Monkey Puzzle....

Yesterday, I was in Costa, buying a couple of frappachoccalatteccinos (I think the more letters in the word, the more they charge you), when I was poked in the side by a 3 ft monkey.

"Hello," he said politely, "I'm a monkey. Oo oo oo." (I think he just wanted to clarify, in case I mistook him for, say, a wee boy in a monkey costume.)

"So I see." I replied. "I didn't know they allowed monkeys in here."

"Oh it's ok. I'm with my mummy monkey." Behind him in the queue, mummy rolled her eyes, and I paid for my coffees.

But the monkey wasn't finished. He poked me again.

"Actually," he confided, "I'm a boy. I'm dressed as a monkey because it's my birthday today.. But it's me speaking."

"You're not a monkey?" I was amazed. "Well you certainly fooled me. How old are you?"

He held out a paw. "I'm George. I'm six now! Did you really think I was a monkey?"

"I certainly did. In fact, I was just going to buy you a banana, but you can have this instead." I handed over my change to him (all 50p of it) and wished him a happy birthday.

He was thrilled. You'd have thought I'd given him a tenner, and he said thank you more than once. As I left, he was trying to pay for his mother's coffee with the 50p coin....but the lady behind the counter told him they didn't take money from monkeys so he'd have to put it in his money box.

Later on that afternoon, as yet another customer moaned about having to wait 5 minutes for a prescription, and as one of my colleagues descended into a spiral of rage ( he can't get the huge mortgage he wants), it occurred to me that life must be so much nicer when all it takes to make you happy, is 50p. And a monkey suit.

Oo oo oo.....