Her and Him

This story was published in Argentina and was part of a compilation of short stories that amateur writers like me created during the pandemic while we were attending a writing workshop lead by Javier Schurman. The original short story was published in my native language, Spanish, so I’ve tried my best to translate and keep the original essence. Hope you enjoy it reading, as much as I enjoyed it writing.

She stares at him with curiosity and nervousness. She is tense, upright, her body on alert, her hair motionless, attentive to the next movement. She feels fear, sometimes anger, other times resignation, and even sadness. Their last interactions left deep wounds on her body, a reflection of his uncontrolled violence. With each new attack, it takes longer to gain confidence and, above all, to heal. Healing and emotional recovery become slower, and the fatigue in the body even more evident.

He stares at her with intensity and anxiety. He feels energetic, powerful, wanting to pounce on her and show her his strength, his manhood. He doesn't notice the wounds; he just wants her full and constant attention. He follows her permanently, he looks for her in every place, if he finds her rubs against her, sits next to her, he breathes close to her. But a caress quickly turns into a blow, a bite, an attack, a fight, and after a while, he calms down knowing that he is the dominant, master and lord of his territory.

They look at each other. It is a game and at the same time a show of strength. They evaluate each other: who lashes out first, who repents, who doubles down, who submits, and who finally wins. Usually, she is the one who loses. And yet, it's time to sleep, and he clings to her side.

She wanted a partner and got an abusive and bipolar one. While he considers what his next move is going to be (he continues to stare at her, breathing heavily) he remembers that when she was a girl and he had not yet arrived, her life was simpler and more peaceful. She was the only one, the queen of the house, the pampered and preferred one. She still is (she knows that her mother has a special weakness for her), but now she shares everything with him: her food, her toys, her bed, her spaces and, above all, her parents. With his arrival came the invasion, the madness, the screaming, the mischief, the injuries and the confrontations. She needs peace, spaces of solitude and uninterrupted naps.She doesn't have the energy she used to and at times, she needs to be the only one again. Although if he leaves, she suffers, she looks for him in every corner, she cries without consolation.

He arrived like a whirlwind, with impetus, unbridled demands and uncontrollable impatience. While he waits for her reaction (she continues to stare at him, with her mouth open, breathing heavily) he feels misunderstood, judged. He doesn't know how to control what happens to him. He has moments of euphoria that he wants to share with her. And he pushes on her, because he loves her. And that insistence sometimes turns into violence, how can she not understand that? Since the day he saw her he cannot separate himself from her, he needs her smell, her warmth and even her indifference. She is everything he cannot be: calm, resiliency and harmony. And he needs her to empathize with him and he only finds relief in the attack, which generates the opposite. And he suffers, looks with bewildered eyes and regrets, and the cycle begins again because he can't find any other way.

Now, between the two of them, a precious object: a gray dove with bulging eyes waits lying on the floor with its hair frayed by bites. She crouches down and begins to move slowly. He takes the initiative and begins to run agilely, crossing the garden, leaving his paws marked in the ground, with his tongue hanging out in excitement. Who wants to eat?! The scream is heard from the kitchen and the pigeon fades into the background. He stops short, about to collide with her. They both turn their heads looking at their mother, and head to the kitchen, sit down and wait for the plate to hit the floor. They look at each other. They sink their snouts into the food bowl. That moment unites them and can cut any tension between them.