The fruit seller opened the box and a little snout appeared. Two enormous, frightened eyes seemed about to turn into tears.

— He’s not eating anything; he must have been separated from his mother and abandoned. His fur is sticky because he lived in a box of plums.
The customer left without saying a word. The man shook his head sadly: “Not even women have compassion anymore.”
But after a while, she came back.
— I can’t get your kitten out of my mind — she said, handing him a piece of cloth — Wrap him up.

— You’re taking him? — the man celebrated. Carefully, he wrapped the kitten and handed him to the woman as if it were a baby.
— It’s the right thing, the right thing. You will be rewarded — he repeated.
The woman gave a condescending smile:
— Yes, sure, lucky you found a benefactor. I still don’t know how my husband will react to this “gift.” We might end up on the street.

And she wasn’t wrong. The kitten was not well received.
Even though he was clean, brushed, and fed, he still looked sad and shabby.

— What is this creature? — the husband pushed the kitten away disdainfully when it tried to climb his leg.
The scratch from its tiny claws distracted the couple from their favorite TV series.
The new, expensive walls were at risk.
— Do we have mice now? Why do we need this in a one-room apartment? — the man complained to his wife.

Grabbing the kitten by the scruff of the neck, the man looked at it with disgust and confusion: — I don’t want it here tomorrow.

Valentina was already beginning to regret her decision.
But those sad eyes stared up at her, the tiny paws kneaded her leg pleadingly, and the small body let out such a sweet purr that a warm current of compassion flowed through her heart.
She bent down and stroked the little one.

Encouraged by the caress, the kitten climbed into her arms, hiding his snout in the warm palm of his owner.
“There is no mercy without first having received it,” Valentina recalled her mother’s words.
Justifying her action, she found peace.

The phone rang: — Grandma, come have some tea!

Valentina quietly slipped out without distracting her husband from the show and closed the door behind her.
Her son lived nearby, just across the street.
Laura was already at the door of her house, waving happily.
Suddenly, a black car swerved onto the side of the road.
The child’s small body was thrown into the air.

Valentina stood frozen, unable to scream or move.
Her eyes, as if in slow motion, caught every detail:
a woman picked up the little girl, her small hands clinging desperately to her neck.
She was alive!
A man staggered out of the car, drunk.
Running toward them was her son, in uniform.

With trembling hands, he tried to draw his gun from his belt but was stopped cold by a scream: — No!

The mother was on the other side of the street, but he felt as if she were pushing him back with her outstretched hands.

People rushed over, restrained him, and took away the drunk driver.
Valentina could barely feel her legs.
But she walked… or was she being carried?
Laura!
The doctor was already examining the little girl:

— Everything is fine. No fractures or major bruises.

— But why isn’t she speaking? — the daughter-in-law trembled.
— She’s scared. We need to distract her — the doctor suggested — I’ll be right back.

Valentina ran back home. She entered, grabbed the kitten, and quickly told her husband what had happened as she rushed back out.
She arrived just in time. The ambulance was still there.
The little girl’s eyes were filled with fear.

Carefully, Valentina opened Laura’s hands and placed the kitten between them.
Laura turned her gaze to the tiny animal.
Her fingers moved, gently stroking its soft fur.
In response, a tender “Meow-meow-meow” was heard.

— Mara — the little girl whispered softly.
The doctor sighed in relief.
Tears streamed down Valentina’s face. Now she could cry.

Laura never let go of the kitten again.
They spent the night at the hospital.
By morning, they were allowed to return home with the diagnosis: — The little girl was very lucky.

“Compassion to those who show compassion,” Valentina whispered…