Tashi followed Bunny to the kitchen. She noticed that it had already been tidied after the breakfast preparation. It’s only nine in the morning, Tashi thought, Mizuki sure is efficient. I guess I’ll have to start waking up early again. She had been sleeping in a lot ever since she quit. Most of the time it would be time for lunch by the time she was able to drag herself out of her bed.

The kitchen of Tsungrem Bed and Breakfast was bright and cosy. It had wooden cabinets lined up on one side both above and below the main prep area. Another long narrow prep zone stood parallel to this. Bunny however was leading her to the small wooden table at the other end of the kitchen. It was arranged right in front of the large French windows that led to the back garden. The table had already been laid out for three. A copper samovar sat in the centre, along with a clay container covered with a lid.

Bunny sat down facing Tashi. “Oh good! I had been hankering for some tea. Do you want some? We can have our tea while waiting for Mizuki”, asked Bunny as she lifted the small copper samovar to pour tea for herself. Small, traditional handle-less metal bowls called khos had been prepared for drinking tea instead of the usual cups. “Yes, please”, said Tashi and Bunny cheerfully poured some for her too. The scent of cardamom filled the air. These must have come in a set, thought Tashi observing the samovar and the khos, they had the same intricate floral pattern embossed on them. Her family had had at least a couple of such sets. She remembered taking a brass one with her when she had moved out of the family home. It must be lying at the back of the kitchen cabinets, she thought wistfully, turning her attention back to the tea in her cup. “Oh, noon chai!” Tashi exclaimed, looking delighted at the pink tea in her khos. Bunny laughed. “Looks like you and Mizuki are going to get along well. She is the only other person I know who is so enthusiastic about tea. She can even brew just about any type of tea.”

Tashi smiled and looked down at the pink, milky tea in front of her. It was garnished with crushed pistachios and almonds. She could also see a single star anise floating in it. Bunny topped hers with an extra dollop of cream as Tashi took a sip. The smooth, creamy liquid filled her mouth and instantly made her feel warm and content. The tea had just the right amount of saltiness to it backed by the earthy flavour of the green tea used.

Just then Mizuki walked in. “Your room is ready, Tashi. I’ll take you there later.” Mizuki poured some tea for herself. “Great! By the way, the noon chai is just perfect!” said Tashi. “I am glad you liked it”, said Mizuki looking visibly happy. “Let’s eat. There’s masaal tchot for breakfast today. Have you tried it before?” asked Mizuki as she lifted the lid of the clay container. “No, I haven’t, but I would love to try it. I like trying out new dishes”, said Tashi. “Here, I hope you like it. Yeshe used to love these”, said Mizuki warmly as she served the wraps to Tashi and Bunny. Tashi suddenly realised that Mizuki had probably known uncle Yeshe better than she did.

“Aren’t you going to eat with us?”, asked Tashi. She had noticed that there had been only two masaal tchots in the container. “Oh, I’m full. I won’t be needing anything for quite some time now”, said Mizuki with a mysterious smile as she exchanged a look with Bunny. Tashi was debating whether she should probe her a bit when Bunny interrupted her thoughts. “You should eat it while it’s warm. It wouldn’t taste as good otherwise.” “Ah, yes.” Tashi picked up the wrap and took a bite into the warm, soft flatbread called lavasa. The creamy mixture of mashed chickpeas and spices had been filled in thick in the lavasa which was coated with a spicy, tangy chutney. Tashi found herself wholeheartedly enjoying the wholesome and comforting dish. “This is delicious. The chutney especially. There’s curd, mint and lemon in there and of course onion... Is this radish?” Tashi asked. “Yes”, Mizuki beamed at her, “there’s also grated cabbage, ginger and of course chilli.” “I think I can have this everyday. It’s so good!” said Tashi, between mouthfuls. She looked so blissfully happy eating the wrap that it made Bunny giggle. “You are such a foodie!”, she said to Tashi. “I am, aren’t I?” replied Tashi laughing. “Are these home-grown vegetables?”, asked Tashi, turning to Mizuki. “Some of them are. There, do you see that patch behind the rhododendrons? We grow the vegetables and herbs there. Besides this, we also have apple, nectarine and apricot trees and different types of berries. You’ll be meeting Tian in the evening. He is the one who knows about the garden and for that matter the BnB the most.”

Great! I get to meet this Tian person today, thought Tashi. She had seen his name mentioned as the other partner for the BnB in the legal agreement that she had signed that day. She nodded to Mizuki. Bunny left soon after breakfast. She said that she didn’t have any errands to run that day, so she would be helping Vivek in the shop. “You should drop by some time”, she said to Tashi. “We are not that busy these days since the spring festival got over”, she said before taking off.

As Mizuki led Tashi to her room she couldn’t help but feel surprised that she was not feeling the usual lethargy. In fact, after the meal, she felt as if some of the weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Until recently, even conversations with her friends had started to feel draining. But it had been so easy to sit around and chat with Bunny and Mizuki.

They reached the door to her room. It was on the first floor.

“Only you, Tian and I can enter the room. If you need anything, you can call me anytime. I am available at the reception”, said Mizuki.

“Got it. Is there a key or something?” asked Tashi.

“No, the room will know if it’s one of us.”

“Oh! That’s some advanced tech! I would love to hear more about it later. Are you on the same floor?”

“No, I stay on the ground floor. You are sharing the floor with some of the guests and Tian is on the top floor.”

“Ok. I’ll let you know if I need anything”, said Tashi opening the door to her room. She turned to look inside and froze. The space was huge.

“This doesn’t make sense”, said Tashi. “There’s no way that such a large space can fit inside the BnB.” She turned towards Mizuki. “Doesn’t this seem a bit weird to you?”, she asked doubtfully.

Mizuki was smiling kindly.

“Weird?”

“Yes! Don’t you find it strange? The outer dimensions and the inner dimensions of the BnB are completely out of sync!”

“Oh is it? But isn’t it good to have more space? Why don’t you go in and check it out?”

“What? Oh, Ok”, said Tashi wondering why Mizuki was taking it so calmly. Was it not weird then? But the dimensions were completely off. She had felt that in the lobby as well, but it was too obvious in this case. Maybe, she had some kind of altitude sickness, she thought as she ventured inside.