Katzentango: A Cautionary Tale

Once upon a time we had no cats.

“We will not get a cat,” said Man Yung. “Hear me - NO CATS!”

Then, on a cold morning on a Thanksgiving weekend, we found a tiny white and grey kitty abandoned underneath the car.

“That cat is NOT coming home with us!” said Man Yung.

Kitty mewed plaintively and blinked its big eyes.

Kitty came home with us.

“That cat is not NOT ALLOWED outside of the kitchen,” said Man Yung.

We built all these barriers made out of cardboard boxes so that kitty couldn’t crawl out of the kitchen.

We came home one evening and saw that the tiny four-inch high kitty had jumped into one of the boxes. It was only time before she would jump out of the boxes and right into the living room.

“OK, FINE,” said Man Yung. “But that cat is not going into the bedroom. NO WAY.”

That incessant scratching on the bedroom door frame at night was wrecking the paint job and keeping us awake.

Kitty got instant bedroom access.

“I DRAW THE LINE RIGHT HERE,” said Man Yung. “The cat IS NOT ALLOWED ON THE BED.”

But kitty's breakfast cannot wait. And there's no better way to get our attention but to pounce onto the pillow and swat our slumbering heads.

And that was not the end of the story. Before long, kitty was shredding our sofa, stealing our pickles, yodeling while we showered, chewing our beanie babies, scarfing down the tuna, influencing our fashion choices, alienating extended family members with allergies, popping up in our dreams speaking in Esperanto - and yes, inviting kitty friends to stay! Because as every kitty within a five kilometre radius knows, Irene and Man Yung are suckers.

We love our kitties.

Now, read the story above, but substitute "kitty" and "cat" with "Tango". You will get Irene and Man Yung's secret tango history in a nutshell. Kind of.

Except for the first part. I remember Man Yung distinctly saying:

"WE WILL NOT DANCE TANGO! I REFUSE TO WEAR SKINTIGHT SEE-THROUGH FISHNET SHIRTS AND TIGHT LEATHER PANTS!!"

Luckily for Man Yung, dressing like Bruno is not requisite tangowear.

And they all lived happily ever after.