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The price of happiness
The man slowly approached the clerk. He wore four face masks to feel protected from airborne bacteria. He wore gloves on each hand to avoid contamination from any dirty surface he might touch. In his bag he carried three containers of anti-bacterial gel, which he used whenever he felt it was threatened the integrity of his "force field".
He stopped in front of the cash register and asked:
-How much for the cat?
-Excuse me?," replied the clerk from behind the cash register.
-I want to buy that cat. How much for it?," Oliver insisted.
Over the counter of the store was a large cat. A beautiful specimen of rare beauty and striking blue-gray fur. Its ears were long and pointed and had, at the end, dark-colored hairs that made it resemble a lynx. It had large eyes, one green and one blue, which crowned the appearance of a superior, unique breed. The cat was observing, its gaze conveyed peace, serenity, calmness... The cat looked attentively, as if he understood that they were making reference to him.
-I'm sorry, sir. The cat is not for sale.
-Well... You can't blame me for trying. It's a beautiful and special animal," added Oliver.
-People are always fascinated by our cat. It's a big draw here.
-That's why I'm interested. See, I have a store myself, and I think your cat could give it a special appeal," said Oliver, then finished off, "I'll give you fifty dollars.
The clerk becomes uncomfortable:
-Dude, do I look like I'm starving? I already told you the cat's not for sale.
But Oliver pressed:
-I'll give you $250.
-No, my friend. This cat is like family. You cannot sell your family.
-I'll give you $500.
The clerk was surprised by the insistence. He didn't think a cat was worth that much. So he replied:
-Friend, for that amount I'm sure you could get several cats of good breed in a pet store.
Oliver sensed he was gaining ground in the bidding:
-I'll give you $1000.
For the first time, the clerk stopped to think. He took long seconds to answer. He looked at the cat and then looked at the customer, and then at the cat, and then back at the customer... He was really considering the offer. Then he said:
-No, no, no, no, no.... That's my niece's cat, she sometimes attends here. I can't do that to my niece. What explanation am I going to give her next?
-Look: I'll give you $2000, I have that money here in my purse, I can show it to you.
The clerk swallowed thickly and answered:
-All right! you win. But I need you to be quick. I'd like to see the money and... How do you plan to take it with you?
Oliver pulled out a bale of hundred dollar bills, separated and handed over the agreed amount. He knew he was prepared to pay considerably more for that cat. He left the store and hurried back with a specially prepared cage for the animal.
The clerk held the cat and put it inside the cage, but insisted on giving him a large plastic bag to hide the cage while he left the store. Finally, he said:
-Please, leave one end of the bag open so he can breathe.
With a big smile, Oliver left the store, his heart bursting with happiness. For weeks he had been planning this coup. Buying that cat had become his greatest desire, a temptation, almost an obsession.
But Oliver was not a cat lover... As he walked, he tried to keep the cage away from him. On the way, several sneezes came over and worried him a little. He was allergic to felines. He was only interested in removing that cat from the store he frequented. There were other stores better than that, but his manias hooked him to that one and he didn't want to see any others.
As he had already planned, he took the cat to the facilities of a company specializing in pet transport. He sent it to a cat-loving ex-neighbor who lived on the other side of the country. Thus he closed, once and for all, that uncomfortable chapter of the cat over the counter of his favorite store.
In the following weeks he was happy to visit the store, the one where he bought the cat. There he used to buy gifts and souvenirs to send to his friends. He also bought there sweets and cookies, it was already a clean store, purified of bacteria, thanks to his timely actions.
One day he arrived at the store and at the entrance he was stopped by a strange impression. He felt in his heart a rush of adrenaline that shot through his bloodstream in a hurry. He could not believe his eyes: a black cat was lying on the counter of the store. A young girl was attending at the cash register.
How was it possible, with all the work, effort and money he had put into getting rid of that "horrible" cat? This was intolerable. It was necessary to complain, to make it clear to those tyrants how much the cats bothered him. The more he thought about it, the more he became convinced of the arguments he had to put forward. He felt in his veins the imperious need to protest and the imminent discharge of all his fury...
With a firm and resolute step, with the conviction of a fully enlightened being, with the impetus of a titan, with the overwhelming strength of a gladiator, he approached the cash register and said:
-How much for the cat?
El precio de la felicidad
El hombre se acercó lentamente al encargado. Usaba cuatro tapabocas para sentirse protegido de bacterias en el aire. Llevaba guantes en cada mano para evitar contaminarse de cualquier superficie sucia que pudiera tocar. En su bolso cargaba tres contenedores de gel anti-bacterial, los cuales usaba cada vez que sentía amenazada la integridad de su “campo de fuerza”.
Se detuvo frente a la caja registradora y preguntó:
—¿Cuánto por el gato?
—¿Perdón?—respondió el dependiente desde atrás de la caja.
—Quiero comprar ese gato. ¿En cuánto me lo venden?—Insistió Óliver.
Sobre el mostrador de la tienda había un gato grande. Un hermoso espécimen de rara belleza e impactante pelaje gris-azulado. Sus orejas eran largas y puntiagudas y tenían, al final, pelos de color oscuro que lo asemejaban a un lince. Tenía ojos grandes, uno verde y otro azul, que coronaban la apariencia de una raza superior, única. El gato observaba, su mirada transmitía paz, serenidad, sosiego... El gato miraba atento, como si entendiera que estaban haciendo referencia a él.
—No. Discúlpeme. El gato no está a la venta.
—Bueno... No puede culparme por intentar. Es un gato hermoso y especial—agregó Óliver.
—Eso sí, la gente siempre se muestra fascinada con nuestro gato. Es un gran atractivo aquí.
—Es por eso que me interesa. Fíjate, yo también tengo una tienda, y pienso que tu gato podría darle un atractivo especial—aclara Óliver, y luego remata:—Te doy cincuenta dólares.
El dependiente se incomodó:
—Amigo, ¿le parece que me estoy muriendo de hambre? ya le dije que el gato no está a la venta.
Pero Óliver presiona:
—Te doy $250.
—No, amigo. Este gato es como de la familia. No se vende a la familia.
—Te doy $500.
Al dependiente le sorprendió la insistencia. No le parecía que un gato valiera tanto. Así que contestó:
—Amigo, por ese monto seguro usted podría conseguir varios gatos de buena raza en una tienda de mascotas.
Óliver presentía que estaba ganando terreno en la puja:
—Te doy $1000.
Por primera vez, el dependiente se detuvo a pensar. Se tardó largos segundos en contestar. Miraba al gato y luego miraba al cliente, y luego al gato y otra vez al cliente... De verdad, estaba considerando la oferta. Luego dijo:
—No, no, no, no... Ése es el gato de mi sobrina, ella a veces atiende aquí. No le puedo hacer eso a mi sobrina. ¿Qué explicación le voy a dar después?
—Mira: Te doy $2000, los tengo aquí en el bolso, te los puedo mostrar.
El empleado tragó grueso y contestó:
—¡Está bien! usted gana. Pero necesito que sea rápido. Quisiera ver el dinero y... ¿cómo piensa llevárselo?
Óliver sacó una paca de billetes de cien dólares, separó y entregó el monto acordado. Él sabía que estaba dispuesto a pagar bastante más por ese gato. Salió de la tienda y regresó rápido con una jaula especialmente preparada para el animal.
El dependiente sujetó al gato y lo introdujo en la jaula, pero insistió en darle una bolsa plástica grande para esconder la jaula mientras salía de la tienda. Al final, le dijo:
—Por favor, déjele un extremo de la bolsa abierto para que él pueda respirar.
Risueño salió Óliver de aquella tienda, el corazón no le cabía en el pecho de tanta felicidad. Durante semanas había estado planificando este golpe. Comprar ese gato se había convertido en su más grande anhelo, una tentación, casi una obsesión.
Pero Óliver no era amante de los gatos... Mientras caminaba, trataba de alejar de sí aquella jaula. En el camino le sobrevinieron varios estornudos que lo preocuparon. Era alérgico a los felinos. Sólo le interesaba quitar ese gato de la tienda que él frecuentaba. Había otras tiendas mejores que ésa, pero sus manías lo enganchaban a ésa y no quería ver otras.
Según lo que ya había planificado, llevó el gato a las instalaciones de una empresa especializada en transporte de mascotas. Lo envió a un ex-vecino, amante de los gatos, quien vivía al otro extremo del país. Así cerró, de una vez y para siempre, ese incómodo capítulo del gato sobre el mostrador de su tienda preferida.
En las siguientes semanas estuvo feliz visitando la tienda, aquella donde compró el gato. Allí compraba recuerdos, regalos y souvenires para enviar a sus amigos. También compraba dulces y galletas, ya era una tienda limpia y depurada de bacterias, gracias a su oportuna gestión.
Un día llegó al establecimiento y en la entrada lo detuvo una rara impresión. Sintió en su corazón un golpe de adrenalina que disparó a toda prisa su torrente sanguíneo. No daba crédito a lo que sus ojos veían: Un gato negro yacía acostado sobre el mostrador de la tienda. Una muchacha joven atendía en la caja.
¿Cómo era posible? con tanto trabajo, esfuerzo y dinero que dedicó a deshacerse de aquel “horroroso” gato. Aquello era intolerable. Era necesario quejarse, dejar claro ante aquellos tiranos lo mucho que le molestaban los gatos. Mientras más lo pensaba, más se convencía de los argumentos que debía esgrimir. Sentía en sus venas la imperiosa necesidad de protesta y la inminente descarga de toda su furia...
Con paso firme y resuelto, con la convicción de un ser plenamente iluminado, con el ímpetu de un titán, con la arrolladora fuerza de un gladiador, se acercó a la caja y dijo:
—¿Cuánto por el gato?...
What a fascinating and well-written story, @amaponian! Your writing captures the reader from the first line. It is impossible to leave the reading without knowing if the protagonist will be able to buy happiness. The resolution of the conflict is very creative. Thank you for posting this story on @theinkwell.
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Thank you, sir.
This maniacal being will have to resign himself to buy his products in another store. Surely the owners can come up with the idea of switching branches and instead of groceries there a cat store will be born. Fun and fresh story, @amaponian.
Gracias, amiga.
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