I’m not really a cafe person (I’d never go into one unless I’ve been invited by someone).

However, any time that I DO go into a cafe, I’m always immediately hit with an intense feeling of nostalgia.

You see, I had a close friend who loved going to cafes and coffee shops. I met her at school, during my first year of high school. At first, I was kinda nervous around her, often choosing to avoid saying too much around her. She was much taller than I, she was nearly abnormally tall for a woman (seriously, she even towered over most men!).

It took a while of her talking to me before I opened up to her a bit more (there was even a misunderstanding in between all that!). It was only in my third year at high school that we started to hang out outside school.

Of course, it started off with visits to cafes (I always got hot chocolate, as I don’t drink tea or coffee, but didn’t want to seem out of place by ordering a cold drink). We often chatted about mundane things while we were in these cafes. It was simple, but I enjoyed it. I got to know her very well from these visits to the cafes. I even got to visit her favourite one a couple of times (which eventually grew to be my favourite one as well).

Her favourite cafe, (which was called ‘Restored’) always felt so warm and welcoming. It was like walking into an old friend’s house. They baked their own delicious cakes, buns and other various treats. However, an added string to this cafe’s (already very attractive) bow was that they made fudge. Not just wee cubes of fudge, but these HUGE slices of fudge! I always bought some each time my friend took me in there. It was AWESOME!

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. The cafe was sold and became a clothes shop instead, meaning that we had to find another cafe to start frequenting.

Currently, our quest for a new favourite cafe has been put on hold as of now. While the ongoing pandemic has a good bit to do with this, there was another reason as well. A rather sad one...

Last year, my friend was diagnosed with cancer. This news hit me harder than the news of my mum’s death. I was shocked and worried sick about my friend. She was a really good person who done a lot of fundraising for charity and was even a volunteer who helped people in poor countries. In addition, even when I was surrounded by her family, she treated me as if I was a part of her family, as opposed to just being a friend.

Now, every time I go into a cafe (regardless of who I’m with), I always think of her. She’s supported me through such hard times, now, it’s my turn to pay her back... :)