Alexandra met Arthur on the bus. She was riding home, utterly exhausted from work, and to make matters worse, there were no seats available. Alexandra was practically hanging onto the handrail to avoid collapsing onto the floor. With her heavy work schedule, had she fallen, she might have just fallen asleep there.
Arthur noticed the tired young woman, stood up from his seat, and offered it to her. Alexandra was so grateful to him. Then, as luck would have it, the seat next to her became available, and he sat down beside her.
Neither of them realized how easily they were chatting away. Alexandra shared that she worked as a nursery teacher, and unfortunately, both the assistant teacher and the nanny had fallen sick, leaving her to handle two shifts by herself.
“I realize I’m not working in a factory, and the job isn’t exactly difficult, but by the evening, I’m so tired I can hardly make it home,” she confided.
“Well, don’t say that,” Arthur laughed. “I can’t even imagine working with kids. They’re like little monsters!”
Alexandra laughed.
“I love children. They’re so genuine! And when they hug you so tightly… But yes, they can be quite exhausting,” she said, laughing again.
“I’d rather unload trucks than keep an eye on children,” Arthur chuckled. “You’ve got a very important job. Kids are so energetic and curious! What a killer combination!”
Their conversation was so engaging that Alexandra almost missed her stop. Arthur quickly asked for her phone number, which she gladly gave him.
Then began the romance. Alexandra and Arthur spent a lot of time walking, going to the cinema, and attending exhibitions. It turned out they both loved the theater.
“I never thought I’d meet someone as passionate about theater as I am!” Alexandra exclaimed joyfully. “Theater doesn’t seem to be in fashion these days.”
“Theater will never go out of fashion,” Arthur countered.
They had a wonderful relationship. Arthur seemed caring and kind. However, it became apparent that he didn’t like animals. In fact, he found them repulsive.
One day, while they were walking, a kitten approached them. It was friendly and adorable. It started rubbing against Arthur, and he angrily kicked it, making it yelp.
“What are you doing?” Alexandra rushed to the kitten. “Why would you do that?”
“Don’t touch it!” Arthur grimaced. “Who knows what it’s carrying. And now it’s left its fur on me!”
That evening, Arthur didn’t understand why Alexandra was upset. Eventually, she expressed her feelings.
“You can’t treat those weaker than you like that!”
“What are you talking about?” he asked, genuinely puzzled, having already forgotten about the kitten.
“You kicked a helpless kitten today! A small creature that’s already in danger. Don’t you feel sorry for it?”
Arthur just snorted. Why get upset over such nonsense?
“I’m concerned for myself! Stray animals are often sick! Why should I pity it? If I started feeling sorry for every stray cat and dog, I’d go mad.”
Alexandra struggled with his remarks. She didn’t think everyone had to love animals or try to save them. Although she had a cat she rescued as a kitten from a pack of stray dogs, she didn’t believe everyone had to be so compassionate. Not loving animals was one thing, but hurting them was unacceptable.
They stopped talking for a while, but eventually, the hurt faded, and Alexandra reconsidered her reaction. Overall, Arthur was satisfactory to her. He was caring, smart, and interesting. As for animals… maybe he just never had a pet and didn’t understand the joy they bring.
As it happened, Alexandra took a long time before inviting Arthur to her place. They usually met outside or at his. But she decided to show she was a good hostess and invited him over for dinner. He happily accepted.
As soon as Arthur stepped into the hallway, Donut, the cat Alexandra had rescued, approached him. Donut wasn’t the timid, scared kitten he once was. Now, he was plump and lazy, and despite the stereotype of unfriendly cats, he loved guests. He greeted everyone as if they were there just for him.
Arthur grimaced immediately. He wanted to shove the cat aside but remembered how Alexandra reacted when he kicked the kitten.
Instead, Arthur simply said “shoo,” without offering Donut any affection.
The evening was going well, but Arthur was bothered by the cat constantly lurking in the kitchen. It was unacceptable to him. After all, it shed fur and had no business being in the house.
When Donut leaped onto his lap, accustomed to being adored, Arthur lost his patience and shoved him so hard the cat tumbled toward the fridge.
“Be gentle, Arthur,” Alexandra said, picking up the cat.
“I don’t like animals,” Arthur barked. “I’ve told you that already.”
“I know,” Alexandra replied, kissing the fluffy cat. “But that doesn’t give you the right to harm him.”
“If he doesn’t bother me, I won’t bother him,” Arthur declared firmly.
After that, Alexandra had no desire to invite Arthur over again. She was worried about Donut and didn’t want to argue with Arthur.
Eventually, it became clear that Arthur disliked more than just animals. Their first conversation on the bus, when Alexandra mentioned her job as a nursery teacher, seemed like a joke to her. But soon, she realized Arthur wasn’t kidding about preferring to unload trucks rather than work with children.
He didn’t like kids either. One time he came to pick her up from work, and some of her young students hadn’t been collected by their parents yet. They were playing in the yard when one of the boys ran up to Arthur, eager to show off a toy car.
“Get away from me,” Arthur snapped.
Alexandra scolded him, insisting it was inappropriate behavior. He simply shrugged.
“Why should I have to put up with some kid? What’s so great about children anyway? They’re foolish and uninteresting. If I don’t want to look at his toy car, should I pretend otherwise?”
Alexandra grew increasingly uneasy. She wasn’t saying everyone had to love children and animals. But to express disdain and hatred so openly… It seemed to her that such a person couldn’t truly love anyone.
Arthur, on the other hand, believed everything was fine between them. So, after six months, he shocked Alexandra by proposing they move in together.
“We’ve been together long enough; why not live together? Besides, you’re renting, and I own my place. It’s a good deal, isn’t it?” he said with a smile.
“I’ll think about it,” she replied, taken aback.
“But I assume you understand that I don’t want the cat around. Give him to someone else,” he added nonchalantly.
Alexandra stopped in her tracks. They were strolling along the promenade, the weather was lovely, and everything seemed perfect until that one comment ruined the evening.
“What are you suggesting?” she asked. “I love Donut, he’s been with me for three years. And I’m just supposed to get rid of him?”
“Well, knowing you, I’m sure you won’t just throw him out,” Arthur laughed. “Just give him to someone.”
Alexandra chuckled bitterly.
“What if I had a child? Would you ask me to give them away? You don’t like kids either.”
“Oh, don’t exaggerate,” Arthur smirked. “Besides, if you had a child, we wouldn’t be together. You should have children together, and even then, later on. Other people’s kids are a burden. Just like pets.”
Alexandra shook her head. Yes, she was in love with Arthur, but she couldn’t accept his views. She wouldn’t be happy with him. There was a coldness or perhaps cruelty in his heart. Such a person was unlikely to become a tender father, adopt a pet, or show future children what kindness truly meant.
“Arthur,” Alexandra said, taking a deep breath, “I can’t move in with you.”
“Because of a cat?!” he asked, surprised.
“In part. But also because of our different views on life. I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if we part ways.”
Arthur never could understand Alexandra’s perspective. He hadn’t lied to her, always spoke the truth. And he didn’t believe she truly loved her students and cared so much about some furry creature. Ultimately, he convinced himself there was another reason, maybe infidelity.
This thought allowed Arthur to direct his resentment towards Alexandra as well. Sadly, this bitterness would likely linger on.
