Tears of Red: The Engagement

"I can't believe you, Bomba!  You flirt with every guy you meet!  And yet you still manage to stay faithful to me!" Rum Tum Tugger said to the red queen walking beside him.  Whether you know it or not, all cats are jellicles and belong to the Jellicle tribes all over the nation.  Females are called queens and males are called toms.  And they all gather on New Year's Eve every year and have a huge celebration called The Jellicle Ball.  Of course, what ball is complete without special appearances?  So every year a few special cats get to be the center of attention.  But of course, Rum Tum Tugger was always the center of attention.

In the words of humans, he was a chick-magnet.  Every queen pounced at his feet, begging for a chance just to touch him.  The kittens went crazy when they saw him.  He was the most popular cat in the tribe.  He has a fluffy mane and a spiky collar.  And to cats, that is H-O-T, HOT!  But of course he usually just had some fun with the kittens.  He let them crawl on him or claw his legs, but after that, he went back home to his queen, Bombalurina.  She was very flirty and loved to dance.  They were made for each other.

And of course, Bomba had other qualities too.  She was a good friend, and honest.  She was also very brave and always on the lookout to make sure Macavity wasn't coming around.  He always manages to ruin their evening some way or another with his evilness.  He's a fiend in feline shape, if I must say so myself.

"Well, Tugger, you know that I love you..." she said flirtatiously.  Tugger laughed and kissed her lightly.

"But, come on, Bomba!  It's not like I'm blind!  I saw you trying to pick up Alonzo at the ball.  And then, you got really interested in Pouncival.  And if I didn't know better, I'd say you still had feelings for Macavity too!" he said unhappily.

"Tugger!  I would never love that idiot!  He's hurt me too many times for me to ever have feelings for him again.  I hated him, but at the same time, I loved him.  Does that make any sense at all?" Bomba asked.

"No, not really...  But, I'm just tyring to get my point across!  You and me...we're getting pretty serious, aren't we?" he asked.

"Of course.  I couldn't love anyone more than you, Tugger.  You know that, don't you?" Bomba asked.

"Yes, but if you want anything of a more serious nature between us, you're going to have to calm down a bit," he told her.  Bomba looked hurt.

"You don't trust me, do you?  You couldn't ever love me because you can't trust me!" she said.

"That's not true!  It's obvious that I do care for you.  Otherwise, I wouldn't bother to ask you this!"

"Ask me what?" Bombalurina asked.

"Will you be my mate?" he asked her.  Bombalurina was shocked.  Tugger?  Mate?  The thought had honestly never come across her.  Sure, she loved him, but that kind of commitment was serious.  "I really love you, Bomba.  I want to be with you forever.  So, please make up your mind because I'm dying of anticipation."

"I love you, Tugger.  And I want to be with you too.  So, I say yes!" she said smiling with her eyes teary.  She hugged him and kissed him.  Mates?  There was so much to do in so little time!  How would she ever manage?