Why hire great dj’s, when you allow an insane doorbell to rip beautiful tangos apart, at least forty times per evening? It’s a fair question, and it crosses my mind approximately twenty times every milonga night. I think it must be one of those inexplicable acts of procrastination, caused by, the same thing that makes you believe that tax returns pass easier, after the rest of the nation has already submitted theirs. You are probably wondering, what is he thinking about, the other twenty times when the penetrating sound of the doorbell shatters another Di Sarli or Troilo? My answer is: reasons.

Yes, reasons, and good ones too. I am known for my ability to convince myself and others that action is not necessary. For instance, my family now thinks that cat litter doesn’t need to be changed, because cats feel more comfortable on a used litter box. I have that persuasive power. Over the last ten winters I told neighbours, with sixty percent accuracy, that it was not going to snow, so car tires did not have to be changed. I believed it myself, and so did they. Sometimes I was wrong, and then I simply convinced everybody, including myself, to not venture on the road. So, when people ask me why we do not remove the crazy doorbell from our milonga, or muffle the sound of it, I really don’t have an excuse. I have clever sounding reasons.

It’s hard to see how a little thing like a doorbell would be able to correct my carefully created reputation of work avoider, in particular, because that very same doorbell has become a unique selling point of our milonga. You will not find any milonga with a similar doorbell, most certainly not one with quite the same shrill, annoying sound. In the beginning of the evening it announces the arrival of newcomers: like a clarion, creating the hopeful perspective of exciting new dancers approaching. Its deadly, high-pitched sound puts everybody who is near the buzzer into action immediately, just to avoid having to hear it again. This is why visitors never have to wait long to get in and we, as hosts, always know when it is time to greet new guests, which they appreciate very much.

As the dancing reaches its intensity peek, the DJ shifts into emotional gear. During this phase of the night, dancers hardly hear the bell, but when they do, they mostly register new dancers arriving, adding to the excitement: wow, there are even more? Who are they? Dancers that arrive late are often good, right? I should disclose now that my accountant laughs hysterically behind my back when I tell him he’ll have my records by end of next week. It’s true as I have it from a reliable source; my previous accountant. Therefore, I must strongly advise against holding your breath while waiting for me to fix that doorbell.  Ah… the joyful sound of it… I miss it already. Looking forward to next Tuesday! If you don’t like our doorbell, you fix it.