The fruit seller opened the box. A little face peeked out, its big, frightened eyes seeming ready to spill out in two giant teardrops any moment.
“She’s not eating anything. Probably torn away from her mother and tossed out. Her fur’s all matted because she was living in a box meant for plums,” he remarked.
The woman shopping said nothing and walked away. The man shook his head sorrowfully, “Not even women have compassion anymore.” But a little later, she returned.
“I can’t stop thinking about your kitten,” she said, handing him a cloth. “Wrap it up.”
“You’re taking her?” the man asked eagerly. He wrapped the kitten carefully and handed it to the woman as if it were a baby.
“It’s the right thing to do, the righteous thing. You’ll be rewarded,” he kept repeating.
The woman smiled wryly, “Don’t go thinking I’m some savior. I don’t even know how my husband will react to this ‘gift.’ We might both end up on the street.”
She had a point. The kitten wasn’t any more welcome at their home. Even though it was cleaned, groomed, and fed, it still looked miserable and scruffy.
“What is this alien?” her husband sneered, pushing the kitten away when it tried to climb up his leg. The suspicious scratching of claws pulled the couple’s attention from their TV show. Their new, expensive wallpaper was at risk.
“Have we got a mouse problem we need this for? Why do we need a cat in a one-bedroom flat?” he scolded his wife.
Picking the kitten up by the scruff, he looked disdainfully at the helpless creature dangling from his hand. “Make sure it’s gone by tomorrow.”
Alice already regretted finding the kitten. But those teary eyes looked up at her, tiny paws kneading her leg for attention, purring so sweetly that a warm stream of compassion trickled into her heart. She bent down and stroked it.
Encouraged by the affection, the kitten climbed into her arms, pressing its nose into her warm palm. “No kindness unreturned,” Alice remembered her mother’s words and felt peace with her decision.
The phone rang: “Gran, come over for tea!”
Alice quietly slipped out the door so as not to disturb her husband from his show. Her son lived just across the street. Lucy stood outside her house waving excitedly. Suddenly, a big black car veered onto the pavement. The little girl was thrown into the air. Alice froze. She couldn’t scream or move.
Her eyes, like a slow-motion camera, absorbed every frame: a woman picked up the girl. Tiny arms clamped around her neck. Alive! A man stumbled out of the car. Drunk. Her son, in uniform, rushed over. He fumbled with his holster, trying to retrieve his weapon but was stopped by a shout: “No!!!”
His mother stood across the street, but it seemed to him she was pushing him back with her outstretched arms.
People ran over, blocked his path, and took the drunk driver away. Alice barely felt her own feet as she moved… or was she carried? To Lucy! A doctor was already examining her, feeling each little bone: “Everything’s alright. No fractures. Nothing serious.”
“But why won’t she speak?!” her daughter-in-law trembled with fear.
“She’s in shock. We need to distract her,” the doctor suggested.
“Wait, I know what will help.”
Alice rushed home. She dashed in, grabbed the kitten, explaining to her husband what had happened on the way out. She was back just in time. The ambulance hadn’t left yet. Fear filled the child’s eyes. Gently, Alice unclasped her hands and placed the kitten inside them. Lucy watched. Her fingers twitched, stroking the soft fur. In response, came a gentle “Purr-purr-purr.” “Mittens,” the girl whispered softly. The doctor sighed in relief. Alice finally gave in to her tears—now it was okay.
Lucy wouldn’t let go of the kitten. They spent the night at the hospital. In the morning, they were allowed to go home with the doctor’s reassurance: “The girl was just plain lucky.”
“Kindness begets kindness,” Alice whispered.
