I reached the kitchen. In the next split-second, I made the grave mistake of placing my foot first rather than reaching for the lights beside the door. Squash! Instantly I knew what was beneath my foot. I almost choked myself in disgust. How easy can it be to calmly wipe off an overfed moth's body parts from your foot? And how easier is it to gain any mortal's sympathy at this unearthly hour? I awkwardly rubbed off the mess in a waiting carpet and then lunged towards the cabinet, furious.
It's either a Nescafe now or the devil's music in my sleep.
It took me no time to unwrap the new Nescafe Classic, dash a spoonful of powder, pour some leftover milk, add a fistful of sugar and boil the stuff in a frenzy. As the bubbles began erupting in delight, I gave a slow once-over at the Classic bottle. There is something about it's smart packing, the richness of the powder, the reasonable price, the assurance of the worldwide Nescafe brand and that fulfilling taste which makes me, in some crazy way, secure. Bliss in a caffeine bottle, I mused. The coffee ready, I sank heavily into the sofa and closed my eyes. I allowed it's enticing aroma to tickle my nerves for a brief while and a second later, had my first, short sip. Slurp and then, slurrrp. Aah! this is the moment. A rush of great warmth soon spread to every pore in my body and I exhaled deeply, satisfied. Slurrrrp. 100% pure instant coffee. Slurrrrp. I want to forget everything, anything, even my family and divine Father. Slurrrrrrrrrrrp. Nescaffeine and me. Me and Nescaffeine.
Holy matrimony.
Ten minutes passed like a charm and I got up refreshed, my breath stinking of the wonderful Classic. Whistling an old Malayalam classic, I wobbled more gracefully back to my bed. Sleep didn't come soon. Oh no, it didn't. I lovingly glanced at a motionless lizard on the wall, fascinated by it's bold eyes and pulsating body. Gradually, my eyelids lowered and then, I was back to neverland.
This time, the dream was like no other.
I am at a table alone, in a fancy restaurant. Somewhere a somber music is playing and the dim lighting had a calming effect. There was a sea of elegantly dressed ladies in every direction and not a man in sight! There was a hush followed by eyes turning to my direction. The charming women were batting their eyelids coyly at me and giggling at my stunned expression. Suddenly, I was aware of the presence of a male waiter nearby.
'Coffee, monsieur?' the voice seemed familiar to me.
'Yes. Nescafe only, s'il vous plait.'
'Oui monsieur. Enjoy your drink.' and the uniformed hand of the waiter began to pour the hot coffee into a cup of fine bone china.
The milky brown steaming nectar gently rising inside the cup was a treat to watch. Rising higher, higher and higher, it finally kissed the surface and spilled over.
'Hey, watch it man.' but the motion did not cease.
The coffee now rapidly moved towards the edge of the table and dropped down onto my trouser, instantly sending a scalding pain across my thigh.
'Ouch, it hurts man. What the hell do you think you...' my words hung in midair as I looked up to my fumbling waiter.
Red eyes glowing brighter than ever, my grandpa stared back, the bones sticking out of his sunken, bony face and a lone rotten tooth hanging unsteadily in his bleeding mouth. Suddenly, the women around began to laugh maniacally and grandpa joined in the dreadful noise of wolf whistles and wild screams.
Slurp in ecstasy, my child. Don't you worry as I will always be at your side, filling your cup with caffeine and your heart with love.
Quick as the Satan, he grabbed my hair and rudely pulled my head up towards his. His running nose only an inch away from my frozen eyes & spitting dark blood over my face, he cooed,
'Don't you just love Nescafe classic?'
