“In my apartment, the parking is in the basement,” Jigneshbhai said when we met last weekend for coffee. “Nothing new in that. Most apartments in urban areas have that,” Swami cast him off with a ‘what’s the big deal’ look. But I knew our wise friend wasn’t done, so I waited for him to say … Read more
“I think I made a big mistake by buying this endowment policy twenty years back,” Swami said, peeping into a piece of paper, over coffee when we met at the café the other day. “At that time, no one knew, least of all me, that term insurance is the only insurance we need. And this … Read more
It was only the second week of January when Swami walked into the café looking like a man who had already been defeated by the year. He plonked himself on the chair opposite Jigneshbhai, sighed heavily, and declared, “It’s over.” Jigneshbhai looked up from his coffee, mildly amused. “What’s over, Swami? The year’s barely begun.” … Read more
When Swami walked into the café last Sunday, he wasn’t looking at us. He was staring at his wrist. “Sixty-eight,” he muttered. “No, now seventy-two. How can it change so fast?” Jigneshbhai didn’t even look up from his coffee. “What’s changing?” “My heart rate!” Swami exclaimed, tapping his brand-new smartwatch. “It keeps going up and … Read more
Swami was fidgeting even before we entered the terminal. The line to get inside stretched across the lobby, people shifting from one foot to another, waiting for security to let them in. “This is ridiculous!” Swami muttered, pulling out his phone to check the time. “Half my day will go standing here. I should have … Read more
When I entered the café a bit late last week, I saw Swami was staring at his phone like it held the secrets of the universe. I peeped in and raised my eyebrows towards Jigneshbhai wondering what the tension was about. One missed call. From an unknown number. “Jigneshbhai!” Swami said, panic in his voice. … Read more
Swami looked restless even before we sat down at the café. His phone screen was glowing with multiple tabs open. I recognized the familiar pattern — Swami was in the middle of a health scare. “Jigneshbhai!” he said in a hushed, urgent voice. “Last night I had this dull ache in my shoulder. I googled … Read more
When we met last weekend, Swami was staring at his phone as if it had just been delivered the end of the world. His coffee sat untouched, growing colder by the second, while Jigneshbhai and I enjoyed our slow sip. “Friends,” he said, his voice trembling, “I think I am ruined!” Jigneshbhai, sitting across from … Read more
Swami stormed into the café last weekend, phone in hand, eyes wide like he had just discovered a hidden treasure. “Jigneshbhai!” he shouted, waving the phone so wildly that I almost spilled my coffee. “You won’t believe the deals I just found!” Across the table, Jigneshbhai calmly stirred his coffee. He didn’t look up. He … Read more