Hard to be hard

01 - Peters first Cat

Peter just left campus as it started to rain. He headed down the road, running on the sideway. The rain got more intense every minute. To not get too wet, he covered his head with his bag.

A car passed him slowly. The window opened and a voice shouted out of it: „Hey look who's that!", laughter came out of the car. Multiply guys were sitting in there laughing at him, and the guy at the window grinned and shouted: "Peter the Redhead running in the rain".

The car got slower, so they could insult him longer. But Peter didn't want to deal with them now. He quickly turned and left the sideway into a narrow alley where the car couldn't follow.

The alley was covered in puddles, so he had to walk around them. But then a big Puddle was ahead, covering almost the entire alley. He leaned towards the wall as he tried to pass it at its most shallow part. But then some cardboard Boxes in front of him blocked his way. He didn't want to step deeper into the puddle, so he grabbed the boxes one by one and stacked them behind his back.

As he grabbed the bottom box, it felt heavier than the others. It was soaked with water so he quickly wanted to put it to the others. A soft and high pitched "meow" came out of it.

He stopped. What was that? He asked himself. Curiously he opened the box. A fluffy black kitten was inside there. It looked at him.

"Oh my, what are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

Water dropped down from the building into his neck.

"Hold on" he said, as he walked with the box to a dryer place. There he grabbed the Kitten, and took it out of the wet box. It didn't fight back. It shivered and was wet.

"Poor thing." ... „Who brought you here?"

He looked left and right, but did not find anyone.

"They probably abandoned you, ... didn't they?"

Again he looked around. He didn't really know what to do. But he knew he couldn't leave it here.

"Well i guess i do have to take you with me. Are you ok with that?"

The cat just looked at him, still shivering.

Peter opened his jacked a bit and moved the kitten tight to his chest. Then he closed the jacked and pressed his arm beneath against himself, so the kitten wouldn't slip out of his jacket.

Back home his clothes were all soaked. But first he got out of his jacket and put the Kitten on a Stove, before he got out of his wet stuff.

"OMG a Kitten!" a young woman shouted. It was Esther , Peters roommate. Where did you get that one?

>>"I found it outside in an Alley in a Cardboard Box"

>>"Oh no, was anyone looking for it?"

>>"No i didn't see anyone."

Esther bended a bit forward to take a closer look. Her long curly hair fell towards the Kitten which immediately wanted to grab some of these.

"OMG she s so cute," Esther stated, „what are you going to do with her?"

>>"I don't know" he replied, as he grabbed a Towel and dried his hair. Looking back to her he continued " wanna keep it?"

>>"Oh.." Esther backed up. I can't have it. You know my cat allergy. But you should keep her."

>>"How should me keeping it solve your allergy problem? It is still going to be in the same Apartment with you."

>>"Well its not that bad. I just can't pet her. But you ... " she came closer to peter who just got rid of his wet socks, and she grinned, " you Peter should keep her, then at least you have someone who you can share your bed with."

>>"Hey, wow... low blow Esther."

Esther walking to the fridge replied:" You know its true. Sometimes i still wonder if you're a Virgin."

>>"I'm not! Remember the girl..."

>>"yeah yeah, the girl from Sweden, ... dude, that's years ago."

Esther came back to the kitten with some beacon. The Kitten smelled it. Peter, now only wearing boxers and undershirt, intervened: „Hold on Esther, i need to dry her first."

He took the kitten and walked towards the bathroom, ignoring Esther as she continued talking, arguing that he still should keep the Kitten, and that they would look good together.

In the Bathroom he took the fan, put it on the lowest setting, and dried the fur of the kitten with it. After the kitten was dry he put her next himself and started drying his own hair.

"See i would like to keep you, but i don't even know if we can hold a Cat in this apartment."

The kitten looked at him... walked some steps, sniffed a towel, and then cuddled into it. Peter giggled at he saw that. With big eyes the kitten looked out of the towel.

"Awww.... don't make this that hard. He gently petted her head. But i don't even know how to keep a kat."

>>"Meow" ... she licked her nose, then yawned.

>>"Alright, you can stay one night, but tomorrow whe have to bring you somewhere where thy collect homeless Cats like you."

He took the Kitten in both his hands, then walked into his room. He took one of his cardboard boxes and put the kitten in there. Then he filled the box with some old socks. As the Kitten started chewing on the socks Peter was like "right" ... left the room, and returned with the Beacon that Esther prepared before.

"Here you go." He patted her, as she curiously sniffed the beacon again. Then the Kitten started eating it. As it was done, it licked its paws clean, and fell asleep soon after.

Peter petted her and imagined how nice it would be to keep it. But then he shook his head. He couldn't. He opened his books and started studying. The kitten only would distract him, he said to himself. So he tried to not get too attached to her.

Later in the night as he was lying with closed eyes in his bed, he suddenly felt some pressure on his stomach. He opened the eyes halfway. It was the kitten, it climbed all the way up the blanket and was laying now on his stomach. "Oh its you" he mumbled half asleep, "Sleep well little one." Soon after that he was fully asleep.

This night he would have strange dreams. Beautiful colours, shapes and forms where everywhere. At one point he felt like he was the Kitten, then he saw three gigantic Cats looking down to him. Then a huge flashing light blended him.

Peter opened his eyes. It was the sun shining into his face. At first he was confused. Then he mumbled,... "hold on, it is already that late?" He peaked to his alarm clock. "11:00 am". That time shocked him. He was late for classes. He quickly wanted to jump out of bed, but something held him back.

It was this very moment when he realized that two arms held him.

"What the?"

He turned his head to the other side, and suddenly gazed into the beautiful face of a young woman lying next to him, with her arms around him.