His daughter fell asleep listening to the story of the cat who singlehandedly changed its owner from an ordinary man to a king. As he closed the door of her bedroom, he couldn’t help but think deeply about the children’s tale. Why did the cat deliver all its hard work to the man? Why could the man become king without an iota of effort? Was the cat unable to become king just because it was a cat? And was the man able to become king because he was a man?
The day’s exhaustion compelled him to lie down as quickly as possible. His wife wasn’t back from her business trip yet, or else she would have her feminist take to this story. Behind his closed eyes, the day’s events played like a film. He recalled his boss’ jiggling double chin and narrowed eyes as he smiled after being appreciated by the board; he remembered the weeks of work he and his team had put in with little support from him. But he had also witnessed how the boss looked like he was going to the gallows before heading to a board meeting.
Suddenly, he could empathise with the cat.
Leave a Reply