"Don't touch the kitty anymore."

A family is a big responsibility. And when a child appears in the family, that responsibility only grows.

Your story with Nikolai began a long time ago, back in the challenging years of his army service. At first, it was just a simple fling, but it grew into a strong family. It all started with three members: you, Nikolai, and his cat Boris. Boris was an old, large black cat, a bit grumpy but incredibly charming. He was just a regular stray who managed to win your heart even faster than his owner did. It seemed like Boris loved you more than Nikolai. Every night, he would come to you, completely ignoring his owner.

But every family grows sooner or later. You welcomed a boy into your life—a lively, restless, and curious little one. Once he learned to walk, everything changed. Your house turned into a fortress, with locks on the cabinets and safety covers everywhere.

As the eldest member of the family, Boris also kept an eye on the child. He tried to stay close until the boy started grabbing his tail. Naturally, Boris wasn’t happy and usually just ran away. You often told your son not to do that because it hurt the cat. But every time Boris came into view, your lectures were quickly forgotten.

One evening, when your son was supposedly asleep in his crib, you suddenly heard him crying. You and your husband rushed to the nursery. What you saw was this: your son was sitting in his crib, crying, with a scratch on his cheek, while Boris sat on the floor looking annoyed. You could hardly believe that the old cat was capable of scratching anyone.

As a mother, you went straight to your son to comfort him and check the scratch. Nikolai, knowing he couldn’t help much in this moment, turned his attention to Boris. He picked the cat up and began stroking him behind the ears. Meanwhile, your son, through tears and incoherent words, complained that the cat had scratched him. Nikolai sighed deeply, patted the boy on the head, and said softly: “Son, don’t touch the kitty anymore.”