Blue Day

So how long has it been? I didn’t remember anymore. But seeing her at the window sit of Ms. Grape Café, has become one of my daily routines. The warm white mug saying blue day with the same half a mug of brown coffee. I don’t think she ever enjoyed it. And the same light blue dress, with a brown belt around her waist.

But it was only the morning and afternoons I saw her there. So one day, I went to talk to the owner of the Café. I barely went there since I moved here, maybe once or twice when my brother came to visit. But I do know the the man by the coffee machines, Mr. Bolannrs. The Café was for memorize his mother, who’s favorite fruit was Grape. Which explained why the Café wasn’t called Ms. Bolannrs.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened the door, perhaps a warm smell of coffee with the sourness of Grape juice. Or completely different of the chill breeze of sea-salts and sweet vanilla ice cream. It landed on the first one. Quietly I line up behind a costumer.

“The autumn special, Apple Latte with maple syrup, please, Thomas.”

“That will be 35 cents. You have a preference mug?” He back to the side, showing the lines of mugs standing like little soldiers on the wooden shelfs. I didn’t see the white one amount them, nor on any table as I looked around.

“Nope, thanks.”

“Well, sit wherever you like.”

“Hi, Thomas.” I said, “Nice to meet you here.”

“Hi, Ella, you too. Nick’s here again?”

“Nope, just want to ask you something.” I looked behind me as if I was going to lean forward and whisper, but for real I was just making sure no-one is intending to come inside to order. Through the wide glass window, there are just a few people passing the Café, including Mrs. Opal with her big white dog smashing the fallen leaves. “So, you must remember that lady seating at the window everyday, with the white mug…”

“You mean Cathy Risenn? She have some stories I don’t know. Came here every morning, I even save the mug for her.” He pulled out a drawer, where in there are three mugs. And he took them out. “Here’s her cup, blue day, I kept it for her so that others won chose it. Don’t think anyone but she would though. She used to pick the yellow one on the shelf saying You are my Sonshine, with a smiling sun. Then after a summer break, she came back and picked this white one. She looked so…sad, like her soul is gone, forever. And she never talked, just listen to me asking what she wants. Dear. I am sure something happened.” He said slower and slower, head leaning down. We could both see Cathy frowning at the window sit, waiting for something she knew she would never get back.

“Oh,” like taking a breath out of an ocean of sadness, “I need to start making the Apple Latte. The green one is my mom’s, That’s Grape. And the red one is Mrs. Opal’s. You know, that old lady live by the park, with her dog Beeee. Here’s a brown-yellow bee dog. The cup Pup-bees.” He smiled, and so did I.

“Beeee is very nice,” I said, “But no longer a puppy. Just saw them passing by. He’s almost as big as her.”

“Haha, yeah.” Thomas laughed, getting coffee beans to put in the machine, “I think she would know more about Cathy if you really want to know. She always knows these Stories. She told me how my own parents met and fell in love, funny story.”

“Then I will. Hope I can catch her. Bye Tom!”

I got out of the Café, shocked by the cold air and the darkening sky. It’s late, I thought. Than I saw a white, fluffy tail around the corner. Must be Beeee! I ran across the street. “Mrs. Opal!” I called. “And Beeee my buddy!”

Wait, no. When I turned to the side and hear the barking, she was not Beeee. She was Cady, Wendy Coracy’s spotted dog who has a pure white tail.

“Oh, Ella,” Wendy turned with surprise, holding Candy back. She got a shiny, deep pink dress and some pretty high high-heels I quit wearing. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Sure you haven’t. I’m pretty sorry. Mistake you dog for Beeee.” I said. She usually didn’t come to this part of the city, like I didn’t go to her part. It was awkward. I guess she just hate to know about everyone but not me. “You look nice tonight.”

“Oh, quit saying that. Why are you still up this late?”

“Come on, it’s not that late. And as you can guess, I am looking for Mrs. Opal—”

“—yeah I saw her.”

“To ask about…Cathy. Figure you might know something?”

“Oh, you finally cares about others?” She paused and stepped back. She blushed of anger under the dim light of the street lamp and turned. “Well she come to our place a lot. Don’t think she have any other place she’s willing to go at night. She’s always saying like drowning and bitch and stuff. I think she…she…Ugh, stop stalking me! Go find Old Opal and all!”

She quickly stepped away in to the darkness as I stayed there.

“Fine!” I said. “I’ll ask her.”

So I turned to go in the direction to the park where she used to take me to and find cookies in Mrs. Opal’s kitchen. It was true I didn’t come out at night so often, not without a true friend.

When I saw the house, with glowing yellow lights next to the dark green park, I could smell warm cookie and tomato soup and hear Bee barking. I knocked on the door.

“Coming dear!” Answered the old lady. I could imagine her pacing quickly on her old pink slippers, with gloves on her hand, and struggles to turn the door knob.

“Take your time! Mrs. Opal!” I said, rubbing beeee’s belly. “Good dog.”

“Ella Pattison! Good to see you again. Did your brother come? Or it wasn’t you I saw at Mrs. Grape’s. My eyes are getting worse everyday. Come on in, I have some chocolate biscuits and nice soup to warm you up.”

“Thanks Mrs. Opal.” I went in and took off my boots. “Just some biscuits will be fine, I’ve still got some pizzas at home. Just a question about someone.”

“And who will that be?” She asked, leading me to the sofa with a salmon wool blanket on top. I sat down while she went to take the chocolate chips from the kitchen. It was the same cosy feeling as the time Wendy and I got caught slipping in thought the back door. Mrs. Opal was angry at first, but seeing us wearing light skirts in a windy day, she offered us warm cups of chocolate and butter cookies.

“Sorry for running out cocoa powder.” She said, with a plate of biscuits. She put it down on the small table and sat down beside me. “Would you like some milk? It might take a while to warm them up. You know, Wendy came here quite often. I am sorry about what happened. So, my dear, what is it that brought you here today?”

“I was wondering…what happened to Cathy? I saw her every day at the Mrs. Grape Café.” I took a warm biscuits.

“Oh, that poor women.” She signed, hands overlapped. “You know how people talk a lot when they’re drunk. That when I found her in my back yard, like a few years ago. I took her in, rest on the bed, and she told me this. That, during one summer holiday, she took her son, Little Gabriel if you recall, a brown-headed little boy, to a beach. The weather was nice, sunny, clear of clouds, so she ran with him alone the coast line. I would image the bright blue sky blending into the shivering blue ocean. But they went too far, where there was no-one else. And she said Gabriel saw a way leading into the water, a blue lane with white flowers on the side. He ran through the lane, and before she knew it, he was carried away by the current. She thought it was a fun thing to do as he did, but then she hear him crying and screaming. Like how a hatching picked up by a large bird, only that he was going down. Sharp voice calling mom stabbed into her ears and her heart. And pretty soon he went quiet. She jump in to the water and just for seeing a wave red spouting from the deep water. And she got splashed by a hundred waves till unluckily she appeared on the sea shore miles away, to be found. And she came back in pain, the greatest pain anyone could every experience in this world, losing a beloved child. I suggested to guide her to get over the misery as I did, but I don’t know if she didn’t hear me or rejected with her silence.”

“Maybe we can still help her. Offer her your help again.” I said. Wendy was right, I suddenly wanted to care about others. “Maybe she changed her mind.”

“You really think?”

“Yes, I can find her tomorrow at the Café, and maybe she’d be willing to come here and hear you out.”

“Well that would be nice of you, Ella.” She said. And looked at the clock. “Well, it’s dinner time for me. Would you like to stay and have some tomato soup and veggies with me?”

“It’s okay, I will stick with the pizza for tonight. Thank you for the biscuits, Ms. Opal.” I answered, standing up.

“You are always welcome. See you tomorrow then.”

“See you.”

With no doubt, the next day I saw the lady in light blue dress and a warm white mug saying blue day at the window sit of Ms. Grape Café. But she was not just that lady. She was Cathy. Cathy Risenn.