A 'Purr'fect day!

One thing that I usually like to do on vacations is to try and visit the bookstore in the neighborhood. As a bookworm, browsing through the titles at bookstores is one of my favorite pastimes. Eventually I'd end up buying a book or two as I consider it quite rude to walk out of a bookstore without buying anything. 

Recently at Mendocino, I visited The Gallery bookshop which was a couple of minutes away from my Inn. I was told by the owner of the Inn that this bookstore had a lovable cat and customers could spend time with it Being a Cat lover, I was delighted to hear this. To be able to stroke a cat and gaze at the titles at the same time, sounded like a perfect evening. The bookstore was located right opposite the ocean and I could hear the sound of waves while I stood outside, waiting to be let in by the staff. 

After a few minutes, I was greeted by a friendly lady. I walked over to the staff recommendations section and began to browse a few titles, keeping a sharp lookout for the cat. I spotted Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell on the November picks list. I engaged with the staff about its reviews, stating that I had read her earlier works and quite liked them. They said it was a gripping read and I made a note to read it when I got back home. With my Fall semester at University coming to and end and Winter break around the corner, I decided to procure a few books from the store. 

The bookstore is a world where I get so immersed in the display of titles that I forget the real world around me. I decided to choose from different genres and books from where I could learn some crafts and techniques that I could apply to my own writing as well. 

I picked up The Sisters of the Winterhood which belonged to the fantasy genre-something that I haven't read in a while. 

The Bridegroom by Ha Jin looked interesting as I had read his earlier work titled Waiting which I really liked. 

Since I had read a book around Istanbul, I was keen to buy My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk-an author whose works I had been waiting to read for a while. 

Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood was another title that found it way into my bag as I had read Moral Disorder this semester. 

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf was another classic which was highly recommended by my professor. I also picked a PG Wodehouse book as it had been ages since I read one. Besides I love the humor and hope to incorporate humor in my writings. 

After selecting a couple of more titles, I headed towards the billing counter. I looked around the store and was a little disappointed about not having spotted the Cat. I asked the staff about it. 

"Oh he must be about somewhere. Did you not see him? He usually likes to roam around."

I shook my head sadly. 

Just then I heard another staff call out in her soft voice. "Are you looking for the cat? He is here, on the counter." 

I turned around. To my delight, I spotted him standing on the counter in a majestic manner. His black and white fur glowed under the lights and his eyes were bright green. They called him The Great Catsby, inspired from The Great Gatsby-incidentally one of my favorite reads. There is an interesting story about how he became a part of the bookstore. Aparently, he had found an open window of a car where he hitched a ride to the village of Mendocino. A friend of the bookstore staff picked him and had taken him to the store where he was offered a job of the bookstore cat.  He usually finds his place amidst the shelves, glares at dogs and allows customers to pet him, depending on his mood. 

Now cats are known to be moody and I have often found this unfair comparison to dogs. I believed that humans were equally moody beings so why can't cats have their space and time? Fortunately for me, Catsby was in a good mood that day. He allowed me to gently stroke his fur, tickle his head while he purred. I usually keep off the tail as I know how cats get annoyed when someone touches them. Its like somebody tugging your hair, which can get irritating. While stroking Catsby, I was transported to the time when I was two years old. 

I was in Thailand where I had spent my formative years before I came to India. At our home, we had a Siamese cat and her kittens which had found themselves a cozy corner in our Verandah. They would sneak inside the house whenever they got a chance. I was fascinated by their appearance and found a playmate in them. I'd pick up one of the kittens and bring it inside the house much to the Cat's chagrin. It would follow me inside until it realized that I was just a little girl looking for some company. Gradually a trust established between us and it allowed me to carry its young one in my tender hands. They became my friends and I missed them terribly when I moved to India. We never had a pet in our home, though sometimes I wished we did. In India, people seem to prefer dogs than cats. Though I like dogs, I am more of a Cat person. 

It was a treat to be able to spend some precious moments with the bookstore cat. Lazily, it sat on the counter, half closing its eyes while I continued stroking it. I noticed from the windows that the sky had turned pink and the sun had disappeared behind the clouds. It was time for the bookstore to close and for me to get back to the Inn. After a parting pat and bidding goodbye to the staff, I walked to my Inn. 

I listened to the waves roar and a cold breeze tugged my hair. I smiled as I clutched the bag of purchases. It had indeed been a day well spent. If I had to summarize it in the cat language, I'd call it a purr fact day!