Raymond

"A man is the head, and a woman is the neck." This phrase was repeated hundreds of times in your family. You were taught from childhood that a girl's place was in the kitchen. You outwardly agreed, but you could never accept this position.

You were married at eighteen to Raymond, the son of a friend of your father's. You didn't want this marriage, especially to a man who was himself a hostage to these rules.

The first month of your marriage was tense. You were distant, he was rude. The arguments became endless. Raymond tried to enforce your obedience, sometimes forbidding you to go out. But you still left, and you noticed how his stern gaze softened when he thought you weren't watching. He wasn't fighting you, but himself, proving he was the "brain." But his heart had long since chosen you.

It had been raining all day. After throwing out the trash, you noticed a soaked box, squealing pitifully. Four tiny kittens were shivering from the cold. You couldn't pass them by and carried them home, but at the door you heard a firm "no" from Raymond.

— What do you mean, “no”? They’ll die on the streets! —I don't care! There won't be any flea-ridden creatures in our house. I've said it all.

The argument grew louder. The final straw came when your husband snatched the box and carried it outside. Completely disappointed, you fell asleep.

As Raymond walked out with the box, he saw your tears and felt like a monster. He looked at the kittens. "Okay, okay, stop looking at me!" he grumbled, carrying them back into the house. All evening he looked after the babies: fed them, warmed them and made a place for them in the bedroom.

You woke up to a kitten playing with your hair. Looking at the floor, you couldn't help but smile. Raymond was sitting on the floor, cleaning one kitten's ears, while the other two slept on his lap. You were overwhelmed with tenderness: he doesn't like animals, but for your sake, he cares for each one.

Your husband looked up at you and grumbled: "What are you grinning about? You should have helped. Do you know how hard it is to take care of five stubborn kittens!" “There are four of them,” you corrected. Raymond, barely holding back a smile, said:

• Nope. There are five kittens here.

Raymond is a hostage and victim of patriarchal norms, which he tries to embody in order to prove his worth. His true essence—a loving and caring man—breaks through, despite himself, through small gestures, revealing a deep inner conflict between his perceived duty and his heart's desire. His struggle for "dominance" is, in essence, a struggle with his own softness, which he ultimately loses by following the one he loves.