An Odd Trio

Today the place was hoppin’. Moms and pops were coming in with their little darlin’s; beach babes were followed by those wishing to impress; loners meandered in looking for something to quench their thirst. Summer had begun and we were being run off of our feet. Drinks. Hot dogs and burgers. Ice-cream sundaes. Tonight I would leave here with my pockets full of tips.

I loved working at this place during the Summer. The tips were generous. I could enjoy the warmth of the sun while I served customers and listened to the crash of the waves as the water hit the beach. The bonus was that I got to meet all sorts of people and have had some very interesting chats.

I looked up and noticed the dirty blonde approaching. She wore cut-off shorts, a faded bikini top and what looked like a beach towel slung over her shoulder. As she moved towards a table on the outskirts of the restaurant, I realised that I had been mistaken. What she had draped over her shoulder was a cat! A beautiful tabby, but a cat nonetheless.

“So sorry ma’am. Animals are not welcome in our establishment.”

“Don’t worry about my cat. He will bother no-one. We will sit here on the edge and you will not even notice us.”

“No can do, ma’am. We do not want to loose our licence.”

“Understandable, I suppose. Could you then bring me an order to take away? I have a yen for a bowl of soup. Thick, nourishing vegetable soup.”

Soup? In this weather! To each his own.

“I will wait here, if you could bring it to me.”

Bring it to her I did. To eat it, she sat not far off from the edge of the restaurant. From her backpack, she took out a beach towel on which she sat as well as another bowl for her cat. Sharing her meal with her feline friend, she ate while looking out to sea, undisturbed by how weird she looked eating hot soup on a sweltering summer’s day with a cat. Boy, did I have a story to tell my friends tonight!

© Colline Kook-Chun, 2014

(This post was inspired by The Daily Prompt)