A Tiger By The Tail

“I got a tiger by the tail, it’s plain to see…” Cliff nursed his hurt feelings while Buck Owens sang above the barroom noise. His beer, now at room temperature, sat half empty. Or is it half full? Either way, he knew Phyllis, his girlfriend, would have something to say about that. He and Phyllis were going through a rough patch lately. A patch she called commitment and he called containment. Their relationship ricocheted from ecstasy to agony and back. “Where’s your sweetheart?” his buddy Ken asked, taking the seat next to Cliff. “Prowling in the jungle somewhere,” Cliff grumbled.