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.
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