"Tiny Cat"
She walked along the footpath watching everything with interest. It was hot and the sun burnt on her skin. She had not any plans for this afternoon and decided to get a cup of coffee. There were many bars, cafes, and restaurants over the road. All of them looked really inviting. But she was looking for a special one, for one she had recently heard of. It was said to be the best in town and she wanted to see for herself if this was true. She needed not to search very long. It was right next to a restaurant she had already been some days ago. Although it was an inconspicuous little building, she liked it.
When she entered the door, an unfamiliar smell reached her nose. However, it smelled good even if she didn’t know what it was. She looked around the interior. It was just a little room with about twelve tables on the right sight and a long counter on the left. She saw one bar keeper greeting her when she came in. The other one was busily doing anything. As she greeted him back he smiled and turned away. All in all it was a very well-furnished place. She liked these small wooden chairs and tables that reminded her on her grandmother’s living-room where she spent many afternoons when she was a child. She wondered how many people would be here since every seat was occupied except two on the bar. For one second she did not know what to do either leaving or staying. She felt the looks in her back and was embarrassed for all guests would have noticed her insecurity. However, she took a seat and put her handbag next to her. The first thing that caught her eyes was a big colourful sign above the shelves on the bar. It said: “Coffee 1.50, Espresso 1.50, Cappuccino 2.65”. She liked cappuccino and ordered some. The bar keeper was smiling again as when she entered the restaurant. But his smile made her uncertain this time. She wondered how people would perceive a woman going into a restaurant all alone. She peeked around but, actually, nobody looked at her which made her feel relieved. She noticed that almost all guests were eating a dish which looked very delicious. One of the bar keeper, the busy one, was preparing some more of these dishes. Sitting in front of him she saw how he arranged everything very neatly on the plate. The smell she recognized when she came in the restaurant became stronger. She became aware of how hungry she was. Actually, she was a careful woman never ordering things she did not know. But today she wanted to get rid of her old behaviour and be stronger and more independent. However, she asked one bar keeper for the ingredients of the dish everybody’s eating and he specified everything. But she hardly understood a word, only some words that sounded like ‘chicken’ and ‘pasta’. But she was not sure at all. She shortly considered asking again, but desistanced from it for it would not have changed anything. She had already tried to do so before, just a few days ago when she was in another restaurant. She had been asking the waitress for a dish three times and the waitress had become more and more irritated. So the only thing to escape from this rather uncomfortable situation was to nod and pretend to understand everything.
To avoid a similar situation she ordered this dish without answering again. “Almost everybody’s eating this dish”, she thought, “So it must be good”. Just about five minutes later her meal was served. She poked it with her fork and, actually, discovered some chicken on her plate. She felt very proud because she had obviously gotten him right. After she had eaten some of the chicken, she suddenly felt sick. It was hard for her to breathe and she felt her pulse rapidly increase. Some seconds later she lost her conscience.
When she woke up artificial light dazzled her. Her eyes were aching and she was cold. She still had problems to breathe. She smelled a very obtrusive odor and knew immediately where she was. She directly thought of her family and what they were doing at the moment. Her parents would probably work in the yard and her little sister would play with her two cats. How glad would she be if they were just sitting right next to her bed. Suddenly a nurse came in looking seriously at her. She told her that she had suffered an allergic reaction caused from peanut oil that were in the food she ate at the restaurant and that she was lucky that the doctors diagnosed so quickly was had been wrong with her. But she stopped listening to the nurse. She didn’t need any explanation since she knew already what happened. Actually, she was a careful woman never ordering things she did not know. Never, except today. From a distance she could hear the nurse saying that she would be allowed to leave hospital the next day. But the only thing she was thinking of was that little stuffed animal, this tiny cat, she was going to send to her little sister as a birthday present.
She walked along the footpath watching everything with interest. It was hot and the sun burnt on her skin. She had not any plans for this afternoon and decided to get a cup of coffee. There were many bars, cafes, and restaurants over the road. All of them looked really inviting. But she was looking for a special one, for one she had recently heard of. It was said to be the best in town and she wanted to see for herself if this was true. She needed not to search very long. It was right next to a restaurant she had already been some days ago. Although it was an inconspicuous little building, she liked it.
When she entered the door, an unfamiliar smell reached her nose. However, it smelled good even if she didn’t know what it was. She looked around the interior. It was just a little room with about twelve tables on the right sight and a long counter on the left. She saw one bar keeper greeting her when she came in. The other one was busily doing anything. As she greeted him back he smiled and turned away. All in all it was a very well-furnished place. She liked these small wooden chairs and tables that reminded her on her grandmother’s living-room where she spent many afternoons when she was a child. She wondered how many people would be here since every seat was occupied except two on the bar. For one second she did not know what to do either leaving or staying. She felt the looks in her back and was embarrassed for all guests would have noticed her insecurity. However, she took a seat and put her handbag next to her. The first thing that caught her eyes was a big colourful sign above the shelves on the bar. It said: “Coffee 1.50, Espresso 1.50, Cappuccino 2.65”. She liked cappuccino and ordered some. The bar keeper was smiling again as when she entered the restaurant. But his smile made her uncertain this time. She wondered how people would perceive a woman going into a restaurant all alone. She peeked around but, actually, nobody looked at her which made her feel relieved. She noticed that almost all guests were eating a dish which looked very delicious. One of the bar keeper, the busy one, was preparing some more of these dishes. Sitting in front of him she saw how he arranged everything very neatly on the plate. The smell she recognized when she came in the restaurant became stronger. She became aware of how hungry she was. Actually, she was a careful woman never ordering things she did not know. But today she wanted to get rid of her old behaviour and be stronger and more independent. However, she asked one bar keeper for the ingredients of the dish everybody’s eating and he specified everything. But she hardly understood a word, only some words that sounded like ‘chicken’ and ‘pasta’. But she was not sure at all. She shortly considered asking again, but desistanced from it for it would not have changed anything. She had already tried to do so before, just a few days ago when she was in another restaurant. She had been asking the waitress for a dish three times and the waitress had become more and more irritated. So the only thing to escape from this rather uncomfortable situation was to nod and pretend to understand everything.
To avoid a similar situation she ordered this dish without answering again. “Almost everybody’s eating this dish”, she thought, “So it must be good”. Just about five minutes later her meal was served. She poked it with her fork and, actually, discovered some chicken on her plate. She felt very proud because she had obviously gotten him right. After she had eaten some of the chicken, she suddenly felt sick. It was hard for her to breathe and she felt her pulse rapidly increase. Some seconds later she lost her conscience.
When she woke up artificial light dazzled her. Her eyes were aching and she was cold. She still had problems to breathe. She smelled a very obtrusive odor and knew immediately where she was. She directly thought of her family and what they were doing at the moment. Her parents would probably work in the yard and her little sister would play with her two cats. How glad would she be if they were just sitting right next to her bed. Suddenly a nurse came in looking seriously at her. She told her that she had suffered an allergic reaction caused from peanut oil that were in the food she ate at the restaurant and that she was lucky that the doctors diagnosed so quickly was had been wrong with her. But she stopped listening to the nurse. She didn’t need any explanation since she knew already what happened. Actually, she was a careful woman never ordering things she did not know. Never, except today. From a distance she could hear the nurse saying that she would be allowed to leave hospital the next day. But the only thing she was thinking of was that little stuffed animal, this tiny cat, she was going to send to her little sister as a birthday present.
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