I had gone to the mechanics with an ailing car, "my kid doesn't particularly care for me to take her to the docs", so the car was my only source of sporadic entertainment, this mid life crisis wasn't helping me one bit, I was lost between jobs and a personal life that favoured "dark and ominous". In any case, since Sanjana wouldn't let me take her to the doctors, I had to make do with my Tata Safari, an SUV with a twist. It was a smart machine but off late had developed a snag, every time I started it in the morning, it would make a coughing noise and then give up, unusual for this machine, "damn the cough", so I took the machine to the mechanics. Soon as I landed at his doorsteps, he greeted me with a smile, "make my day", and why not I was here to spend money on him, he parked the car and escorted me to the office, which resembled a typical doctors clinic waiting room, a few magazines and newspapers, a reception desk and lounging chair, all designed to make the patient feel comfortable before the surgery, "this wasn't Sanjana I was with," but I was already conjuring up the dental clinic she had to be taken to.
I waited and waited, before the mechanic finally approached me again, he had given the car a checkup and figured it was a clogged carb and a broken axle and a tie rod repair job, "no wonder Sanjana was scared of going to the docs", did he say a broken axle as well and a tie rod repair job ? Why did he have to check that if it was only cough, "we give you service with a smile," said the logo on the wall, and you shell out money with a smile, it was going to expensive, keep smiling and "I already had a running nose," I guess this is what it meant to pay through your nose. Soon as I acquiesced, they served me tea with those lovely biscuits you'd find only at the waiting room. They were double layered with cream between them, "don't you have something for the nose ?", keep it running, that way we would know you have 'em.
Two hours later and some Rs 10,000 short, I was out of the workshop with a smile on my face, and a well repaired car, and a few questions in my head "why did have to check these other things for a cough," I walked up to the mechanic and told him thank you, "my pleasure !" service with a smile continued till the gate and then the gate clanged shut and I was on left on my own to ponder on my questions. I drove down to the local tea shop, a small joint "where didn't serve cream biscuits" with tea and sat down on a rickety stool to sip a cup of tea. It was sweet, like sugar didn't cost as much as it did nowadays, "probably owned a ration store," this guy, and had in most probability was a hobbyist tea connoisseur. The whole episode was sweet, "service with a smile", still ringing in my head, I headed home to Sanjana and her grouchy demeanour, that I was sure would take the punch out of any sweetness that might have percolated to my head.
It was short and sweet, like a licorice cigarette.
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