Cafecoffeeday

Being at 5/334 in Badarpur means dealing with a lot of noise from the road. The traffic in Delhi-44 never really stops, and you can hear the horns even when the doors are shut. Cafecoffeeday is where we spend most of our waking hours. We show up early to get the machines warmed up. The smell of the beans is the first thing you notice when you walk in. We spend a lot of time wiping down the counters and making sure the sugar sachets are filled up. It’s a job like any other, really. Some people come in and stay for hours with their laptops, while others are just passing through and want something quick. We have some regular customers who we know by name, which makes the day go by a little faster. The air conditioner struggles sometimes when it’s really hot outside, but we try to keep the place comfortable. Sometimes we run out of napkins or the milk delivery is late, and we just have to figure it out. It’s not always smooth, but we make it work. The floors get dirty pretty fast with everyone walking in from the dusty street. We just keep the mop handy. By the end of the shift, we’re just ready to head home and do it all again tomorrow. It’s just a busy corner of Badarpur and we’re part of the background.