💬 The tea stall near my house has my order ready before I ask

There's a tea stall at the end of our road, just a cart with a tin roof and an old man running it. I walk up and he's already pouring. Less sugar, extra strong, and 1 Osmania biscuit on the side. I haven't said my order out loud in maybe 3 years. He just knows, and he has about 200 regulars. Never seen him write anything down. I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday. We don't talk much. He asks about the cricket score, I ask about his knee, that's about it. Once I didn't show up for 2 weeks because I was down with dengue. When I came back he asked where I'd been. Then he refused to take money for that cup. Said welcome back, and went back to his kettle. I think about that more than I should, to be fair. His son helps out on weekends now. Nice boy, but he gets my tea wrong every time. Too sweet, or he forgets the biscuit. The old man watches him and sighs, then fixes it himself. I asked him once how he remembers everyone. He said he doesn't remember the orders, he remembers the faces. The order just comes with the face. Made sense when he said it, still doesn't make sense to me. We might move to Kondapur next year for work. Everyone at home is excited about the new flat. I keep thinking about the stupid stuff. Who's going to know my tea there? Nobody, for a long time. Is there someone like this near you? The person you'd miss more than the house itself. Going to go get my cup now. He'll have it ready and waiting.

Our corner stall guy does the same thing, so I believe the faces point completely. I once went in with a beard after a trip and he still poured mine.

There is a paanwala near my building who has known my order for six years now and always asks about my mother before handing it over, even though he has never met her.