by James Bowen
So what was different tonight? The truth was, nothing really. Yes, the food was being served on fine china and the wine was a very good vintage. But certainly as far as Bob was concerned, it didn’t matter.
To Bob it was of absolutely no significance whether we were in a five-star hotel or a fifth-floor flat. It didn’t matter whether I had fifty pence or fifty pounds in my pocket.
Money, wealth, whatever you want to call it, is a transient thing. It comes and it goes. We all go through periods of feast and famine. Times when we feel – financially, at least – rich and poor. But that is only ever part of the picture.
Money doesn’t give us the most important things of all in life. It certainly doesn’t buy us love.
As we ate like kings in our Tokyo suite, I gave Bob a little ruffle. Even if I was to end up back on the street, I would still be a rich man.
As long as I had him with me.
Acknowledgements
I coudn’t possibly let a book like this end without drawing on another piece of wisdom that I’ve picked up during my time with Bob: the importance of saying thank you. It’s been six years now since my first, tentative steps into the world of publishing. Back in 2012, when A Street Cat Named Bob was first published, I was more than a little daunted by it all. But now – half a dozen books later – each new project seems like a reunion with old and trusted friends. That’s certainly the case with Rowena Webb, my publisher at Hodder and Stoughton, who first took me on all those years ago and whose idea has now provided the spark for this book. She therefore must get my first thanks. I’d also like to single out Kerry Hood, Rosie Stephen, Ian Wong and the rest of the talented team at Hodder, as well as Dan Williams for his adorable illustrations. Thanks must also go to my agent Lesley Thorne and everyone at Aitken Alexander for all the work they do on my behalf. I really appreciate it. Last – but definitely not least – I must again thank Garry Jenkins, who has been on this journey the longest of all, since Bob and I first met him on a wintry day outside the Angel, Islington in December 2010, in fact. Somehow, he always manages to find the right words – although, I suspect, even he probably doesn’t have enough of them to sum up the debt of gratitude I owe him. So I’ll end where I began, by just saying thank you.
To find out more about James and Bob, visit their website at
www.streetcatbob.world
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