Yum Yum at her finest. She’s been staring at me, standing just two feet away, uttering small sounds for a long time. Then she finally says, “Let’s go down stairs”. I say, “All right.” I reluctantly put down my knitting, pause my podcast, stand up, and head downstairs.

When I stop to turn around to see if she’s coming, she sits down and looks at me as if to say, “What? Do you want something from me?”. She won’t budge. This look says, “Make me.”

I leave her there. Maybe in two minutes or fifteen, she follows wagging her tail and smiling triumphantly. I don’t understand the rules, but somehow, I know she has won.

We play this game every day. Why? I wonder. She won’t say.