"C Cafe captures the essence of Civic Centre. Cuisine. Celebration."
[Photo By KPA - "After the Storm with a Starbucks and New York Stories"]
I frequently go to the small cafe photographed above, the C Cafe, in Mississauga's Celebration Square, where I have my daily doses of coffee (two cups, Starbucks) and a sandwich. I've posted on Celebration Square before, where I've described outgoing mayor Hazel McCallion's contributions to this city, which includes this Square.
I go to the C Cafe to read, and currently it is to read my book of short stories, New York Stories.
The last story I read from that collection is O. Henry's The Making of a New Yorker. Without giving too much away, it is about a man, Raggles.
Besides many things, Raggles was a poet. He was called a tramp; but that was only an elliptical way of saying that he was a philosopher, an artist, a traveler, a naturalist, and a discoverer. But most of all he was a poet.Raggles finally succumbs to the unique charms of this great big city. He's seen them all: Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, New Orleans, and was won over by all of them (or won them all over). But with New York:
He was defeated puzzled, discomfited, frightened. Other cities had been to him as long primers to read; as country maidens quickly to fathom; as send-price-of-subscription-with-answer rebuses to solve; as oyster cocktails to swallow; but her was one as cold, glittering, serene, impossible as a four-carat diamond in a window to a lover outside fingering damply in his pocket his ribbon-counter salary.Here is the full (short) short story, online.
Out-going Mayor Hazel McCallion, with members of the City Council
At the opening of C Cafe, in October 2012
I took the top photo early in the morning. There had been a storm the night before, and the cafe's staff had moved the chairs and tables to the far end by the wall to allow the floor and chairs to dry down. The awning was also rolled up. By the time I got there, the sun was peaking through the clouds. I asked the waitress to roll down the awning (all by remote control). The chairs were still stacked close together. I arranged my chair and table near the front. I was the only one there for a while, peacefully reading The Making of a New Yorker.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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