In this small town resides a special cat. She spends her days lounging in the only record shop there. She’s young and yet wiser than many of the older cats because of her memory from her previous lives.
Most days at the shop are quiet and ordinary, just perfect. People come and go, so the cat can’t help but be intrigued by the scene in front of her. Outside, a young boy curiously lingers around the store. He places his small hands against the cool glass window, which will surely leave hand prints behind. His face is red from the cold weather but his eyes are warm and bright as he intensely stares at the polished turntable on the front counter. Staring too long, he forcibly pries his eyes away and runs off.
This cycle continues for weeks until one day the young boy steps inside the shop. He shyly waddles to the front counter, thoroughly inspecting the turntable. Seeming satisfied, the boy turns to the owner behind the counter and confidently hands him a $2 bill. The old man chuckles endearingly at the silly proposal. It breaks the old man’s heart when he tells the child that this is not enough money. And just like that, the boy stopped visiting the shop.
Many years pass and the old man’s condition worsens with age. The cat is no better. The shop is not profiting as much as it used to and no one wants to buy the establishment. Seasons change and the days only get longer and gloomier, barely making ends meet. And thus, the first day of winter arrives again.
Abruptly, the front doors of the shop swing open, hitting the two with a wave of coldness. Standing at the entrance is a tall man who feels a little too familiar to the cat. It’s the $2 bill boy (as she likes to call him). He exchanged his overalls for a pristine black suit. He’s grown into his features but his eyes glimmer the same way they did years ago. The old man doesn’t seem to recognize him.
Without an introduction, the man pulls out and sets his brief case onto the counter. Upon opening the brief case, stacks of cash blind the old man, leaving him speechless. He picks up a nearby turntable and with the biggest smile on his face, he says, “I’d like to purchase this turntable,”A beat of silence passes. “And I’d like to purchase this shop.”
Tears fall from the old man’s eyes as he continuously chants his gratitude. He can finally rest at ease. And the cat wonders, she wouldn’t mind spending her next life with the $2 bill boy by her side. I mean he does give good stomach rubs.