The last two weeks of Betty’s pregnancy were the happiest she could remember in a long time. Shane stayed in the Mara and appeared to devote himself to his wife. Betty, too uncomfortable to travel to Mombasa, spent long weekends in the bush house. Shane was a constant presence confining his tennis to the private courts adjacent the garden. Lewis Lyon, a favored tennis partner, was invited for a set or two and lunch afterwards. Joshua and Jason Simba, her sons by Sam, spent one weekend. Her son, Arlon Lyon, was a steady caller. Staci spent a long weekend and Solly was an unvarying delight. Shane’s oldest son, Sean, was in attendance at his second soccer camp in Namibia. In the evenings the couple would sit and converse like old times. Shane’s sexual ardor for his wife was not tested since Betty was unable at this late stage of her pregnancy.

On an appointed day, doctors, Frank Tigeres and Sylly Cougar Lyon took the cubs by caesarian section. They were well fleshed and active and full term so the decision was not difficult. They would also remove the donated uterus along with the cubs. Shane waited with Staci in a special room near surgery. At noon, two lusty sons were born to Shane and Betty Simba. The media went wild, stampeding me as I tried to make my way to the clinic. Caroline Cheetah Simba was already being bombarded by questions as she attempted to conduct an orderly press conference at the entrance of The Exotic Animal Clinic. There was no way and a harried and nervous Caroline finally joined Sloane and me in another waiting area adjacent to Shane’s.

The cubs were named Jalil and Tarik, names of Arabic origin greatly used by Kenyans. They were strong and active. Their baptism was a media circus, though quite lovely and held in the First Church of the Ascending Predator. Betty and Shane stood at the altar, both holding a son for the Reverend Saul Serval to do the honors and anoint. The godmothers were Gloria Chimpo Baboon and Tookie Simba, Shane’s sister. The godfathers were Sam Simba and me. An elegant reception was held afterward at the bush home. Bertram cornered me with an air of amusement.

“Do you think it slightly odd that one of the godfathers is also the biological father of two of the mother’s other children?” he giggled, softly, lest anyone hear.

I also found the thought amusing. “I just thought it was because the two litter mates have finally reached a rapprochement.”

Bertram and I enjoyed a few titters on that subject and were eventually joined by his wife, Gloria.

“I hope now that Betts will get all lithe and back to her normal feisty self. She has let herself remain in the shadows too long bearing all these cubs,” she said, lighting a Kool.

Bertram and I nodded our heads in agreement.

Then, bad news causing the President to rush to Yaounde in Cameroon. A Kenya Airways jet crashed just seventy-five miles north of the capital city in a densely forested area. The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 114 people, including 105 passengers from 23 countries.

After his return from Cameroon, Shane welcomed a high ranking Japanese emissary. Japan has pledged $330million to expand Kenya's port in Mombasa. Betty was able to participate in welcoming and hosting the Japanese guest even though she was still recovering from major surgery.

Things popped around the State House with our young president pulling us more and more into world affairs as we grew into a nation of progress and realization of the 21^st century. In these weeks after the birth of their twins, I saw Betty and Shane seeming to forge a new bond. She would come to the office in the mornings when the twins were napping and catch up on the programs she headed. They would then either lunch together in the State House dining room or go to the mansion. Gerald Giraffe had been paid a pretty penny to come to the mansion and work out with Betty in the elaborate gym in the basement.

Jane Leoparde, mindful of the heartbreak of a wife with new cubs and a distant husband, had bowed out of the scene ever so slightly. She had sent another reporter to cover Shane on his trip to Cameroon. She had not been answering his cell phone calls. She worked steadily at her job as manager of the Masai Mara Daily and spent evenings with her husband, Luke Leoparde, and her children. When Luke was gone on safari, she would spend the late afternoons walking with her cubs to the watering hole near their bush home. When she had seen them to bed, she would work on her laptop mapping out an article or the next day's schedule at the Daily. The fact that her husband was her best friend worked well for the lioness. The evenings Luke spent at home were filled with laughter, as well as urbane and intellectual chat fests. Sometimes Jane felt she had the best of both worlds. She adored her lover, Shane Simba, but was well aware of the difficulties endured in marriage with him. There were none with Luke as long as you were emotionally detached and gave him his freedom. Luke went his way sexually as she did hers with Shane. In the interim, they had a wonderful relationship, Jane creating a warm home atmosphere for Luke and his two sons with Simone Serval.

Gerald Giraffe was hired to join Betty in the state-of-the-art gym that inhabited the basement of the state mansion along with the wine cellar. Gerald had very mixed feelings about the First Lady. As long as she stayed away from her ex-husband, Montecore, the giraffe trainer was okay with her. The need to keep Shane Simba interested in his wife was topmost in Gerald’s mind. Creating a buff Betty was more likely to accomplish that goal. With that in mind and harboring a healthy lust for Montecore, Gerald set to work on Betty. Despite her recent surgery and on the assumption that animals heal quickly, Gerald worked Betty’s ass off. Betty, rather than objecting, saw the results in the full length mirror in her bathroom. She also saw Shane’s light eyes rekindle with a desire that had not been there for a great while. When he began making love to her on a nightly basis, she decided a reward was in order for her trainer. She had four fruit trees delivered to his barn with the personnel to plant them. Gerald was a great lover of fruit, being a grazing animal. He was especially fond of pears and guava. Two trees were of that variety. She also had Chez Margaux design a charming basket of fruits and candies and had them delivered as well. Gerald was tickled pink and shared his bounty with his partners at RUNNERS, Cynthia and Dorian Cheetah.

I have to detour to tell you a very happy event. My sister, Margaux Monkee Tigeres and her husband, Tony, have bought a wonderful beach home next door to mine and one door from Lachlan’s. Margaux and Tony are such a happy couple and between their two booming businesses – his disco and her food boutique and restaurant – they can now own a home on the beach. Lachlan and I, though living together in the Mara, still maintain our separate beach homes. We just live between the two houses which are next door to one another. Margaux and Tony will be a happy edition to our lives at the beach in Mombasa.

Despite the protests of my mother and Lucretia Leoparde, the doors opened to the combined medical facility that houses the offices, and wards for the treatment of HIV/AIDS and malaria victims. The Kenya Medical Facility was completed last week by the best efforts of Lewis Lyon Construction Company. It had its grand opening with former First Lioness, Mildred Lyon cutting the ribbon. Shane and Betty were there to welcome the dignitaries arriving to inspect the elaborate medical clinic, the first of its kind in East Africa. As a surprise, former presidents Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela arrived for the occasion. Mandela stayed with Ralph Lyon at his retirement home. I was quite amazed at the sleekness and beauty of the clinic. I also didn’t think it ruined the atmosphere of the estates surrounding it. Lachlan is on the board and will provide psychiatric assistance when needed.

The new Kenya Medical Clinic and below: Drs. Juma Mnyama, Dr. Lachlan Lion and sitting: Dr. Trevor Tau.

Shane and Betty took their brood to Mombasa where Shane windsurfed and rode, with Solly behind him on the wave runner. The family enjoyed their new sons before Shane made an official trip to Japan to thank the emperor in person for the tremendous boost to our harbor and economy. Betty glowed in her newly refurbished and buffed body.

Shane and Betty in Mombasa

Then it was off to Tokyo on Simba One. When the President boarded his official jet, he looked to the back where Jane usually sat going over her notes. He caught his breath in relief. There she was engrossed with her ear phones and paper work as was her habit. He sat down with a sigh of gratitude. The Boeing 747 took off into a cloud bank, came out, leveled off, and headed for the land of the rising sun.

Shane had booked at the Four Seasons Chinzan-so Tokyo in the presidential suite. Shane got off the plane, the first to hit the red carpet in Tokyo. Before doing so, he had passed a note to Jane, reading: You are booked with me at the Four Seasons. Please be there. I have to see you. All my love, Shane.

Shane and Jane in the hotel restaurant in Tokyo

Shane attended a reception at the Imperial Palace as guest of honor before he returned to his suite in the hotel. Waiting for him was Jane. She went and threw her arms around him. He held her tightly for a long time before releasing her. He made a drink from the bar.

“Janie, why the hell have you been ignoring me? It’s driven me crazy; you won’t even answer your cell phone that I gave you.”

“Shane, I love you deeply but I’ve never before been in a position of hurting another animal like I am doing to Betty.”

“Betty is fine, Janie. She has the cubs and she has me at her side most of the time. That’s what she seems to want. She appears happy as a clam,” he said, taking a gulp of his Scotch.

“But she knows about us, Shane and she loves you as much as I do. I am just trying to back off a bit and let her have her rightful claim to you as her husband.”

“Janie, in my heart, I am your husband. I do my duty by Betty. She has three of my kids now which is all she seemed to obsess about before. I fuck her the customary sum for a married couple. She has all that. I know I sound like a conceited ass, but what else does she need?”

Jane began to laugh.

“Why are you laughing, Janie?” he roared, tossing her on the bed and getting on top of her.

“Do you think you sound conceited, love?” she giggled into his mane.

“No doubt.” His laugh was smothered in the fur of her neck.

They didn’t finish their conversation. They made love until the busy and noisy traffic of Tokyo signaled it was morning.