That's how memories are made

“Double espresso?” called the waiter, looking around the café’s patio area, expectantly. “Oh, yes please. That’s mine” Ella responded timidly, looking up from her book and raising her hand. Slightly doubting herself, she glanced around to make sure the drink was indeed hers and that she hadn’t just claimed someone else’s coffee. She felt reassured as the waiter nodded and moved towards her. Ella’s eyes followed him as he approached, stopping momentarily as she noticed an older lady smiling at her. Ella smiled back, with more confidence than usual. Something about this lady was comforting, almost welcoming. She was well-dressed with kindly eyes, and seemed friendlier than most of the strangers hurrying about the busy, city streets. Ella’s attention was brought back to her drink as the waiter placed it down firmly in front of her, before turning and heading back inside, not waiting to hear Ella’s quiet “thank you”.

Sipping her coffee and half-reading her book, Ella found her attention drifting as she took in her surroundings. There were posters haphazardly strapped to lampposts and bollards. One was torn and faded, advertising tickets for the “Greatest Circus on Earth”, which had long since ended. Another offered a reward for the safe return of a very glamorous looking Bichon Frise, Jelly. Ella thought they must really care to offer a $20,000 reward, although calling the poor thing Jelly could explain why it ran away! She smiled to herself, but then immediately felt bad about it. As she continued her observations (or what her mother referred to as nosiness), her attention was again drawn to the friendly lady sitting a few tables away. She seemed to be deep in thought, occasionally looking down to write something in the notebook in front of her. Whatever she was writing seemed to be important, as she didn’t break her concentration for the time that Ella observed her.

Returning to her reading for a moment, Ella was soon interrupted by the sound of a chair moving across the pavement. Looking up, she saw the lady was standing now. She gathered her things and took her purse out of her bag to pay the bill. Noticing Ella glancing towards her, she paused and smiled. Ella smiled awkwardly, then looked back to her book, feeling like she really was being nosy now and had been caught staring. Aware she was still being watched, she resisted the urge to look up. The lady approached Ella’s table and then paused. It seemed like forever before the silence was broken. “It’s a wonderful day, isn’t it?” the woman asked. “Oh, erm. I suppose it is. Yes” Ella responded, smiling timidly. “You be sure to make the most of it. That’s how memories are made” the lady said, warmly. “Thank you, I will do my best. I hope you do too” replied Ella, feeling slightly awkward about staring earlier. “I will my dear” said the lady, touching Ella’s hand comfortingly, before smiling and adding “I’ll see you soon”. She took her hand away, walking past Ella and heading towards the park.

Well that was…interesting, thought Ella. Just a turn of phrase I suppose, but she was certainly very friendly. Ella’s mind drifted as she wondered who the lady was, where she lived and what she did. She found herself wishing that she had the same confidence to engage in polite conversation with strangers, smiling and chatting rather than awkwardly avoiding eye contact. It wasn’t nosiness after all, you see, it was the desire to make a connection without the confidence to take a chance.

Realising she had finished her coffee, Ella decided it was time to head home. Packing her book away as she checked her surroundings, she took one more look towards the table where her day’s acquaintance had been seated. Then she saw it. Neatly placed on the table top, what looked like a small, black book. Ella walked over to the table and paused. Looking around the patio café, she half expected to see the lady heading back to claim her forgotten item. The place was quiet, much emptier than when Ella had arrived. She looked down at the book, what looked like a very well made notebook or diary. She brushed the cover and felt the luxurious finish. She stopped, only briefly, before opening the cover. She saw inscribed on the inside cover, in impossibly neat handwriting, an address. Recognising the street name, Ella realised it wasn’t far. Just the other side of the park. I should hand it in, she’ll definitely be back, Ella thought. Ella picked up the book and headed inside. The counter was empty, and the only people inside were a young couple busily chatting and laughing on a comfortable sofa. She waited for a moment, then thought back to her disappointment at not being friendlier when the lady spoke to her. That decided it, Ella would drop the book off herself, and it was virtually on the way home anyway. She turned, slid the notebook into her bag and set off with purpose.

Crossing over the road to reach the park, Ella hurriedly dodged between bicycles and taxi cabs. The park was always busy around the entrance and along the cobbled avenues during the afternoon, so Ella decided to walk through the quieter paths leading past the pond and the small wooded area. She passed by joggers and dog walkers, most of them seemingly engrossed in phone calls or listening to music. Ella didn’t like to do either when she was walking through the park, it was the birds she liked to listen to most of all. They sounded so beautiful and distracted her from her irrational fear of being kidnapped. It started with her mother saying she was worried Ella would be kidnapped when she moved to the city. She’d laughed it off at the time, but for some reason it stuck. Thanks mum, Ella thought as she tried to deliberately concentrate on less stressful thoughts. It didn’t work. The paths were getting quieter and the steady stream of people was thinning out, so Ella’s mind began to wander.

She was passing the pond now and heading towards the trees at the edge of the park. Just as she got past the first trees, she heard a strange noise. She stopped, wildly looking around at the tree line, her heart immediately beating faster. She waited in the silence, hearing her own heartbeat thudding in her ears. Then she heard it again, and this time saw something move. “What on earth is that” Ella said aloud, trying to keep her cool. She squinted and leant forward as she tried to see what it was, expecting that would magically help to clear the leaves out of the way and reveal the answer to her question. There it was again, slightly less movement this time. Ella looked about for reassurance, seeing that she wasn’t completely alone as people passed by in the distance. She began walking towards the trees cautiously, saying to herself over and over again that it’s probably just squirrels. It had sounded like them, a whimpering, squealing sound similar to ones she’d heard before. She was much closer now, and she could tell that whatever it was had sensed her presence. She stood still, waiting for the courage to push the leaves to one side and take a look. She took a deep breath, then reached out with her left arm. She was right-handed, so would keep that one ready to defend herself if something attacked her. Logic.

As Ella moved the leaves to one side she saw something white and furry on the ground in front of her. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t an albino squirrel. Not that size anyway! She saw it was an animal, but she couldn’t see its head. It was moving and pushing against the low branches with its legs, trying to free itself. She moved around the side of it, slowly. As she moved into position she saw it looking at her. It stopped moving and stopped making any kind of noise, for a moment. Then Ella realised. As it started to whimper more excitedly and wag its tail, she knew it was a dog. Ella exhaled the breath she had been holding since she first approached the bushes, with a huge sigh of relief. She smiled as the dog looked at her expectantly. She moved forwards, carefully trying not to startle it. She realised the dog had its head trapped under a low branch, caught on its collar. She knelt down next to the animal, stroking it reassuringly. She took a deep breath as she reached for the collar with one hand and the branch with her other. She took hold of the collar firmly so the dog didn’t run off as she freed it, before pushing the branch down and away to free the snag. As the dog was freed, he turned to Ella, wagging even more vigorously and licking her outstretched hand. “Good boy”, said Ella, noticing a tag on the collar. Taking her hand away from the appreciative licking and nuzzling, Ella reached for the tag and turned it over. She laughed out loud, snorting a little, as she read the name. “I think we need to get you home, Jelly” she giggled.

As the phone rang, Ella felt nervous. She waited and hoped there would be an answer. She liked dogs, but hadn’t really planned on looking after one she’d found in the park. Almost immediately, an exasperated voice asked “Yes, who is it?” “Erm, it’s Ella Heath. I have your dog I think. Jelly?”

After a very excitable phone call, it seemed like only minutes before a very emotional middle-aged couple appeared along the pathway, carrying a lead and beaming from ear to ear. Jelly began to get very excited so Ella let go of his collar. He bounded towards the couple and they were overcome with emotion as they embraced him. Ella smiled and slowly approached, feeling a little awkward about intruding on the moment. Looking up at Ella, the gentleman smiled and fastened the leash to Jelly’s collar, before standing to greet her. “Thank you so much, you have no idea how relived we were to get your call”. The man explained that they had been walking in the park two days ago when they noticed Jelly was missing. They had feared he had been stolen, and looked everywhere to no avail. Ella pointed to the trees and told them what she’d found. “It was nothing really, I’m just glad I could help” she said. “You’re very modest and very kind, we’re so grateful” the man’s partner added, “This is for you”. “What’s this?” Ella asked, looking at the card in the lady’s hand. “Just a token of our appreciation, it’s the reward we were offering”. “I...I can’t. It was nothing honestly” Ella protested, embarrassed by the whole situation. “Not at all. These days people don’t stop to take a moment for one another, to help out a stranger. We expected the worst but you have really shown us the best. So please, we insist”.

After another few attempts to refuse the reward, Ella begrudgingly accepted. She explained that she was heading to return the notebook so it really was fortunate that she had been in the park at all. Ella kneeled to stroke Jelly once more, before preparing to leave. Ella said goodbye and then added “can I just ask, why Jelly?” The couple looked at each other and laughed, responding “it’s not easily forgotten, that’s for sure!”

As Ella departed, she opened her bag to place the card inside and took the notebook out to remind herself of the address. As she opened it, the page fell open on what seemed to be the last page the lady had been writing on. She stared at it, not quite believing what was written. “That’s how memories are made. See you soon dear.”