Tango

After our cat Toto was killed in a car accident about two years ago I vowed if we ever got another cat, no going outside allowed.  Well - as we all know, my vows do not always hold water.  A little over a year ago, we adopted two sister kittens - Tango and Cannoli.  Cannoli is beautiful, but a little slow and so she never even asks to go outside.  She is content just looking out the window.  But Tango is another story.  She wormed her way into my heart like only a wonderful cat can and I began to let her go outside with just supervised visits for no more than 20 minutes at a time.  Yesterday morning I let her out while we were having breakfast and watched her playing in the back yard.  When it was time for her to come in, she was gone.  I had planned to go take a few photographs at Eastern College and did not have much time, so I told Ken I thought Tango would be fine and if she came to the door while I was gone, he could just let her in.  I would only be gone for about 1/2 hour.  When I got back, no Tango.  My concern began.  I scoured the neighborhood calling her name, but no Tango.  Worried sick, I sent a note to all our neighbors asking if they had seen her.  Ken and I had a doctor's appointment and would be gone from 11:00 until about 1:30.  Tango had never been out that long.  But no Tango, so we went to the doctor's.  When we got back - still no Tango.  I spent the afternoon worrying and walking and searching and calling.  No Tango.  Two neighbors joined me in the search.  No Tango.  Last night as it got dark - still no Tango.  My dear friend Carol said I needed to make lots of posters and put them all over a five mile radius of our house.  Ugh.....  I put an open can of tuna fish out in the shed and a coat for her to sleep on in case she came back and sadly Ken and I went to bed.  Woke up in the middle of the night and went outside to find the tuna fish gone - but no Tango.  In the morning, still no Tango.  So I sent a second note to all the neighbors and asked if they might please look in their garages and sheds one more time.  Then I started looking through old photos of Tango and began making the posters.  While at the computer the doorbell rang. I thought it was the tree man who was putting in a new hedge of trees, but when I opened the door, there was my beautiful, wonderful next door neighbor Barbara and in her arms was our baby Tango.  She had been inside Barbara's garage all day and all night and had not meowed a word until this morning.  Oh it is Christmas at the Kono's!!!