" CUPS LIPS SLIPS "

" CUPS LIPS SLIPS "

Thirupuranthakan was engrossed in " RAGE OF ANGELS " , the compulsory page turner, when he heard the knock on the door. He immediately slipped into
his over-coat before he went for the door. Visweswaran was all in smile, standing at the entrance, with some papers in his hand. It was some packing slip he was carrying. The day was a Sunday and the time was in the morning.

They both sat in the dining table. Thirupuranthakan took out the cups from the shelf and poured hot steaming coffee from the flask . Visweswaran signed that he did not want much. Thirupuranthakan said that a cup-ful means eight (8) ounces or 237 m.l. only and placed it before his friend. Visweswaran held the cup in his hand and started to puff some air through his lips to cool the blowing steam from the cup. Thirupuranthakan watched his action intently and admired how lips , as a sensory organ, exhibited emotion and enabled a person to speak and aided in the intake of food or liquids. He also remembered the popular song 'there is a language in her lips.....'.

Both the friends took the first sip from their respective cups. Thirupuranthakan knew that Visweswaran was not a person like some of his other friends who were tight lipped and even gave slip stealthily from the sight.

Visweswaran works in Cochin slipway , a ramp on the shore, as a chief executive. He had come to participate in the Cricket match. He was the captain of Cochin Team which won the ' Umrigar Cup ' consecutively in the last four years. Visweswaran was also an expert in slip fielding and his dives in first slip was remarkable to bring off spectacular catches.

Thirupuranthakan bit his lips before telling his friend that he did not go out on Sunday to play cricket as he was under treatment for slip disc which happened when he slipped from the slippery stair case the other day - the slippage was excess causing slip disc. Visweswaran advised him not to slip the cricket practice when he became well, as he knew Thirupuranthakan as a great opening bat. They started discussing India's disastrous campaign in the World Cup and the general slip or decline in standards both in the short and long versions of the game.

They also talked about the movie " Davincicode" where the cup for the Eucharistic wine was referred as chalice with a riddle or clue associated with it. Visweswaran remarked that the holy grail is not a physical chalice or cup but a woman named Mary Magadelene who carried the holy blood or the blood line. Leonardovinci knew that Mary Magadelene was actually the holy grail and therefore in his famous painting " the last supper " the chalice or the cup is absent and Mary Magadelene is portrayed in its place.

Thirupuranthakan remembered that the book Davincicode by Dan Brown, which he had finished reading a long time back, was safely resting in the ' slip-case.' Thirupuranthakan voiced that Davincicode is the 13th best selling book of all times with 61 million copies in print and translated in 44 languages. Visweswran immediately added that davincicode film grossed more than $750 million, the second highest earner in the year 2006.

Visweswaran added that the commencing scene in the film depicting the killing of Jacques Sauveur, the curator in Louvre Museum had been well taken but the later part involving Robert Langsdon and Sophie Neveu spearheading the search to unlock the mystery left behind by the dying curator about the blood line of his grand daughter Sophie Neveu is well written in the book than shown in the movie.

The friends took two more sips from their cups. The coffee was just hot & obviously very much refreshing.

Visweswaran apologised to his friend that it was a slip of his memory that he did not bring his wedding album. Thirupuranthakan could not attend his wedding due to his slip disc and had requested him to bring positively his wedding photographs during his forthcoming visit.

The " Rock Band SLIP " music was flowing from the disc but suddenly there seemed to be a slip in the frequency and the melody was slipping. Thirupuranthakan attempted to get up from the chair to tune the instrument but in the process, as he was unwell, slipped his cup in a small way and some drops of coffee spilled over the table. Visweswaran saw the slip or sliding action and and stretched his hand to hold his friend's cup from further slide.

The friends again sat on the dining table and held their cups firmly to complete the coffee. There was a distinct, characteristic smile in their lips.

Visweswaran finally took leave from his friend and wished him speedy recovery from his slip-disc and humorously added " better slip with foot than the tongue ".

We can now see both friends embracing to show that they cared for each other.