Spreading the Tea Love

I was all wrapped up in my black trench, checkered scarf and earphones plugged in, ready to brave the bitter cold for my 10 minute traipse from the Sick Kids Hospital back to my warm, cosy flat.

As I turned the corner to the main road, I saw him up front, standing and staring into the sky.

Eyeballing him, I noted his scruffy hair, unkempt beard, raggedy clothes and dirty scarf. His woolen beanie that was once - what I suspect - white has turned into a greyish brown colour and his boots looked like it has seen more winters that any shoe I owned. He was holding a few Tesco plastic bags - probably filled with unwanted cans, dirty blankets, bits and bobs like how the others like him always had.

So I turned off the kerb to avoid him. But he looked straight at me and took a step into my pathway.

"Not another tramp to ask me for change again," I thought.

But still, being the ever polite daughter my parents brought me up to be, I halted in my tracks and removed my earphones, ready to smile and say 'sorry' in the most empathetic way possible if he ever mentioned the word 'extra change'.

"Hello, I am running a project called Spreading the Tea Love", he says in a wide toothy smile, the cracks on his lips stretching with the movement of his mandible muscles.

"Sor-." the words died on my lips.

And I observed him again, noticing that one of his Tesco bags was actually filled with food - bread, fruits, cheese.

The other was chocked full with tea boxes of various colours, brands and sizes.

He lifted the tea-boxes-Tesco-bag, opened a box of tea, contemplated for a while and handed me 3 bags of tea.

"Drink one yourself, and give the other 2 to your friends. Here is a Rooibos tea from South Africa, here is a relaxation one.... and the last I give you the teabag of Love for your boyfriend. Tell him he is very lucky. Bye bye now."

And he smiles his toothy smile to me again.

I stood for a while before managing to blurt out "Thank you", all politeness and empathy forgotten.

Upon reaching home, I looked at the tea bags, wondering if there were any poisons in it or possibly black magic.
But they were all new and unopened, and so I did what he told me to.

I spread the Tea Love.

The Rooibos went to Joanna, the Love to Kai Lin and the last, I didn't drink it myself either but gave it to Choon Seong.

I've continued his chain of tea love and I guess we are all part of his project now.

I'm just waiting on reports back from the 3 of them - whether they suffer any tummy aches or suddenly sign off their life savings to charity - or, if they just carry on with their daily life as normal - an individual in this vast universe touched with his Tea Love.