University | Greek Cherry Smoothie

I had just finished my 12th grade and was standing at the most awkward corner of my life. A point in your life when you are completely indecisive about what you want to be and what has fate curated for you.

I wanted to become a doctor but my entrance scores showed a dropping electro cardiogram for that year. My parents on the other hand were planning to send me to my granddad’s place to study. There were two reasons which guided their reasoning was 1. proximity to a good university and 2. getting to eat home cooked food.

But a teenager’s mind is ebbing to taste the world of freedom and I had already sketched my flights of fantasy in my cerebellum. I couldn’t settle down at a place which was under the constant surveillance of my kith and kin. After a few episodes of tear shedding and putting forth my worst adamance, they finally yielded them to sponsor my ticket to Freelyhood….

My mother almost had a nervous breakdown when she was told that I would live all by myself in an alien city. My father never went into any extremes and quite rationally handled every decision of his life. He exhibited less emotions when it came to delicate situations and trust me that added to my confidence. To express my inner turmoil, nonchalance and anxiety are two contradictory forces and its collisions sometimes makes you the eye of the storm or displaces you to the eye wall of devastation.

My baggage was actually a mini house packaged into two 20cm luggage bags. You could ask me for a needle and lounge on a sleeping bag. You name it and my mother had packed it. It was a lovely sunny day as we arrived at the bustling train station of my dream destination. Coming from a very small town the extravagance of the big city lit my iris with wonder. The journey from the station to my dad’s guest house was the most amazing ride of my life. I will not able to promise you any calm and serenity but rather pure hustle and bustle of a big metropolitan city. There were bigger cars, broader roads, stream of posh eateries, haute fashion and huddled political bungalows. Our cab turned onto a narrow road and stopped in front of a green apartment nestled between tall skyscrapers. This was my dad’s guesthouse a pleasure which we enjoyed since childhood.If your dad worked for a steel giant then you would also have had the pleasure of staying in guest houses instead of hotels. Day 1 had been eye popping.

Day 2 was rather strenuous we had to get my admissions done at the university. I chose my subject as zoology honours settling in for the thought if not humans then lets mug up animals. 🙂 My dad found me a paying guest accommodation closer to the university. I was all set to start a new chapter in my life.

Day 3 I got up all muddled. I had to live alone. My dad was going to leave me. Where is my uniform oops….. no my new clothes. Gosh I have to board the bus. What if I am ragged. How do I handle boys.  Should I look good no no…I should have low profile……STOP STOP STOP…..bad dream. I got up startled only to see the familiar lime green walls of my guesthouse. On the table lay a box laden with red,fleshy heart shaped rubies. My father had brought me a parting gift to relish. There were no tears, no tight hugs and no heavy advices.Just a take care.

Those beauties were cherries the ones I had read about in the books. I squealed like a 5 year old and leaped on them. I don’t remember if I brushed but I definitely remember the prunes staining my fingers red as I fumbled with the pit and flesh. (my first time 🙂 )

For that moment the sweetness calmed me down. I just surrendered to the moment and let every gaping thought absorb the pleasure of tasting simple thing in life. The complexities can wait and linger for some more time while I collect all the pits to plant in my new room which was to be my home for now

I tasted cherry!

And Damm , I liked it!

I was brought up in tropical parts of the world and cherry wasn’t a boom in my childhood.Cherry favours temperate latitudes.

I have whipped up a lovely Greek cherry smoothie as I relived a very important phase of life. A turning point. I just leave you thoughts about…..How she became an engineer ? How did she cope up with the new environment ? How many cherries did she eat ? …until next time keep wondering and keep coming back if you like my writing.