Week 3 Story: Broken Promises

"I think we should break up," she said.

Alex didn't know what to make of this. How could Elodie break up with him after all they had been through? They were perfect together! "Elodie, we can make this work! Just because we've hit a rough patch doesn't mean this relationship isn't worth saving!"

Elodie shook her head. "No, Peter told me that if our relationship is strained from a simple fight at Ikea, it's not worth it. We're better off apart."

"Who's Peter? And why does a guy I don't even know get to determine if my girlfriend breaks up with me?"

"You know Peter, he's my downstairs neighbor! He knows all about break ups because he's had four divorces himself! And now he's lived alone fore 20 years because he says the drama in a relationship isn't worth it. He said he could hear us fighting all night, and that it's a sign I'm better off living alone."

"Elodie, don't you see! He doesn't want you to be happy! He wants you living alone so he doesn't have to hear-"

"Alex stop! You're being ridiculous! What could he possibly gain from seeing my heart broken?" Now please go. If I ever see you again, I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to resist you, though I know now we are better off apart. You must promise me to never come back here. 

Alex felt the whole thing was hopeless. He promised Elodie never to come back to her apartment and bother her. He wandered around New York City, searching everywhere for an apartment. Everything was too expensive, or too far from work, or absolutely disgusting.

One year passed, and Alex saw an ad for the perfect apartment. Close to his job, under his budget, and great reviews online, he knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The address seemed familiar, but he didn't think much of it. He put a deposit down and signed the lease by email before anyone could grab it before him. 

Photo by Beyond My Ken Source: Wikimedia

As he approached the building, he soon realized he was walking a familiar path. He now knew where this apartment was, and remembered his promise. He wondered if it was wrong, but kept having flashbacks to rat infested living rooms and overpriced studios. He pressed on. 

When he entered the building, he wasn't surprised to see Elodie walking down the stairs, but it hurt all the same. 

"What are you doing here?" she shouted.

"I live here now," he said calmly. 

"You!?! You bought Peter's old apartment? You're my new downstairs neighbor?!?"

"Yes. I'm sorry but-"

"You promised! You swore you would leave me alone! How could you do this to me?"

Fifty years later, no one in the neighborhood could recall what ever began the fighting. But everyone was used to old Ms. Elodie and Mr. Alex fighting and shouting at each other. One day a child asked his parents what could have possibly started all this. 

"There's not really a reason, son. That's what they do. They fight. Everyone knows that."

Author's Note: This story is inspired by The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog which tells how the dog and cat came to hate each other. Just like in that story, the two start off as the perfect pair. When something goes wrong (no food for winter, a fight over Ikea furniture), one character calls it quits after being encouraged to do so by a  third character. This third character has an ulterior motive. They swear to stay apart, but a character breaks the promise, so they hate each other and fight forever after. I changed it to a couple rather than a cat and dog. But like a cat and dog, people just accept that they fight, and don't think much of there being a reason. However, I do not think that hatred is natural, so I hope that this story points out that there is almost always a reason, and we shouldn't just blindly accept hate. 

Bibliography: Story source: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919).