Tafiq Tea Time

Tafiq Tea Time is right by the bus stand on Pallivasal Street. It is No. 12. If you know the area, you know how busy it gets with all the buses coming and going. There is always the sound of engines and people shouting for their stops. We open up early because that’s when the first travelers start moving. The street is narrow, and sometimes the big buses make it hard for anyone else to pass. We don’t have a lot of space, just enough to do what we need to do. The walls are a bit stained from the steam and the years of being here. We have some old wooden shelves where we keep everything. It’s a simple life. We don’t put on any acts. We just show up and start the work. The smell of the street is a mix of diesel and whatever the snack vendors are frying nearby. We’ve been at this address for a long time. People who work at the bus stand know us by name. We spend our days watching the crowds. Some people are in a hurry, others are just waiting. We just stay behind the counter and keep things moving. When the last bus leaves and the street gets a bit quieter, we finally get to sit down for a minute. Then we clean up the floor and get ready to do it all over again tomorrow. It is tiring but we are used to the noise by now.