The Original Tiger

If Po wasn't scared before, he was definitely scared now as he walked with Tigress up the stairs to her apartment on the ninth floor. The tiger heard his gulp. "You'll be fine."

"If your mother is half of what you are, I can only imagine what she's like," Po muttered. The tiger rolled her eyes. "By the way, is it too personal to know what happened to your dad?"

Tigress sighed, "My mother and father divorced shortly after I went to high school."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Tigress stared at the floor for a moment, finally reaching her apartment door. She sniffed the air.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you-"

"Oh! Po, I'm not crying. My mom has a certain perfume," Tigress explained. Sure enough, Po could smell the sweet scent near the door. The tiger opened her door. Spick and span. Exactly what Po expected. And a menacing glaring older version of Tigress standing not two yards from the door.

She had a pearl necklace and a yellow blouse with long pants. And trademark flip-flops. Po smiled a bit. Any person of immigrant parents knows the flip-flops. "Hello, Mother," Tigress said, almost bowing her head. "This is Po."

"Uhhh hi," Po nervously smiled. The older tiger only raised an eyebrow. Slowly a smile creased the stern tiger's lips.

"It's good to meet you, Po," she said sweetly. Po couldn't figure out if it was too sweet. "I am Ali Claw."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Claw," Po smiled, mimicking Tigress's almost bow.

"I'm sorry that I... intruded on your walk. I simply couldn't believe my daughter when she said she had a male friend," Ali smirked to Tigress's embarrassment.

"No, no, it's fine."

"Please, come in. Have a seat," Ali smiled, though not warmly. Po took a tentative seat at the kitchen stool where Tigress normally worked. Tigress sat next to Po while Ali cooked from the kitchen.

She was beautiful, much like Tigress, Po thought. Though her eyes looked like they had seen better days. A little shorter than Tigress, she still held a surprising control in her lips, smiling cooly yet knowingly at the panda's nervous goofy frame. "So, Po. What do you work as?"

"Mother," Tigress protested.

"Oh, I... I'm an animator."

"Head of the animation team," Tigress corrected. Po glanced at the tiger who only shot a quick 'trust me' glance. Po knew why Tigress corrected him. It didn't matter. He wasn't here to impress anyone.

"Yes, head of the animation team," Po replied as Ali came back with some soy cubes.

"An artist. That's... unique," Ali smirked. "And how did you meet my daughter?"

"At the gym."

"You work out?" Ali asked.

Po frowned. "Yes, ma'am I do. A lot," He replied somberly. Tigress shot a glare at her mother.

"So, what do you do as 'head of the animation team'," Ali smiled. Po gave a weary smile back. Answering this woman's questions was like being interrogated by an intimidating Tigress.

"I make sure everything's running smoothly. I talk with Tigress about how the organization is going. And I brainstorm with a lot of executives at our company. Thankfully, I learned something from my dads."

"Your dads?" Ali asked.

"Well, I have my biological dad, but Mr. Ping has really-"

"You call Mr. Ping your dad?" Ali asked. "The restaurant that makes good noodles?"

"The same," Po smiled a little brighter.

Ali raised her eyebrow. "Why would you call him... dad?"

"What do you mean?"

"He just seems like he's... a lot to deal with," Ali said bluntly.

"HA! You have no idea," Po chuckled, bringing a wider smile to both tigers. "But I like him. He raised me a lot when my dad was still dealing with the loss of my mother."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Ali said, drooping her ears.

"But Dad managed, and now he's helping Mr. Ping run his company."

"Run... Mr. Ping's restaurant franchise?" Ali asked, shrinking her eyelids. Po nodded slowly. "What's your dad's name?"

"Li-Shan."

"You're Li's son!" Ali exclaimed, widening her eyes past a point that neither Po nor Tigress thought she could reach.

"You... you know him?"

"Of course! He was my best friend in high school. We dated for a time you know."

"WHAT?!" Tigress and Po exclaimed.

"Oh, it's been so long since I've seen Li," She said, almost like she was dreaming. "Hmm, I knew there was a reason you looked familiar."

"So why did you stop dating dad?" Po asked.

Ali shrugged with a happy sigh, "I didn't want to lose my friend. Plus, the more I saw him, the more I realized I wanted that friend more than I wanted a possible lover."

"I... see," Po chuckled nervously. "What was my dad like? He never mentioned dating anyone else other than my mom?"

Ali glanced at the ceiling for a moment, drumming her fingers along the counter. "Probably the same as you. Nervous, awkward, and a bit clumsy around me but kind, sweet, protective, and very huggable."

"Oh! Uhh thank you," Po fidgeted with a smile. It was weird to be complimented like this, especially from someone like Ali. "Uhh, well, it was nice to meet you, but I think I need to start heading back to my apartment. I have a lot of work to do as... you know... head of animation and stuff."

"Oh, you don't have to be worried, dear," Ali smiled warmly. "I'm sorry about my... mannerisms. People say I can be a little intimidating."

"Whaaaaat? Noooooooo," Po said.

Ali laughed, "That's exactly what Li Shan would say when he was lying. It was nice to meet you."

Po smiled as he stood up from the chair, "It was great to meet you too. I can definitely see where Tigress gets her... lovely personality from."

"Mmm is that so?" Ali smirked, glancing at her embarrassed daughter. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Po. I hope to see you again."

"Of course," Po beamed. The panda's eyes grew wide when Ali wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Shocked at first, Po slowly hugged her back.

"Oh!"

"I'm sorry," Po quickly released her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," Ali smiled, though her wide eyes concerned everyone. "You definitely have been working out."

The panda gulped and rubbed the back of his head. "Uhh yeah, sorry. I guess I don't know my own strength... wow that sounds so cliché."

Ali smiled a bit wider as Po left the apartment. "Was all that really necessary?" Tigress finally spoke.

"I didn't know you were friends with my old friend."

"I didn't know you had an old friend. At least, not one that was a panda," Tigress grumbled, eating bits of her food.

"Why would him being a panda make any difference?"

"You've never mentioned being around any bears."

Ali smirked, "There's a lot that you don't know about me, dear."

Tigress sighed under her breath, "Why did you come here, Mother?"

"When you said that you were with a guy friend, I simply couldn't believe it," Ali grinned. "But I have to say you have good taste."

"Po is a friend," Tigress stated firmly. "Nothing more. He works at the place that we partnered up with."

"Hmm," Ali hummed, looking at the door. "You know, I still have Li Shan's number. It would be great to hear from him again. Things would've been very different with your father involved."

Tigress glanced at her mother. She didn't seem sad but calmly sipped her tea while leaning her elbows on the kitchen counter. There was a small twinkling smile in her slightly wrinkled eyes. Tigress sighed and lowered her chopsticks.

"Mom," She said for the first time in a while. "You... never told me why you and Dad broke up."

Ali stared at Tigress, lowering her tea. "Why bring that up?"

"I... I just wanted to know. I've never had the time or energy to ask."

"But why do you ask?"

"You said that he cheated, but... I don't know if that's really the reason."

"You don't trust me?"

"You made it sound like he only cheated with you once and you were done with him. I know it only takes one time, but-"

"Ah," Ali nodded. "Why would I give up on your father that easily?" Tigress nodded. Ali stood up a bit straighter. "Why are you asking this now?"

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't been this curious about what happened between your father and me."

Tigress shifted around in her seat. "I've been... taking a new outlook on things."

"You've been around Po for a while," Ali smiled. Tigress's eyes shrank. "It's alright. Heh, Li Shan was the kind of person that made me more curious, too. Until I met your father that is."

"Something else you haven't told me."

Ali gave a sharp sigh. "I've taught you how to survive after your father left. The honest truth is that... your father and I got married about four months after dating. Our parents approved, but..." The older tiger paused for a moment. "I don't know really where it began. Somewhere around the time you were five, I guess things between us just got... cold."

"What did you do?"

"I did what anyone did. Counseling, therapy, friends, and family. Your father and I went to them all, but it just wouldn't work," Ali sighed, "Then he cheated on me, but not in the way you're thinking. I probably should've told you that but... the divorce was harder than I thought."

Ali took a deep breath, "He started chatting with his co-worker about his problems, and over time they grew closer. I confronted him about it, but he denied cheating on me with her," The older tiger chuckled. "Until his co-worker kissed him."

"Why is that funny?" Tigress asked.

"I still remember when he came in, sulking when he told me that he realized he had been cheating on me. You would think I would be upset, but I laughed. I never thought I'd have a husband realize that they were cheating on me. And I never thought I would figure out he was cheating on me before he did."

Tigress smiled a touch.

"After some more counseling," Ali continued, "We sat down and had an honest talk. It was hard not to shout at each other, but your father managed to keep his temper and mine in check. I think it was the timer we had set for each other."

"Oh! I remember hearing a timer constantly. I thought you were making food," Tigress said.

Ali smiled a hint, "Not exactly. But after that, we sent you on that summer camp trip and filed the divorce papers. Your father still provided for us and worked to get you through college, but when he got his new wife, I wanted him to distance himself. It was less complicated that way. Which was a matter of luck since you were in college at the time."

"Wait, I was at that summer camp for a month," Tigress said. Ali nodded. "When did you and Dad sign the papers?"

"Just as you left for camp."

"What did you do during that month?"

"We had sex."

"MOM!"

"What?" Ali asked, "Your father was a great lover in bed, I had to get one last fun moment in."

Tigress rubbed the stress lines in her muzzle. "I didn't need to know that."

"You asked."

"And I'm regretting asking."

"But that's what happened. It's not as dramatic as you may have thought."

"I see," Tigress sighed.

Ali frowned, "I do think I failed a bit as a mother." Tigress's head perked up. "I taught you to survive no matter what. Try your best, keep your head down, and work hard. After the divorce, I could tell you had a hard time controlling your anger and yourself."

"How?"

"Your martial arts teacher told me so. Now I wonder if I should've worried less about teaching you control and more about teaching you how to express your feelings. Maybe I was too focused on control."

"Why?"

Ali sighed, "Control can become an obsession very easily, and if you lose it, it can send you into a panic." The older tiger stared at the counter. "But that's because you're obsessed with it. It gives you the feeling of stability without really being stable. I was so focused on trying to teach you how to fight for control that I don't think I've taught you how to be stable. How to live. How to thrive."

"Is that why you keep asking if I'm overworking?" Tigress asked.

Ali stared hard. "Ever since the incident with the car, I've been worried."

"Mom, it was just-"

"You could've died, Tigress. You're the only one I've got. And with Po around-"

"He's just a friend," Tigress said slowly.

"Hm," Ali glanced back at the door. "Definitely a strong friend."

"What do you mean?"

"You've never hugged him?"

"No, I'm surprised you did."

Ali smiled a bit wider. "A bit of a guilty pleasure. I really missed Li Shan's hugs. But I didn't expect his son to be that muscular."

"Muscular?"

"Have you never seen him shirtless?" Ali asked incredulously.

"Po... doesn't really like how he looks. That's why he wears the hoodie and works out... a lot."

Ali's eyes widened. "Oh gosh, do you think I-"

"I think he'll be okay. Just... please be more aware of what you're saying."

"I'll try," Ali smiled, "By the way, is he dating anyone?"

"Mom."

"I'm just curious."

"I'm starting to wish curiosity killed felines," Tigress muttered.

Continued...