The Missing Piece

To say that Saya loves food would be like saying that cake is a dessert, it's just not enough! And as Saya vehemently says to anyone who would listen, cake is never just a dessert, it's a feeling, a craving, delight and hope and gorgeous art all rolled into a single mouth-watering slice, delish!

Saya is a food blogger, which means she gets to hang out at cool places, often for free, try their food and drinks and share her opinion with her plethora of online fans. Fans who trust her to lead them true to the most delectable of foods and the most appetizing of menus. Food is her passion and not just eating, she loves cooking and food art as well. If you want to know the difference between a pie and a tart or a crumble and a cobbler, Saya's your girl. To her immense chagrin though, for most people who do not know her well, she is just someone who goes restaurant-hopping and eats all the time. After all, how do you explain being a food blogger to all the neighborhood uncles and aunties whose idea of a successful job is being either a doctor or an engineer.

In a culturally diverse country like India there is no shortage of different cuisines, from cooking styles to various courses and presentations, there is something here for every palate. As such, Saya was living her dream. She could try out something new and different every week and her readers loved her for it because there was always something for everyone.

The point to all this babble, as I'm sure you are wondering by now, is to simply say and for you to understand that Saya was happy. She did what she liked and in a field she was passionate about and was famous and well loved, what more could she want, right? But there was something missing. It was like a shadow that would creep in at the most unexpected of times, a feeling that would rise up and seem to smother her, a feeling of loneliness and often of despair. Why was she lonely, you ask? Well, she had her family and her friends and even though she lived alone, she met up with them often. She would also sometimes take her gang of girls with her when she went out to review a new pub or a bar or a cafe. But the feeling of being alone lingered. It was there in the middle of the day when she read a particularly exciting new recipe but there was no one to talk to about it, no one to share her find. It was there in the middle of the night when she watched a gruesome horror movie and there was no one to clutch to for comfort. It was as if she had a part of her that was missing. She had never been good with people and it took a lot of effort to go out and meet new ones, effort she would rather put in a new review or a new dish. She guessed it wasn't surprising that she turned out to be a blogger, it was easier to talk to people about something you loved and specially if you were behind a digital screen, anonymous, hidden.

Saya spent most of her younger years focused on her blog and by the time she was satisfactorily established, finding a guy was far from her mind, forgotten like the dirty laundry thrown in the corner chair of your room. Finding anyone who shared her interests seemed impossible. By the time she realized it, her heart already believed that finding The One was a waste of her time and like a very stupid mission that would yield absolutely nothing and she would rather focus on her work and her career. Isn't it familiar, this line of thinking, that pushes life behind career in the long line of priorities where everything is rushed to meet the requirements of the bitchiest boss of all, TIME?

This evening Saya set out for a new cafe she had learnt about, on the far corners of her city, obscured behind some cloth stores that promised sales and free garments on every purchase. Ignoring the shop and its few customers, she took in the nondescript cafe. It seemed small and plain with a quaint courtyard with plain benches and tables. 'Old House Cafe', a board proclaimed proudly in the front. She entered the small building a bit apprehensively but her apprehension turned to delight as the cool ambiance inside wrapped around her. The decor was minimal and slightly on the darker side. Lamps and light bulbs enclosed in dark colored scones kept the interior dark but not so dark that you wouldn't be able to read the books meticulously stacked in book racks lining the giant room. Comfy chairs, couches and floor mats lined the room, some in small alcoves present around dark corners. People lounged about with books and magazines and holding mugs of tea or coffee around the room, some just chatted in whispers in small groups. The light music suited the mood so perfectly that Saya was left speechless for a second. Her online follower had been right, this place was worth a visit just for the ambiance alone. Now, to try out their spread. 

She placed herself in one of the shady alcoves on a wide backed chair and ordered cappuccino and some sandwiches. She started browsing the books left on her table as she waited for her order. Just as she was settling down with a Jane Austen, someone approached her from the side.

"Umm, Saya?"

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm Arun. I told you about this place, remember?"

Saya blushed. Of course she would meet him here, he was a regular. He had told her as much when he requested a review of this place. Saya had met up a few of her readers before but the experience always left her flustered. She wasn't used to strangers accompanying her tests but she didn't know how she could turn him away as he took a seat opposite her. 

"I didn't think you would actually come here so soon or that I would get to meet you here. I'm so excited!!"

Saya smiled. He did actually look excited, a lot. "You were so enthusiastic about this place that I had to try it out. It already looks so good!" she said.

"It is, isn't it?" he grinned and then he proceeded to tell her all that he liked about Old House Cafe and how he loved to hang there with a book whenever he was free. Saya let him prattle on, she liked to hear others talk, especially when they were as excited as Arun, and it saved her the trouble of trying to think up something to say. Soon her coffee and snacks arrived and she dug in.

"And?..." Arun asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"I like it! The sandwich is crisp and buttery, exactly how I like it and the coffee is strong without being bitter. They even made a perfect heart foam art in the cappuccino. I would say it's pretty much perfect." Saya beamed and for a second Arun seemed to hold his breath before his eyes sparkled and he grinned.

Before she knew it, Saya was involved in a heavy discussion about food and her favorite haunts and how her blog came to be. Arun confessed he was a fan and an avid reader of her blog. She was surprised how easy it was to talk to him, it was like she forgot to be shy. They talked for hours and she realized how long it had been since she had talked to someone like this, since she had laughed!  For the first time in a long time it felt easy, that finding someone might not be as hard as she had made it up to be.

And just as they were about to leave and he asked her, with a smile that had been melting her heart little by little since the start of the evening, if they could meet again, Saya knew that finding him had been chance but maybe it was meant to be. 

Maybe he was meant to be, her missing piece.