Tea and Coffee, Vol. 4

Tea and Coffee, Vol. 4

I was awoken by a vibration from my phone. I reached out towards the bedstand with a clumsy hand. Squinting at the white LED screen, I read,

'Train got delayed!! I'll be at the station at 3.'
...

I was awoken by a weight on my chest and a paw swatting at my face. I ignored it, and soon the weight went away.

...

I was awoken by Skinny Love playing from my phone. It took me a while to recognise the song as my ringtone. As I made the realisation my body lurched into wakefulness.

'Hello?' I mumbled.

'Dan? Jesus, you're still in bed aren't you?'

I glanced at the nearby clock. 13:27. Late, even by my standards.

'What? No, no, no' I stumbled. 'You just surprised me, that's all.'

'Right' said the voice, amused by my apparent grogginess. 'You don't need to do this you know.'

'What? Yes, yes I do. I mean, you know, I want to' I said, the words falling out of my mouth like half digested spaghetti. The voice on the other end of the line stayed silent for a few moments. Not remembering the words that had just left my mouth, I wondered if I had said something awful. If I had professed my love to this voice or revealed a deep dark sexual fantasy.

And then, nervous laughter.

'Alright weirdo, you better not keep me waiting then. Go wake yourself up with some coffee.'

By means of a response I exhaled loudly into the microphone and hung up.

As I lugged myself into the kitchen, I felt a pang of sadness. Coffee had been gone for almost two weeks now. Without his 11 o'clock wake up calls, I had started to sleep in later and later. It wasn't so much that I was worried about him - a cat like him could handle himself - it was that I needed him. His wide cynical eyes, his fervid aggression, his blatant disregard for my wellbeing. Without him the home felt less like a wonderland; the towers of books in the study no longer felt like giant Jenga blocks; the food cupboard no longer a forbidden fortress; the washing machine no longer an endless fascination.

I poured boiling water into a cup. As it hit the coffee grains the liquid turned a bubbly black. The caffeine and steam rose through my nostrils, opening my sinuses. I began to feel the switches and cogs in my brain turn.

Having gained my bearings, I go to the bedroom to find something to wear. I see Tea sprawled out on the duvet, and I watch her through the mirror as I dress.

'I'm going to pick Lily up from the station, Tea. Sorry, you can't come, there's going to be a lot of luggage. I'll leave your dinner in your plate. Alright?'

Tea meowed in response and I left the room, certain that she had understood me.