Before I scribble about my last visit to The Hope Café, I need to share a delightful ‘You Tube’ link, courtesy of my Greek dentist Rachil. I sent her PC 360 ‘Kaftans, Mimi & Toutou’ as two Greek singers were mentioned in the first part, Nana Mouskouri and Demis Rousos. You can watch them singing a duet, wearing Kaftans, at https://youtu.be/YqtT7fICQFY?si=N61nnthnpzD2-2U6
The first thing I notice when I push open the door of The Hope Café is that Josh, the barista who’s always there, is absent. Libby is manning (womaning doesn’t seem right?) the counter, but Duncan sees me and greets me in the middle of the floor.
“Afternoon Richard, glad I was here to see you as Josh wanted me to give you his best wishes and hopes to be back at some time.”
“At some time? Where’s he gone?”
“You remember back in March 2022 in PC 273 ‘Stories to Tell’ you wrote how Josh had told you his grandparents had escaped the persecution of the Jews in Ukraine in 1938 and fled to England ……”
“Yes! Absolutely! Oh! No! He’s not flown to Israel and joined the Army?”
“He has. He was watching the videos of the indiscriminate Hamas slaughter of 1400 Israelis, the young, the old, the babies and the festival goers, and those taken hostage in early October and sensed that he should do his bit to protect the country that was founded after The Holocaust.”
“Isn’t it amazing …. There’s no other nation on earth where individuals in its diaspora would have heard the unsounded call to leave their safe lives, family and jobs and travel to their mother country and sign up.”
“The whole situation, the Hamas slaughter and the subsequent huge loss of life in Gaza is so so sad, although here the country seems split on generational lines as to who to support, the young siding with the Palestinians and the older age group saying: “But what do you make of the Hamas spokesman who says we will repeat the attacks of 7th October again and again until Israel is annihilated?”
“Maybe we should keep a lit candle on the counter, until Josh returns?”
“Good idea! Libby’s been in touch with Susie and she’s going to finish off her Gap Year in Melbourne, not go to Western Australia, and return by the end of the year. So we’ll just muddle through without Josh until then.”
“I have an idea. You know I do hot yoga? Well, the other day I was talking to Kate, another aficionado and Hot Yoga teacher, who, it transpires, is a bus driver on the tourist route to Eastbourne. This is a seasonal job and she’s just finished for the winter months. Let me ask her whether she could stand in for Josh; she lives down by Hove Lagoon so not far. If she’s enthusiastic I’ll get her to call you.”
“That would be great. Before you go, how is the triptych coming on, you know, the one you promised by Christmas?”
“Er! Well, the idea’s taking shape, I just need to draw it out and then apply some paint! Don’t worry!”
I see Mo having a Latte, step over to her table and ask how she is.
“Loving the new layout and can’t resist some of the goodies from Teresa’s Brazilian Deli!”
“Ah! Yes. Difficult to stop them becoming a habit.”
“Can I buy you a slice of Queijadinha?”
“No! Please. I do not need another centimetre or two on my waistline!”
“Did Duncan tell you about Josh? He’s my daughter’s age and now he’s gone to assist in the defence of Israel, poor boy! Poor parents! I know from my history that there was nowhere else for the homeless Jews at the end of the second world war, those that hadn’t been exterminated in the concentration camps. Today, 75 years later, and Israel’s the only truly democratic country in the Middle East and it’s surrounded by countries who challenge its existence.”
Mo and I exchange views about The Middle East for some 30 minutes before ……
“It’s tragic whichever way you look at it. Let’s talk about less destressing stuff! Can’t see Sami and Lisa?”
“They were here earlier in the week and I think they have gone up to Derbyshire to get her house ready for renting.”
“Where is it? In Folding over Sheet?”
“Yes and now Sami’s got his compensation after the Post Office debacle they are going to buy something together down here. Seems to make sense. Incidentally I saw some of Sami and Lisa’s photos of their two weeks in the Maldives ……. I won’t spoil it for you as I know they’ll want to show you but what a serene and beautiful place. Did you know it’s at risk from rising sea levels due to climate change? If you’ve never been you need to go soon!”
“Incidentally, as you know, I love trivia – well trivia to some (!) but I read the other day that of those who were born globally between 1930 and 1946, only 1% are still alive.”
“Sorry! Run that past me again ….”
“Records of global births and deaths are difficult to ascertain, with data collections hugely unreliable in some places, but it’s claimed that of all the individuals born between 1930 and 1946, only one percent are still alive (aged between 77 and 93)! I did find out that 90 million people were born globally in 1950 and then 140 million in 2020 but this is probably completely irrelevant!”
“Think you should do more research then this weird percentage could become more interesting. Where are these 1% for instance?”
“Before I go, Mo, I think I’m going to introduce Robert Silcock, over there on the counter by the window, to Lisa when she’s next in. I know Robert struggles with the social aspect of life and, given her own journalistic background, she could give him some encouragement.”
“Good idea! See you next time! Big kiss!”
Richard 17th November 2023
Hove
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