Adventures in Cat-Napping

Chapter 3.

Ali released a small sigh as he vacated the halal chicken shop.
He should have known.
He should have known that after six months of deceitfully claiming to look after the terror that was his daughter Leena's cat, something terrible would happen. Jerry Stokes had blamed the woman he had just met, so Ali had done the same, and now he needed her help.

Milton Keynes was a relatively unknown city to most, but being a location so close to London ensured that traffic was always a nightmare. The busy roads and blaring horns caused his spine to concave and shrink as he shoved his fists into his pockets. For the middle of March, most of the country had been blessed to have been spared from the rain, but not even the good weather could lift his spirits. Now, Ali was at wits ends to find his cat, and if he didn't, there would be hell to pay.

He ran his finger's through his thinning hair as he waited at the traffic light to turn red. It was almost 6 pm, and the bright glow of the sun reminded him that it would soon be time to pray. The benefit of living independently meant there was no one waiting for him at home, and so he crossed the road and moved in the direction towards the city centre, where locals he recognised were clustering outside of the mosque.

As a precaution, Ali always kept his state of purity, wudhu, and a prayer hat in his pocket, and so was quick to slide off his loafers and follow the men into the main prayer hall. His knee was aching from having spent the day walking without his brace, but he ignored the pain as he trekked up the stairs, and found his space.

It was apparent that the call to prayer had been made, and as each male joined the row, they each stood shoulder to shoulder, their minds clear of what troubled them, which momentarily included Billy the cat, as they raised their hands in joint prayer.

"Ali!"
A voice he recognised well called his name, and he turned to see Omar, a close friend from Ali's childhood, offer a wave from across the prayer hall. Waiting patiently, he returned the smile as the slightly elder man swayed towards him.

Age had been kind to Omar, unlike it had been to Ali. His hair was still mostly black, a rarity in those aged over 60, and his real, yellowed teeth glowed in the dim light as they shook hands. Unlike his older friend, Ali's body often ached, it was rare he could sleep a full night without visiting the bathroom, and his eye sight only seemed to worsen with each passing day. Despite what his Leena insisted however, he would refuse to use his walking stick and wear his glasses until it was an absolute necessity.

"How are you?" Omar asked as he met him, shaking his hand as he grinned, following his lead to source his shoes.

"Good, good thanks," Ali confirmed, "yourself? How's Saffiya, Hala?"

"Hala is good, we're about to become grandparents! Saffiya's due any day now" Omar claimed as Ali beamed his joy. He could only hope his smile hid the small ache in his chest, as he considered the absence of grandchildren in his own life, as Omar added; "Hala's gone to stay with Saffiya for the next few weeks....fancy going out for some tea?"

A quick glance told Ali an extra hour out wouldn't be intolerable, and so he nodded, following Omar's direction to the small Moroccan tea house that was stationed on the corner of the street.

Inside, the furniture of the cafe was designed with hints of Moroccan culture, and immediately Ali felt the sequins dig into his back as they seated themselves at a booth in the far corner, besides the table.
As they awaited the arrival of the waiter, Ali quickly exchanged his pillow, testing the firmness of the two available to him, before making himself comfortable; only to to see his eldest friend observing him with a small smile.

"What's that look for?" he asked, sliding hand sanitiser from his pocket to clean his hands before adding some to the table and wiping it with a napkin for good measure.