The Espresso Tonic Epiphany

As I sipped on a vile, medicinal-tasting, bitter cold coffee beverage named "Espresso Tonic"—which was apparently Instagram-influencer approved—my mind raced down memory lane to when I was a broke student. Back then, I would borrow a few hundred rupees from my parents every week just to blow it at Café Coffee Day and Qwikys, the "it" places for young, cool people to hang out in the early 2000s. 

Those outings were always met with immense parental remorse and infinite lectures, ranging from "Let me just make coffee for you at home" and "Money doesn't grow on trees" to "How can you spend 300 rupees on coffee?!" 

Fast forward to this afternoon. I was sipping an expensive, subpar caffeinated beverage at a young, vibrant coffee pub with one hand, while holding my phone firmly to my ear with the other, listening to my mother complain about my seven-year-old. I cut into the conversation to break the news to her: I am still spending over 300 rupees on terrible-tasting coffee. 

The only difference now is that I have my own spending power but zero friends around, since I was just taking a mid-day office lunch break. 

She chuckled upon hearing this, and I chuckled back. Life truly comes full circle every now and then. Guess what? Mom was right. She—and now I—can indeed make better coffee at home. It is officially time to blow that money on more useless things instead, like Lego blocks and remote-controlled cars. What joy! 

I suddenly realized how many similarities my son and I share. We both never listened to our parents; we are rebels without a cause. I am really hoping he has his own Eureka moment before he hits 40 and realizes that "mom indeed knows best." 

Ah, the beautiful circle of life and parenthood—it simply amazes me.