My mother, Gertrude

Gertrude just can’t say no. So when the homeless man outside Joe’s Coffee Shop asked Gertrude for some cash for food, she found herself agreeing before even checking to see if she had cash on her. As luck would not have it, Gertie in fact didn't have any cash. 

That’s how she ended up in front of the rusted ATM machine, across the street from Joe’s, behind the hookah lounge. The ATM was conveniently nestled between two dumpsters. Above Gertie the sun was hidden in the clouds, wind whipped her short blonde hair, as she struggled to get her wallet from her coat pocket. This wasn’t what Getrude wanted to be doing on her day off from work. As a busy mother of two, Gertie rarely had time for herself. All she wanted was to sip her oat latte in the warmth of Joe’s Coffee Shop, not withdraw 20 dollars from a nasty ATM, on a cold January afternoon, in a creepy alley, wafting with the aroma of hookah and dumpster trash.

“Finally.” Gertrude spoke. The ATM ejected two 10 dollar bills. 

“Meow.” 

Gertrude looked up from her wallet. "Was that a meow?" she thought aloud. After another moment of silence, Gertie concluded she must’ve imagined the noise. She started to make her way back to Joe’s when she heard it again. 

“Meowww.” 

Gertrude knew it wasn’t her imagination. She began looking around the alley behind the hookah lounge. The mysterious meows continued. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Gertie sighed. 

The meows were coming from within the dumpsters. Gertie considered all of the reasons a sweet, poor, innocent, adorable cat would possibly be in a dumpster, and couldn’t think of a single one that didn’t make her sad. 

“Meow?” It sounded to Gertrude as a question. “Will you save me?” She (irrationally) translated. 

She stripped her coat and sweater, took a deep breath, mounted the side of the dumpster, and shimmied into a standing position in the mountain of trash. She began rifling through the trash and the meows began getting louder. At this point Gertrude’s white undershirt was covered in mysterious liquids, her thin grown-out hair was sticking up, with sweat and garbage juices fusing on her skin. Then she saw it. A medium brown box. It was under a heavy trash bag. “Hmmph” Gertie grunted as she lifted and tossed the bag. “Meoww,” came from the box. 

Gertie picked up the flap of the brown box and inside was a black cat. Gertie gasped. This cat was identical to her childhood cat, Cecil. Gertrude began shaking. Was she cold or was it something else? Tears began streaming down Gertrude's face. 

Here she was: still crouched in a dumpster, crying into a brown box. 

Cecil jumped out of the box and climbed out of the dumpster. She didn’t run. She just sat and stared at Gertrude. Gertrude stared back for a moment. “What am I doing?” she asked herself. Was she going crazy? How was this possible? Was it her imagination? She mounted the dumpster wall and slid out. Cecil was on the move. 

“Wait!” Gertie yelled, “Joe’s is that way!” She pointed in the opposite direction from Cecil. Cecil continued walking away.

The homeless man outside Joe’s never got his cash for food that day. 

Gertrude followed Cecil all throughout the streets of East Atlanta. She didn’t know why, she just had a feeling deep down in her stomach that she should. 

About two hours of walking had passed when Cecil finally stopped outside a little shop. A "For Sale" sign was outside. Cecil walked up to the door and started meowing. 

“What?” Gertie asked. “It’s definitely locked.” Gertrude thought, but instinctively placed her hand on the door knob. She turned her wrist, Click. It opened. 

Inside the shop was empty. From the looks of it, the shop was probably a former boutique of sorts. Cecil began exploring of course. Jumping on counters or shelves. Smelling, meowing, scratching. Gertrude felt a warm, happy feeling cover her body. But why? She felt as though she was in the right place but didn’t know why...yet.

“Cecil?” Gertrude announced, “This has been fun, but I really think I need to get back to my car now.” Gertie couldn’t leave Cecil. She didn’t know yet what she was going to do with her. I mean she already had two cats and dogs back home. “Cecil?” Gertie announced again to the seemingly abandoned store. “Meowww.” Cecil was in the back room. 

“What are you doing in there-” Gertie gasped.

Gertrude not only is a kind and considerate person, but she is also quite imaginative and innovative. It was always a dream of hers to open a store or restaurant of sorts, but it’s never come to fruition. Yet, it was as though all the stars were aligning. A space for sale and now, with the help of Cecil, she had an idea for the store. 

“What are you doing in there-” Gertie gasped. Cecil was sitting in the back room, but she wasn’t alone. Next to her, there was a dainty, chipped, but perfect, tea set. 

*1 year later*

“Thank you all for coming to the grand opening of Cecil’s Cat Cafe!” Gertrude happily announced. She cut the big red ribbon in front of the door that just a year prior, Cecil meowed outside of.

Customers poured into the cat cafe. Cecil was there with a bunch of other cats that have a new home at Cecil’s Cat Cafe. A place to come, relax, drink tea and coffee, and of course play with cats. The idea came to Gertrude instantly a year ago when she saw Cecil with the tea set. 

The entire store was empty except for the tea set. Gertrude thinks about it everyday. What are the chances? It felt like destiny. A cat, identical to her childhood cat, leads her to her dream job, dream life. 

How is that possible? Gertie pondered. 

Maybe it was just a coincidence. 

Maybe it was so-called destiny.

Maybe it's because Gertrude is a beautiful person inside-out and all of the positive energy she has put out, finally came back around to her.