Will you take tea.
Carefully the kindling was sorted then arranged to supply the best fire, then fresh water delivered to the blacken kettle. You will take tea, won’t you Micheal. It would be my pleasure Marfa. Then a special blend of fragrant black tea’s was mixed, and lemons sliced.
Whilst Marfa carefully prepared our tea, my eyes wandered around the familiar room. Only the two golden Russian jardinieres by Karl Faberge remained on display to illustrate her true identity. As usual the tea was fragrance itself. Once I did know the secret of its blend, but time dulls the memory.
Footnotes:
Genre Memoirs.
Word count 100.
The name used is fictional to hide the true identity of a lovely individual, sadly no longer alive. At the time that I met this lady she was in her late nineties, whilst I was a young community nurse.
This Post Has 49 Comments
Dear Michael,
Such a sweet moment in time. I really like this.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle, in this case my memoirs are distorted to hide the true indentity of the lady. The tea she made was delightfully fragrant.
A haunting and mysterious piece, Michael
Thank you Neil, in truth there should remain a aura of mystery around this lady. My memoirs are slightly distorted to hide her identity
Those remaining Faberge’s hide and promise an exciting past life. Nice scene Michael
They certainly do, thank you Iain
A memory to treasure. Delightful Michael.
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Thank you Keith, it was an interesting time, that has left me with good memories
Thanks for sharing this precious memory, Michael.
I really liked your title too. I had a very sweet Scottish friend named Joyce, who would invite me over for tea. This story reminded me of her.
Thank you Moon, sharing tea with good friends is a fine tradition.
“Only the two golden Russian jardinieres by Karl Faberge remained on display to illustrate her true identity.” Poetic.
Thank you James, I do not think that my writing has ever been called poetic.
Tea was such an institution. Nicely crafted piece.
It certainly was; in some ways we take tea too much for granted. About fifteen years back I was lucky enough to visit and stay at a tea plantation near Kandy in Sri Lanka, it was a magical experience.
Very nicely done, Michael. Made me want to learn more.
Thank you Sandra, as a nurse I was lucky enough to meet many interesting people.
A straightforward story shrouded in mystery. A Russian Doll of a story. Whatever, you tell it with delightful sensitivity.
Thank you Penny.
That was a lovely, gentle story, full of pathos. Well done.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Thank you so much Susan
Such a tender and sweetly sensitive story, Michael.
Thank you so much Dale
I feel there are such depths behind this story – so many more stories to tell. Wonderfully told Michael
Thank you Lynn, I often wish that I could tell more.
My pleasure Michael
Beautiful memory and a sweet story. Thanks for sharing, Michael.
A very evocative piece of writing. I can picture you and Marfa drinking tea together and sharing each other’s company.
Simple things are often ample, if we know to appreciate them!
There is a sense of nostalgia here that is very appealing.
Thank you for such a kind comment
Hopeful story. Immediately my thoughts flew to Anastasia but I know DNA evidence now doesn’t allow that hope. So many Russians had to escape. Delightful story of love, fading memories and the restorative powers of tea.
Thank you Irene,
Lovely bit of writing. For some reason, I thought about all of the stories that a person could tell if only someone would listen.
Thank you Sascha;
Very mysterious Michael. A connection with royalty is hinted at, but don’t worry, will respect your sentiments and not pester you for more details, even though I want to 🙂
Thank you for your kind comment. It is appreciated
she must have passed but memories will keep her alive.
Thank you plaridel, history holds so many memories,
Such a simple scene and I feel it conveyed so much. The sweet fragrant tea makes the Marfa seem just as sweet, and the jardinieres make her true identity so intriguing. And then there’s the fact about your years as a community nurse which has my curiosity piqued 🙂 Lovely story and I feel I miss Marfa too.
Thank you Fatima, I was fortunate to work in several differing fields of nursing. I do feel reluctant to write about that time.
Very occasionally I find ways to share snippets from that time.
I can understand it must be difficult to write about the suffering you might have witnessed and it’s clear you are protective over your patients still. I look forward to reading more of these snippets.
Thank you Fatima, you are right, once protective always protective
I would love to know about her past. She seems fascinating!
Thank you Clare, I was fortunate to meet her.
Ah, I suspect you have some good memories about your charges. A moving piece of writing.
Thank you Patrick, plus sad memories. It was and is the nature of being a nurse. Very occasionally I feel that it is right to share some of those times, but in a heavily censored format.
Taking the time for tea with a friend,,,,,, we all need to do more of this.
That is true Dan, if more world leaders stopped and regularly took tea with other leaders, “perhaps” we would have more peace in the world
I wonder at the life that came before the tea.. Great writing