Elizabeth by Anastasia Shvets

It was a sunny, slightly cloudy morning

when Elizabeth decided to take a walk around the city. She walked between various squares and streets, enjoying the spring weather of May. Suddenly, the sky became overcast and a downpour began. Elizabeth muttered under her breath that she was so careless and thoughtless. She had to check the morning weather forecast again because it could change a million times a day. Fortunately, just around the corner was a café, where a diamond-coloured signboard had the words "At Jeanine's" written in calligraphic gold letters. The girl ran inside, shivering from the cold because she was wearing only a light lace dress and ballet flats on a low platform.

- Good afternoon, lady - a friendly male waiter approached the visitor - Unpredictable weather, eh?

-  Ohhh … How unpredictable! - Elizabeth smiled slightly.

- May I show you a seat so you can look at our menu? - the young man pointed to the space with the tables.

- That's a great idea! Of course, with pleasure! - the girl followed the waiter and sat down at the table.

The interior was just amazing. Cosiness and attention to detail were felt everywhere. The tables were decorated with small elegant vases with fresh flowers on a beautiful white tablecloth. The waiter brought the menu and a blanket so that lady could warm up. It was still raining outside and the drops didn't think to end, so Elizabeth settled more comfortably on a cosy cushion on a chair and unfolded the menu, which immediately listed many of the café's items. Latte, Espresso, Raf, Cappuccino, Mocha, Flat white with different types of milk (coconut, almond, banana, lactose-free). You can add honey or whipped cream to your coffee, as well as cocktail cherries, Oreo cookie crumbs, cinnamon, or various toppings (caramel, chocolate, salted caramel, gingerbread, vanilla, hazelnut, sweet pear). There were also cocoa with marshmallows and hot chocolate (white, black, milk, mix of two or three of them). The girl's eyes widened when she saw such a wide variety of hot drinks on offer. Talking about desserts, you would definitely want to try each of them. Elizabeth was sitting not far from the dessert rack and through the transparent glass she could see how the shelves were filled with what was written on the menu: nuts and tubes with condensed milk inside, raspberry brownies, Napoleon, Esterhazy, meringue, marshmallows (blueberry, strawberry and orange), mango and caramel mousse cakes, cheesecakes, chocolate lemon-peach cake, strawberry cupcakes and many other incredible tasty dishes for sweet teeth people. The girl managed to get confused among all the goodies, but eventually, she thought of ordering pistachio-raspberry cake and hot milk-white chocolate with cream and marshmallows. She gestured to the waiter when their eyes met. After placing her order, Elizabeth wrapped herself better in a blanket and waited for it to be prepared. After a certain period of time, the young man brought the dessert and drink and wished her a good tasting. The smell of chocolate was very pleasant and exuded cosiness. Elizabeth began to remember how, before her mother died, the whole family had gathered at the table and enjoyed orange pie with hot chocolate and marshmallows. And the smell wafting from the mug brought back memories. Her mother had passed away five years ago, but this scar of loss had not healed. She would like so much to turn back the years to those happy moments, where there was only peace and happiness. Having finished with dessert and a drink, Elizabeth paid for the bill and gave the waiter tea. The weather became better, and the sun came out again. The girl went out into the city and took a deep breath of the rainy fresh air. Her soul felt lighter, and her sadness gradually let go. Looking up at the sky, where the sun was playing with its rays, she whispered through a smile: "I love you, mummy, very much. I know that you are always near." Slowly, bypassing familiar streets, Elizabeth headed home, where her fluffy maltipoo, her the best friend whose name is Biscuit, was waiting for her.