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and Antoine Antonio |
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As loyal fans of the Victorian Parlour Cat Family are well aware, each of us felines has our own story to tell. We, the 2002 additions to the family, are no exception, bringing a tale of True Romance to the fable. Our monikers are Angelique Desiree and Antoine Antonio, although we lovingly address each other as Precious and Pookie. Having shared that little intimacy with you, we shall elaborate. |
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I, Antoine, will begin the tale, by telling you that Angelique was a mere lass of tender years when first we met, while I was a seasoned and older Lothario who was matriculating at the local Institute of Higher Yearning. This local campus was well-known as a trolling spot for the younger girls of the community, who rarely failed to find a handsome companion for a ball, sometimes a brawl, and in many cases, a lifelong commitment. Many of us fellows were worldly swains from big cities like Houston, while the young ladies of the Hill Country were innocent small-town girls, some of whom had their hearts broken by we sophisticated fly-by-night, fence-sitting, paw-fighting Toms. |
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In our case, however, the heartbreak was dealt by Angelique, who, though proclaiming her love for me, nevertheless canoodled with a local cowboy, sending me back to Houston a sad and broken fellow. But I get ahead of myself....We first me one fateful Spring night at a party, and trust me, there is such a thing as love at first sight, for it happened to us the moment our eyes locked. But oh, she was a coy miss, studiously ignoring me while playing up to my pack members, purring sweetly in their cauliflowered ears, and saucily displaying her charms! I later learned that she was famous for such behavior...I believe in the human world it is called "flirting". By evening's end, I knew she would be the lifelong love of all of my nine lives. Oh, excuse me...by this point in our story, I get so emotional that I must let Angelique continue the tale, lest my fellow members of the Manly Order of Fence Yowlers deem me a softie. |
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| From the time I, Angelique, first saw Antonie, my objective was to bring him under my paw, but I instinctively knew that such a mouser as he would require a delicate balance of enticement and indifference. While his pals were all charming, I was interested in them merely as bait, and it was not long before my clever strategy paid off. Our courtship began in earnest, and surely, everyone thought, my wanton days were over. Our families met; we dreamed together of litters of kittens and a harvest of catnip and a life together of him being the mighty provider and me the little nest-maker. |
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Alas, 'twas not to be. I'll spare you the details, but I was far too young to settle down, and ultimately drove him to the arms of another, a mousey-looking girl who was prepared to settle into a life of domestic drudgery. And so the years passed....I eventually gave up the Saturday night dances at Criders, ceased the nightly cruising of Main Street, grew up and joined one of my lives with those of another. I did produce that sweet litter of kittens, but all the while, a Secret place in my heart was occupied. Oh, I'm sorry....now it is my turn to get teary, so I must let Antoine carry on with the saga.
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| I, Antoine, was never able to enjoy a satisfying life, as my heart truly belonged only to that wild and sweet love of my youth. As we grew older, life twisted and turned, and fate played out. I, alas, proved to be a cad, leaving several wives in my wake. Angelique, surprisingly, let a much more circumspect life, until the night her husband, while yowling atop a fence, was hit with a boot....size 13!...and, well, met an unfortunate end. When I received word of the tragic incident, I waited a decent interval of time -- two weeks!....And then called on the grieving widow. I must say, she perked right up upon sight of my handsome self! In all the years I'd not seen her, to my eyes she had changed not a wit; the same soulful green eyes, the smile that lifted men's hearts, the comely body. I knew I would never again leave her side. She told me that when she saw me again, her heart literally fluttered as it had the first time we met so many years ago. |
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I, Angelique, will now conclude our story... Oh, yes, I know we have changed. I see it in Antoine's paunch, his gait is not as swift, his health is on the decline, and he has lost some whiskers. Being so much younger, I've fared better, yet I know I have an extra chin, my fur is not as glossy, and my cleavage must be propped up. A litter together is now out of the question, and we don't dance as we once did. But the important thing is that we are together again, forever more. All the youngsters in the Victorian Parlour Cat family see us as a bit foolish, reveling unabashedly in each other's company, holding paws in public, and dressing in quiet flamboyant attire. Ah, but they are young, and have not yet experienced the heartache of love lost, nor the triumph of love reclaimed. |
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