Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Eileen stood in silence, thinking, "What a cunning man!"

Cradling a tiny kitten in her arms, she shot a glance at Egbert, who was stationed across the room. With a huff, she declared, "If you don't want me to keep it, just say so. No big deal, I'll have the shelter take it back!"

With that, she breezed past Egbert and headed for the phone on the coffee table.

However, once she got through on the call, she abruptly hung up, turning back to Egbert with a look of indecision. Finally, with a hint of reluctant surrender, she said, "Can't you just make a different request? There has to be some room for negotiation, right?"

Egbert sighed deeply. Then he approached her, gently stroked her hair in a fatherly manner, and said with a touch of resignation, "Keep it." Eileen blinked in surprise, her gaze locked onto him as she asked, "No other conditions? You're okay with this?!"

Egbert settled beside her on the couch. Watching her barely contain her excitement, he spoke softly, "What matters most is your happiness." Stunned, Eileen gazed deep into Egbert's eyes before suddenly pecking his cheek. "I can live with that!" she exclaimed, then sprung up with the kitten in her arms and dashed upstairs.

Egbert, left sitting on the couch, watched her quick retreat. His eyes narrowed into a gentle smile, and he chuckled to himself.

Meanwhile, in the studio's control room.

"Bravo, bravo, bravo!" The director, supposed to be tuning equipment, had completely lost interest in his work. He sat riveted to the monitor, excitedly slapping his assistant's arm until it turned red.

The assistant, annoyed, shoved him away, grumbling, "Will you get a grip?"

But the director could hardly contain himself. "It's just so darn sweet!" he exclaimed.

"If by 'sweet' you mean 'infested,' then sure," the assistant retorted sarcastically. "Imagine, both of them itching with fleas tomorrow. The whole apartment overrun! And you're thrilled about this?"

The director, unfazed by the assistant's villainous rant, just sighed, "You're so full of sunshine, aren't you?"

"Wait and see!" the assistant shot back, though secretly he feared the director might be right.

Worried about a potential flea outbreak, the director instructed the staff first thing in the morning, "Mr. Reed and Ms. Lopez adopted a cat last night. Make sure you fumigate their place, and take that cat for a vet check. And sort out whether we're buying the cat off its previous owner."

The staff member, after listening, hesitated before saying, "You haven't been to the control room yet today, have you?"

Confused, the director replied, "Not yet."

"Well," the staffer explained, "the couple already dealt with the cat's previous owner this morning, and they've taken care of the fumigation. They even took the kitty to the vet. Oh, and Mr. Reed decided to get the cat neutered while they were at it, since they were there anyway."

Back in the apartment, Eileen observed the despondent little cat lying on the floor, a cone around its neck. "What's the matter? Upset about being neutered? It's for your own good, you know. From a medical standpoint, you'll be healthier and more even-tempered."

Egbert joined her with two steaming cups of coffee, handing one to Eileen.

"It's just an animal," Egbert remarked as he reached out to her.

Eileen took his hand and they both settled on the couch. Sipping his coffee, Egbert watched the cat sprawled on the floor, a hint of amusement in his voice, "Post-surgery lethargy. He'll perk up once the anesthesia wears off."

"You seem to be enjoying this a little too much," Eileen accused, sipping her coffee.

Egbert raised an eyebrow, his lips curving into a teasing smile. "Me? Not at all."

Eileen thought for a moment and then suggested, "Let's name it. The previous owner never gave it one, just called it 'Kitty."

"How about... 'Scrambled'?" Egbert proposed with a straight face.

Eileen slapped his hand, "That's terrible!"

"Just kidding," he chuckled, capturing her hand as she tried to retract it. "What do you want to call it?"

After a moment's thought, she said, "How about Rolls, just like Rolls-Royce? Sounds fancy."

Egbert paused, then simply said, "If that's what you like."

He stretched out his hand and called, "Rolls."

The kitten, oblivious to its new name, remained motionless on the floor.

Soon after, a knock on the door announced the arrival of a new task card for the couple.

Egbert read the card and was momentarily stunned. Handing it to Eileen, he said gravely, "At 4:30 PM, we're supposed to pick up our kid from kindergarten."

"Our kid?" Eileen gasped, examining the card. Indeed, their task was to pick up their child from school.

"Do I have a child I don't know about?" she murmured.

Egbert chuckled, glancing at her flat stomach, "This is a good reminder. I should never let you name our kids."

"Rolls is a great name!" Eileen protested, but before she could argue further, they had to rush off to fulfill their task.

As they stepped out, they bumped into their neighbors, Hobson and Sylvia, who were also on a similar mission.

After exchanging greetings, Hobson quipped, "I don't even have a girlfriend and here I am, playing dad. What an adventure."

Eileen, trying to keep things light, laughed, "Aren't you married on the show?"

Hobson blinked, a slow grin spreading across his face as he realized they were talking about Sylvia. "Oh, yeah, absolutely! Sylvia and I tied the knot. We've actually been talking about having a kid. We're hoping for a daughter, you know? Mr. Reed, Ms. Lopez, have you guys given any thought to whether you'd prefer a son or a daughter?"

Eileen had never really discussed this with Egbert. She mused for a moment, then said, "I think a daughter. Girls tend to be a bit more... well- behaved, don't they?"

After her comment, she turned her gaze to Egbert, curious, "And what about you?"

Egbert beside her gave a thoughtful look, his eyes lingering on her for a heartbeat before he replied, "I don't really want either."novelbin

Eileen was taken aback.

Egbert met her startled eyes with a soft chuckle and added, "All I really want is you."