It was a cool Sunday evening. The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. As I trudged home from school down Wentworth Street, a ravenous hunger seized me and so I stopped at the Nora Café.

The café had a bright, green billboard with the words “Café Nora” and the café slogan embedded into the billboard in clear, bold, white letters. The café had a door that was coated in a fresh layer of white paint. In glittery, gold letters, the words “Happiness Is Homemade” were printed on the top of the door. A small blackboard was propped up against the wall of the café, with some of the most delicious foods in all of London written on it in a light, pink coloured chalk.

The moment, I stepped into the café, I was greeted by a lively, warm atmosphere. An aroma of freshly made coffee and chocolate chip cookies wafted through the air, making my mouth water. A soft, melodious music ran in the background, soothing to the exhausted mind.

A plump waitress wearing the green Nora Café apron handed me a copy of the menu and guided me to a round, brown table at the far corner of the café. The waitress had a kind smile on her face as she was walking me through the menu.

The waitress asked: “What would you like to order, madam?”

“Cheese sandwiches with fries and some water,” I said quickly, not having paid attention to any of the food items available.

“Excellent choice,” the waitress said and walked towards the kitchen.

When the waitress left, I noticed a bookshelf next to my table. The bookshelf was filled with all kinds of books, from mystery to science fiction. On top of the bookshelf was placed a small globe.

The prices were not exorbitant, but could not be called cheap either. The people seated on the tables around me seemed to be mostly middle class families. Most children entertained themselves in the playground at one of the far corners of the café. The playground had a bright, pink coloured door and a glass window, through which parents could see their children bouncing on the trampoline or playing on the swings. The children’s joyous laughter echoed through the air, as did the gentle buzz of their parents’ chatter.

At that moment, my order arrived. The sandwiches were freshly cooked and looked delicious. As I was chewing my first mouthful of the sandwich, my eyes travelled to a girl who had just entered the café. Her dress had once been a snow white colour, but was now pale yellow with smudges of brown dirt and filth on it. The dress was torn from the seams. The girl’s face was pale. She looked as though she had not eaten for days.

I closed my eyes, thinking that the girl would be shooed out as I had observed happening at other cafes. Instead, I opened my eyes to find that the kind waitress who had served me had brought the poor girl a green Nora Café box filled with delicacies. In the open box lay four sandwiches and some French fries.

That day I went home truly happy. It was that day that I decided that when I grew up, I would open a café of my own called “Happiness In A Box.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 22th, 2023