Page 3 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Honestly, Mum, my jeans are finally feeling roomy and I’m planning on keeping it that way. Turns out after all those fad diets I’ve tried, all I needed was to live off rice and beans for six months.’
‘Well, no fear of that here,’ Joyce said with a smile as she placed two mugfuls of hot chocolate and whipped cream on the table and pulled up a chair opposite Tori. ‘I’ve made your favourite for tea later – lasagne.’
‘Aw, thanks, Mum.’
‘So, tell me. Now you’ve explored Asia, what was the highlight, the number one thing that you loved more than anything else?’
‘That’s tough, I mean the whole thing was just, well… amazing. It really opens your eyes, seeing other cultures,seeing what else is out there. I loved Tokyo, it’s so bright and vibrant, all the neon lights and pop culture, it’s such a special place – it has a real buzz about it.’
‘A bit like London?’
‘That’s the thing, though, it really isn’t like London at all. It’s hard to explain but it’s a city of contrasts, I suppose,’ said Tori, stirring her hot chocolate. ‘You’ve got gorgeous temples with so much history right next door to skyscrapers and markets that are twenty-four hours next to the most beautiful, tranquil gardens. Everything there just feels so… cutting edge and the shopping is, well, it’s out of this world. You’d love it, Mum, honestly you would.’
‘I’m sure I would, love. It might be tricky getting holiday cover for this place, though.’
‘You’d be in your element. There are quirky coffee shops everywhere, and they sell these delicious, sweet buns filled with red-bean paste called anpans,’ she said, smiling at the memory. ‘Oh Mum, you’d love them!’
‘Anpans, eh? Sounds interesting. I’ll look up a recipe.’
‘You should! I’m happy to give them a taste test.’
‘No surprises there,’ Joyce chuckled.
‘Hang on, let me grab my phone and I’ll show you some pictures.’ Tori reached for her bag, dug out her iPhone and flicked through her photo gallery of Tokyo to show her mum some of her favourite images.
‘It certainly sounds as though it was a wonderful experience,’ said Joyce.
‘You know what you’dreallylove about the café culture inTokyo, though, Mum?’ Tori said, leaning in towards Joyce. ‘The cat cafés!’
‘The what?’
‘Cat cafés. They have loads of them in Tokyo; lots of people can’t have their own pets, they all live in small apartments you see, so it’s a way for them to spend time with cats if they can’t have one of their own. It’s a genius idea.’
‘And the cats just wander around while people are drinking their coffee?’
‘Exactly. There are rules and stuff, though, you can’t stroke the cats unless they come up to you and there are lots of welfare regulations to make sure that they’re well looked after. I couldn’t get enough of visiting while I was out there, I missed Ernie so much,’ she said, bending down to scoop up the ginger cat and place him on her lap.
‘Doesn’t sound very practical to me. Cats are into everything; they’d cause chaos. Climbing curtains, knocking over cups… the mind boggles.’
‘Well, somehow they make it work and the customers absolutely love it.’
‘Each to their own, I suppose.’
‘I’ll take you there one day and you can see for yourself.’
‘I’d love that,’ said Joyce, she reached across the table and gave Tori’s hand a squeeze. ‘If we can get someone to look after this place,’ she quickly added.
‘Deal! So what’s been going on in Blossom Heath since I’ve been away, then? There must be tons of gossip?’ Tori asked, popping the last pink marshmallow into her mouth.
‘Oh, I don’t know about that – not much changes around here.’
‘Come on… spill,’ Tori giggled.
‘Actually, there is something that’ll interest you.’
‘What?’
‘Well, Rose Hargreaves has moved back to the village! Permanently!’
