If only they understood...

He looked at them quietly, listening to them from behind the trees. These were two of the most wonderful people he knew, both generous, loving, funny and adorable. Yet to each other they showed none of those virtues. He always wondered what changed between them. How did they come to hate each other so much.
The conversation that morning was about who gets to keep the bedroom furniture. Suddenly objects had become objects again. Everything that meant anything at all was desecrated and torn to shreds. All that was left was a fierce need to take possession of the inanimate. And each was desperately trying to do so. They were so consumed by frustration and hatred that they completely forgot he was standing right there, listening to every word. And this was not the first time.
It began eight months ago, the yelling, the bickering and the frequent display of contempt and rage. At first he tried to stop at least one of them. Eventually he realized that they were equally stubborn and that neither person would ever listen to reason. He cried himself to sleep on many nights, when neither came down to tuck him into bed, since they were so busy fighting.
But he still loved them both so very much. Why should he have to choose between two people who loved him so dearly. Although he knew in his heart that they adored him, their lack of showing this affection worried him immensely. His greatest fear had become the fact that they would hate him as much as they hate each other.
At this point they started arguing about who gets to keep him and who can take better care of him. He was on the table now, just like the wardrobe, the bed and the refridgerator. He was being commoditized and they were haggling over him. He couldn't stand there and listen any longer, so he ran up to her and held her hand, tugging at it. In a quick sweep she drew him close, as if to say he now belonged to her and her only. She quickly decided to push the haggling to another day and whisked him away as she began walking. After they walked a considerable distance from the trees and came near the bridge, she decided he needed to be treated to an ice cream. Another commodity to make up for commoditising him. If only ice creams could take care of everything...sigh!