IN the days following Kon’s sudden flight, Tanya surfaced between fathoms of grief to compile a list of his failings, exaggerated in the service of healing: ‘Bad breath! Arrogant! Balding! Big-nosed! Tight! Short-tempered! Terrible dancer!’ When Kon later returned with his tail between his legs, and Tanya forgave him, they moved back in together. Which is how Kon stumbled upon the list, slipped inside a cookbook. It was hard to read—he bristled at ‘terrible dancer’—but he knew he deserved it and vowed to change what he could. He started by brushing and flossing.