The story of the cat

       Yesterday I went to a restaurant in Bachok, the small Malaysian town on the East Coast of Malaysia, where I live. There are not many restaurants that are closed or have air-conditioning in our place. Usually the weather is pleasantly warm and a ceiling fan is enough to keep it so. 

        A restaurant is typically an open space with a roof above it to protect everyone from the rains that fall abundantly in our region especially in the late evening and at night. 

        I had ordered nasi goreng, ayam kunyit, which is a classical dish of fried risce with chicken that is prepared with the powder of turmeric, a true delicacy, in my opinion.

         Shortly before the dish arrived, I felt a tap on my leg. It was a colorful cat with lovely eyes. The cat had just used her pat to gently tap my leg, to let me know she was there. Her look, straight into my eyes, told me her expectations of "please share a bit of your food with me"

The cat was so beautiful and the look in my eyes touched so much my heart, that as soon as my meal arrived, I shared a bit of the chicken with the cat. She ate it and soon a second cat, a black one, came and joined. A few times again, the colorful one tapped with one of her pats on my leg and each time I gave a small amount of meat to her and to the black cat who was watching with equally eager eyes from a distance. 

After awhile, it seemed that they got enough, and both of them laid down close to my chair, keeping me company throughout the meal. I was there with seven of my close family members, but I had not a clue why the cat had chosen me. 

Anyhow, I felt good about it and that is why I share the story of the cat here. I know that in a western world, cats do not belong in restaurants, and some Europeans would be irritated if they did. Here they are just a part of our life and if we manage to be gentle to them as we are to our fellow human beings, it brings us peace of mind and yes, a bit of happiness. 

And for the meat on my plate, I had plenty left and I certainly did not go hungry.😅

 PS: if you are not a cat lover or do not like the story above, I am sure it will still be possible for you to find something you really enjoy the archive  of this blog. It is filled with inspiring stories and reflections. Many thanks for reading .