The Spade Coffee

Chapter 9 : Timelapses

The shelter

It was the fourth of January, and the most anticipated day for Marco, he and Ace would finally visit the shelter to adopt a cat. Marco was waiting, in one of the booths of the coffee, for Ace to finish the decoration of the cupcakes. After that, they were going straight to the shelter, Marco was feeling like when he was a kid the morning of Christmas.

He was looking at the shelter post on cats while Ace approached the table. "Marco, you ready?"

"Yeah." He responded enthusiastically, and stood up.

Ace couldn't stop himself from chuckling, seeing Marco behaving like that. He waved his hand to Deuce, and they left the coffee shop.

Marco parked in the parking lot of the refuge, and they went to the reception. Ace recognized the young man wearing a t-shirt with the image of reindeer on it, who was behind the counter. "Chopper" He called him.

"Ace" The guy recognized him, he went around the counter and hugged him.

"Hey, Chopper. How are you?"

"I'm fine, and you?"

"Same."

"So, what's bring you here, today?" Chopper asked.

Marco stepped forward "We came to look for a cat"

"Oh Marco, I didn't see you. I suppose it's for you then." Chopper called someone who was in the office behind to cover for him at the counter.

Chopper made them leave the reception and they went to the left side of the building.

The shelter was laid out in a U shape. The dogs were housed in the left wing, which overlooked a large yard divided into several sections by gates. The main wing consisted of the reception area, with an office and break room attached, as well as a veterinary office that was behind the reception area and connected to the two peripheral wings by a corridor. The right wing was dedicated to cats, with three rooms, and a special room for kittens at the beginning of the corridor. All the rooms had access to an outside area that was their own.

At first, Ace had thought of waiting for Marco by playing with the kittens, but he had asked him to come with him. The implication that Marco wanted to choose a cat that would appeal to Ace as well was passed over. Chopper took them to the first room. He explained the rules they had to follow before opening the door and leaving them alone.

Ace and Marco spent some time in the first room, but they chose to look around the other rooms before deciding. In the second room, Marco went to see the cats that were outside, he decided to sit on the floor and let the cats come to him, while he waited for a cat to be interested in him Marco watched Ace through the window playing with a cat and a string.

He felt the tip of a cat's nose sniffing his hand, Marco did not move, and looked out of the corner of his eye, a white ginger tabby cat with white and blond hair and green eyes, when he noticed that Marco watched him the young cat rushed to hide behind another cat. The other cat, lying in a ball, barely raised its head when the other cat stepped on it.

The first cat came back to Marco and he let him sniff his hand again. After a good ten seconds, the cat came closer and put its front paw on Marco's thigh, and since this one did not push him away, it climbed on his legs. The cat put its front paws on Marco's chest, who slowly brought his hand closer and caressed it behind the ears. After a while, the cat lay down on his lap and as Marco stopped caressing it, it raised its head and meowed in his direction.

Marco resumed his caresses, while the cat took his ease, the other cat behind which he had hidden, came closer, sniffed Marco and returned to his corner to lie down again.