One day, the skinny, dirty cat disappeared. The millionaire grandmother, not finding her beloved pet, threw a fit. She screamed and flung plates onto the floor. All the waiters, chefs, and the landlady tried to calm her down and explained that her darling would appear any moment.
— «I’ve lost everything I could in this cursed world!» — the old lady cried. — «And now you are depriving me of my last joy? Do you think I don’t pay enough?» And then she, having pulled out a wad of money…
She had been saving money for the last ten years. After retiring, she planned to open a little shop in her small house with a modest palisade in the backyard. The house was located almost out of town, and all her relatives shook their heads in disbelief. Who would go there? But she was a stubborn lady and firmly believed in her plan.
No, not a grocery store. That was beyond her means. It was to be a shop selling pipes and related smoking accessories.
Behind the house she set up a few tables under the trees in the shade and bought a coffee machine. She even dug a large pit herself and filled it with golden carp. The carp, like a magnet, attracted cats and various birds.
When retirement eventually came, she received permission to run her shop and began putting up flyers around town. Everyone laughed. Really, who would travel out of town?
And so it went. The shop stood empty, filling her with dread, the awareness of her hopes shattering, and utter despair. But one day…
A rich man, who happened to be in the area by chance, saw the sign. He stopped and decided to check out what kind of pipes were being sold in this backwater. And he was an avid smoker. Entering the small shop, he gazed at the display cases.
The landlady, trying to steady the trembling in her hands and heart, greeted him warmly and offered him a cup of coffee in the backyard, where he could try out the pipes. It was something new. The man looked at her with interest and returned to the display cases. They piqued his curiosity.
The landlady clearly had refined taste. She had put on sale very expensive, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pipes. After choosing a couple and buying some tobacco, the man happily went to the backyard to sit, relax, and smoke the pipe he had chosen.
The landlady fluttered around him like a little seagull. The man watched the carp splashing in the water and amused himself with the sight of cats trying to catch the huge fish. He had a marvelous time—so much so that he later recounted the experience at his expensive weekend club. No one believed him. Really, what could one possibly see out of town in a little house?
But the following weekend, some members of the elite club, without any prior coordination, went to that shop. And the landlady’s troubles multiplied. She had to order a taxi to bring in some snacks and drinks from a restaurant for the luxury-accustomed club members. But they liked it.
Silence. The singing of birds. The rustle of leaves and the splashing of carp in the water. And the funny cats, begging for treats. Initially, the landlady wanted to shoo away the fuzzy beggars, but…
One of the club members told her that she had no right to do that, as they were part of their leisure. And so the woman began to feed the cats and even dogs, as well as crows and pesky rooks. She planted bushes and a few trees along the fence. Soon, the house and its backyard palisade with tables turned into something resembling a thicket.
And the assortment of pipes grew—remarkably fast. She was ordering expensive, elite items. One might even say it was like ordering from a catalog. They cost a fortune, but holding them was sheer delight.
Before long, the exclusive club of millionaires—a club that outsiders could not join—slowly migrated to the little house out of town, with its wild thicket in the backyard.
A modest extension had long been built where chefs prepared delicious treats, and waiters, dressed immaculately, served the orders.
The waiters did not speak; they always listened in silence. That was yet another unique feature invented by the landlady. The millionaires liked it. They were listened to silently and with respect.
One very difficult and fussy old multi-millionaire became a regular at this establishment. All the club members feared her. Once a ruthless business owner, she had ruined more than one person. But now, all she desired was rest, attention, and quiet.
And in this place, she received all of that in abundance. On weekends, the shop was closed and operated exclusively for elite customers, who spent their time in the backyard conversing, smoking pipes, and eating…
The old lady befriended a skinny, tattered, dirty cat. The cat would climb onto the table and, sitting next to the millionaire, listened intently to her stories. In the morning, after taking her usual seat at the table and settling into her comfortable leather chair, the grandmother would call her beloved companion, and a long conversation about days gone by would ensue. But one day…
One day, the tattered, skinny, dirty cat vanished. The millionaire grandmother, not finding her beloved pet, threw a tantrum. She screamed and flung plates onto the floor. All the waiters, chefs, and the landlady tried to calm her down and explained that her beloved companion would soon reappear.
— «I’ve lost everything I could in this cursed world!» — the old lady screamed. — «And now you are depriving me of my last joy? Do you think I don’t pay enough?» And she, having pulled out a wad of money, threw it on the table. Then she collapsed into her chair, covering her face with her hands, and began to weep.
The landlady called five taxis and, seating almost all the waiters and cleaning ladies in them, she got into one herself. They went to search for the miserable, skinny cat. Through every shelter and trapping station, they drove all around the city.
And they found her at last! They found the cat in the very last, most dilapidated shelter, to which it had been brought the previous evening.
Taking out a wad of banknotes, the landlady forcefully shoved them into the hand of one of the workers and asked her to immediately fetch the unfortunate animal.
Mumbling something about the necessity to complete paperwork and receiving more money, the woman opened the cage and passed the dirty kitty from hand to hand, wondering what was so special about it.
The presentation of the cat into the hands of the millionaire grandmother was carried out with full pomp. Waiters, chefs, cleaning ladies, and the landlady walked along the path accompanied by music. All the seated patrons stood up and greeted them with applause.
The old lady jumped up and, dropping her pipe and purse of money, clutched her fluffy, skinny, and dirty treasure. Without a word, she rushed off with the cat in her arms to her car. And a week later…
A week later, the old lady reappeared accompanied by a gorgeous, delicately white beauty on a leash with a bow around her neck. Taking her rightful place, she said:
— «Mathilda, take your place.» And Mathilda, who until recently had been merely a tattered, dirty, skinny cat, sat on the table and purred. The grandmother, just in case, tied the leash to the chair and began to smoke her new pipe.
The other club members, observing this, started to bring in their own familiar cats and dogs, because…
Goodness knows, honestly. You might be a millionaire and a member of an elite club. But if you get used to that little furry rascal, and then one day you come and find it missing – that just won’t do. Because millionaires, they are not accustomed to such things.
Thus, the cats, dogs, and even a few crows were taken away and distributed to various homes. And the landlady had to urgently go to the trash bins to bring in new ones. But that wasn’t a problem, after all.
The cats stared in amazement at everything around them, hardly believing their eyes. Especially when they were fed such food that even some people wouldn’t dare try.
The place became very well-known.
However, it is absolutely impossible to get there on weekends. Everything is booked years in advance. Millionaires and the members of the elite club do not welcome outsiders. But at all other times…
Come, whoever you are. That is, of course, if you have enough money for expensive pipes and the appropriate cuisine. And maybe…
Maybe, if you impress the landlady, you might even be taken to the backyard and seated next to the little carp pond as an exception.
For regular visitors, there are tables in front of the house. And even there they do not shoo away the cats, dogs, and birds. And you will be able to enjoy the silence, the chirping, and the meowing. And also smoke your pipe in good health. And forget all your cares and worries. And you will surely want to visit this establishment again.
Don’t hesitate. Come with your pipe. The landlady is a kind woman and won’t say a word to you. She understands very well what it means to have no money.
Just order a cup of coffee and pet a cat. And I guarantee that a croissant and a couple of pastries will be brought to you on the house.
What am I talking about? Oh yes. The rich cry too.
But for some reason, I wish that the poor cried less.
Although, everyone has their own understanding. And it’s not for me to decide…
