The fruit seller opened the box, revealing a small face with eyes so big and frightened they appeared ready to spill over like two giant drops.
“Hasn’t eaten anything. Probably taken away from its mother and tossed aside. Its fur is matted because it lived in a box full of plums.” The potential buyer walked away without a word. The man shook his head sorrowfully: “Even women have lost their sense of compassion.” But soon enough, she returned. “I can’t stop thinking about your kitten,” she said as she stretched out a cloth. “Wrap up the little one.”
“You’re taking it?” the man asked, overjoyed. He carefully wrapped the kitten and handed it to her as gently as if it was a baby. “You’re doing a good deed, a good deed. You’ll be rewarded,” he repeated.
She smiled indulgently. “Don’t think you’ve found a rescuer yet. I have no idea what my husband will think of this ‘gift.’ We might both end up on the street.” And she was right. The kitten didn’t fit in at home. Even though it was cleaned, fed, and cared for, it still looked pitiful and unwanted.
“What is that alien doing here?” her husband said with disdain, pushing the kitten away when it tried to climb onto his leg. Its claws scratching on the floor distracted them from their favorite show. Their new, expensive wallpaper was at risk. “Do we look like we need a mouse-catcher? Why do we need this in our one-bedroom apartment?” he scolded.
Holding the kitten by its scruff, he looked at it with a puzzled disdain. “Make sure it’s gone by tomorrow.” Val, the wife, regretted her decision, but the kitten’s tear-filled eyes looked up at her, its small paws kneading her leg, purring so loudly her heart began to soften. She bent down and petted it.
Encouraged by her touch, the kitten climbed into her arms, nuzzling its tiny nose into her warm palm. “You can’t offer kindness without experiencing it,” she recalled her mother’s words and felt reassured in her decision.
The phone rang: “Gran, come over for tea!”
Quietly, without disturbing her husband, Val slipped out. Her son lived just across the street. Katie was already at the door waving happily. Suddenly, a big black car swerved onto the curb. A child’s body flew into the air. Val froze, unable to scream or move. Her eyes, like a slow-motion camera, captured each frame: a woman lifted the girl, small hands clutched at the woman’s neck. She was alive! A man stumbled out of the car, drunk. Her son ran towards him, in uniform.
He fumbled, trying to draw his weapon, but was jolted by a scream: “No!” Val stood on the other side of the street, but in his mind, it seemed she was pushing him back with her outstretched hands.
People rushed over, blocked his path, and took the drunk driver away. Val couldn’t feel her legs. Was she walking, or was she carried? To Katie! A doctor was already examining and checking every bone. “Everything’s fine. No fractures, no serious injuries.”
“Then why isn’t she speaking?!” her daughter-in-law trembled with anxiety. “She’s just scared. She needs some distraction,” suggested the doctor.
“Right, right away.” Val rushed home, grabbed the kitten, explaining the incident to her husband as she left. She made it back in time; the ambulance hadn’t left. Fear filled the child’s eyes. Gently, she opened her little hands and slipped the kitten inside. Katie shifted her gaze; her fingers began to move, petting the soft fur. In return, she heard a gentle “Purrr.” “Purrsie,” the girl softly said. The doctor breathed a sigh of relief. Tears welled up in Val’s eyes – now she could let go.
Katie held onto the kitten. They spent the night at the hospital. In the morning, they were discharged: “The girl was lucky, like she was born with a silver spoon.” “Kindness returns to the kind,” Val whispered…
