Coffee with Anu Aunty

Anuja downed the fever medicine just before the shoot. Thankfully, the dreaded test was negative, but the test-and-wait phase had sucked the life out of her. She had so many things lined up for Valentine's Day week, she would've hated being isolated inside a room. Of course, then too, she would have thought of posting regular updates on her Social Media, letting her small, but growing list of followers be entertained by her witty posts and comments. That was Anuja, all of 47, enjoying the life of a celebrated home-chef who was currently riding the wave of popularity on social media.

Today, just a day before V-Day, she had a shoot lined up at her spacious home, where she had recently converted a section into a "cook & shoot" area to make her live sessions disturbance-free from household interferences. The menu today was, of course, V-Day lunch and dinner spread at home, without risking going to crowded restaurants. The episode was aptly titled, "Love in the times of  Isolation!"

Dressed up in red and white, she sat sipping her immunity-boosting concoction awaiting the arrival of Vikram, her videographer and editor. Vikram was 24, and interning with her for a while, till the circumstances got safer to accept on-site shoot assignments from clients. 

Anu's daughter Malini was a Mass Comm student at the same college where Vikram was doing his film and editing course. Their paths crossed sometimes, but they were nothing more than acquaintances. When Anu posted on Facebook about needing an intern, Viks had applied and realized that this was 
Malini's mom for whom he would end up interning. Small world!

Vikram arrived on time and began the setup for the special episode. While doing so, he noticed that there was a huge ceramic vase placed at the entrance filled with flowers, mostly roses. He guessed, they must be for Malini, quite a popular student at college. He also checked on Anu aunty, who was feeling quite miserable with a fever that refused to subside. Yet, the shoot had to be done. They started soon after, taking few extra breaks today, but managed to do a great episode, which would go online the next day. Vikram was impressed with Anu's dedication towards her work, given that she didn't really need the money for money's sake. 

In fact, there were a lot of things that impressed Vikram about Anu aunty. She was the heart & soul of her home. Her husband was almost never around, and Malini was eternally busy. But Anu never waited on either of them. She was the original conceptualizer of the idea of 'visiting home-chef'. It was a niche that she had created where she and a helper would visit clients at their homes and rustle up a meal based on a pre-planned menu. The idea was to befriend families who sought a celebratory meal on their special occasions, and this idea lent a personal touch with an in-house chef who became a part of the client's celebration. So much more personalized than the standard catering business or ordering a takeout meal. The idea succeeded immensely among friends and friends of friends and there was no stopping. After the COVID outbreak, Anu aunty changed the format to online cook-along sessions and celebrations across computer screens. Soon, she launched her own channel of which Vikram had become an integral part. Anu aunty made sure he got his spot under the sun too, thus popularising him as an ace videographer and editor.

Vikram had never seen Anu aunty take it easy either. She was relentless in her passion and kept building up on her dream. She could have had it easy, as was evident from the family's lifestyle. There were numerous framed moments of holidays across the world & momentous occasions in their lives that bespoke of life not just well-lived, but also well-earned.  

Vikram came from quite a modest background. His mother had never worked and the purpose of her life was her family. So many times, Vikram inadvertently drew comparisons in his mind between Anu aunty and his mother. Of course, the circumstances were different, but he suspected that wasn't the only reason behind their pursuit of passion or the lack of it. 

Coming back, today, Vikram saw that Anu was really tired and out of her post-shoot element. She usually checked the episode herself and examined the nuances, but today she wasn't up to it. The house-helper kept the dinner ready for later and after checking on Anu, left for the day. Malini seemed to be eager to rush out for Valentine's eve bash at Zorba, the slick and suave local hot-spot. Vikram asked if he should wait back until Uncle arrived, but Anu was dismissing of the idea. She said she would spend the evening reading and finally call it an early night, thanks to her fever. And with that, they called it a day!

After Vikram left around 7pm, Anu decided to stay dressed, awaiting her husband's arrival. "It's been quite a while since a date night", she mused. Perhaps they were beyond the fancy materialistic indulgences of V-Day, but a cozy, private evening would be nice. Lost in her thoughts, Anu didn't realize how late it had gotten when the doorbell rang. "Finally here", she thought. "9:30 pm! Too late to plan anything now. It's time we got done with the dinner and called it a night!" Expecting her husband tired & unenthusiastic after a long day at the office, she opened the door to an all-too-familiar, but a totally unexpected visitor. 

"Viks, you here at this time? Didn't forget something, did you?" Anu looked around the room for Vik's belongings if any. "Well, aunty, I did actually! But I thought I'd come for it on my way to my coffee date". Saying so, he brought out a neatly packed box and handing it to Anu wished her, "happy valentine's day, Anu Aunty!"

Anu was stunned beyond words. When was the last time anyone wished her on V-Day? Mother's Day, Birthdays, Anniversaries were her 'assigned' special days, but V-Day seemed like a far-off shot. In fact, her husband never acknowledged this occasion at all, and Anu always chided him for being such a spoil-sport! This gesture from Vikram was such a novelty!

Laughing at the entire scene, Anu invited him inside the house and for the first time, Anu & Vikram sat in her tastefully decorated living room as friends catching up one late evening. "Really Vikram, I can't thank you enough for your thoughtfulness.....and your observant eye!", Anu confessed as she opened the 'V-Day present'. It was her favorite box of cookies, something that Vikram had noticed in her living area, her library, her cooking area, and also in her car glove-box. Correctly guessing these could be her favorite, Vikram had made the effort to gift them to her. "I hope you like it, Anu aunty. It wasn't easy thinking of something special to gift you. You always make everyone feel so special by remembering every little detail about them and always bringing a smile to their faces. Without waiting for an occasion!", Vikram said reverently. "I've always wondered how you manage to bring that kind of positivity every time. I cannot imagine this house without you in it, yet you are always by yourself, doing your own thing."

Anu was touched with all the adulation but took it with a pinch of salt. "Well, for all that sweet talk, I would have asked you to join me for dinner & coffee. As you see, I am all by myself even today. But you've got a date, and I ain't holding you back!"

Seeming a bit coy, Vikram asked her if she was up to a coffee date with him. Anu couldn't hold back a smile, Vikram was that irresistible at that point. "What about the fever", she wondered? 
Well, the tests were negative, so what the hell!

Fetching her cross-body sling purse, Anu slid into her long heeled sandals and decided to indulge Vikram, and herself to a V-Day Coffee Date, finally! Here she was, going on her first Valentine's Day date at 47, with a kid. But boy, what a thoughtful kid it was! Someone who had brought her out of her thoughts and into a young & hopeful world where respect & reverence was a cherished manifestation of love, age notwithstanding! It was indeed time to change the perspective on Valentine's Day, it wasn't just a day for foolish, crass expressions of juvenile love.

For a woman dealing with mid-life, basking in the fame of the virtual world, it was a sort of homecoming, opening up her soul to receive all the admiration and love from real people around her.