Week 3 Story: The Quarreling Couple

Once upon a time there was a couple. They were head over heels for each other. They loved each other deeply. They thought nothing could get in their way...until the kids came. 

After this, they quarreled nonstop. The husband, Adam, wanted to be less strict on the kids. He wanted the kids to be able to make their own decisions and be more independent. He had very strict parents growing up. So, he wanted the opposite for his kids. However, the wife, Eve,  wanted the kids to live in a more controlled household. She had grown up in an environment that was too free. So, she wanted the opposite for her kids. 

No matter how hard the husband and wife tried, they just couldn't compromise. They were constantly quarreling. 

One day, Eve decided that she had had enough. She said that she was fed up with Adam. She said that they would be better off without each other. Adam agreed and so they got a divorce. Eve said that along with the divorce, she also wanted to make a separate oath to never see each other ever again. Adam agreed. 

So, Adam took the son and Eve took the daughter and they raised them separately. 

Eve flourished without Adam. Eve and her daughter got along very well. She was finally able to enforce whatever parenting skills she wanted. 

Adam, on the other hand, struggled. He and his son were moving from motel to motel as Adam was trying to find work. His son grew resentful towards his father because he wasn't able to get a job and provide for him. Until, one day, Adam found a help wanted sign in front of a business. He decided to give it a shot. He didn't think anything would come from it because he had been rejected countless times before. However, he was a persistent guy. 

So, he walked into the business and gave them his resume. The boss gave him an interview and said he would get back to him in a few days. 

It had been a week later and Adam began to feel discouraged. No matter how hard he tried he just couldn't get a good job. He decided to take his son to the park to relieve some stress and calm him down. 

When he and his son got to the park he noticed a man trying to break into a car. He immediately took out his phone and got the whole thing on video. He showed it to the cops and they caught the guy. The owner of the car turned out to be the boss that interviewed him. 

The boss was so grateful that he immediately told him that he needed someone with his guts and fast instincts to work for him. Adam finally landed a good job! 

On his first day, the boss showed him around and introduced him to a co-worker that would show him the ins and outs of the business. Well, that coworker ended up being Eve. 

Eve was furious when she saw Adam. She yelled at him for breaking their oath. The boss was taken aback by this. He didn't want to lose two valuable workers. So, he told them to compromise and make up. However, they were not able to. They refused to compromise. Eve didn't want anything to do with Adam. Adam didn't want to be around Eve if she wasn't willing to make up with him. 

So, Adam decided to quit on his first day and find a job elsewhere. He said that he had actually gotten a call back from an interview the same morning of his first day. Word had gotten around about the bravery he showed against the thief. He decided to go work for the other business instead. 

Eve and the Adam never saw each other again. They were never able to make up and find common ground. 

The End. 

Author's Note: 

I rewrote this story from "The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog" which is about how cats and dogs came to dislike each other. They were happy and got along very well at first. In fact, they were best friends in the beginning. But, food became scarce so the cat suggested they go their separate paths. She said that it would be easier to find food on their own instead of together. She also said they must make an oath to never see each other again. The dog agreed. 

So like in the story I told, while Eve flourished on her own so did the cat. Likewise, while Adam did terrible on his own so did the dog. At the end of the story, the dog wandered up to a house and noticed some thieves trying to break in. He immediately started barking to alert the owner of the house. The owner was so grateful that he wanted to take the dog in to remain as a permanent guard dog. However, it turned out the cat was staying at that same house too. She was angry with the dog for breaking their oath to never see each other again. The owner wanted to have them both. He tried to get them to compromise and make up. They refused. The dog decided that he would go to a different house. Another house had offered to him to be their guard dog too. And that's how the cat and dog came to dislike each other. 

So as you can see, the cat represents Eve while the dog represents Adam. Both of them were too stubborn to make amends and compromise. 

Image Information: 

loving couple (pixabay)

arguing couple (needpix)

Bibliography: 

"The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog"by Gertrude Landa from the Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends Web Source