Sloane Simba wiped a bit of ice cream from his daughter’s cheek.  They were sitting on the deck enjoying Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at the Watering Hole Pub. 

“Daddy, don’t be sad because you don’t have a girlfriend.  I love you and I want to marry you,” stated the adorable Georgy Simba, taking another lick of her Fruit Fantasia cone. 

“I love your loving me, Georgy, but you can’t marry me because I’m your dad,” said Sloane, giving her a hug which smeared a dab on his shirt. 

“Mommy says I don’t look a thing like a lion so maybe I’m not your daughter, Daddy,” argued Georgy.  “That means I can marry you.  We’ll have a big wedding Daddy.  I’ll just call you Sloane when I’m grown and can marry you.”

“I think that would be splendid, Georgy, but you are my daughter even though you look more like Mommy’s cougar side for now - that can all change,” laughed Sloane. 

It was a gloriously beautiful Saturday and they had stopped for ice cream before heading for Shane and Betty’s bush house.  They picked up some gallon containers to take to their hosts.  Sloane grew to love his daughter more intensely with each passing day.  She was one of the joys of his life that can be counted on to thrill him with her sharp mind.  Caitlin had informed him that Georgy, like her cousin, Staci Simba, was going to skip a grade next year due to her high degree of intelligence.    

            The father and daughter headed for the bush where Georgy was looking forward to a ride on her cousin’s horse. 

Georgy Simba......

            Shane Simba has started jogging to keep up his remarkable physique and stay healthy.  He runs early every morning in the bush country.  His loyal Masai keep up with him.  When he asked the Masai Moran if they minded running after him they laughed. 

“Rais Simba, we just remember the old days and pretend we are hunting you,” they told him. 

“Just keep your spears down,” he had laughed. 

Shane Simba jogs in the bush country.......

            Cynthia Cheetah was meeting with Shane and me in the president’s office.  Betty joined us, giving her long time friend a kiss on the cheek.  Cynthia had always headed up the very successful Tourist Appreciation Day in the Mara.  This year, Shane Simba, wanting to enhance all aspects of our image as an up and coming nation called for a meeting with Cynthia, his former mother-in-law and grandmother of two of his cubs.

“Cyn, this year I believe we can bring your original idea to even greater fruition.  Kenya has become of great interest these days to the world,” said Shane. 

“What would you suggest, Shane?” she asked. 

“Rock stars, a soccer team vs. another, a play in Maurice’s arts center…..many things.  It could become an entire week of activities and play up our growing sophistication on international affairs and the global community in general,” enthused Shane. 

“That is a very interesting concept, Shane and one I would love to support.  It will take much planning and a kick ass committee - let's go for two weeks,” enthused Cynthia.

“Let me be the first to volunteer my wife,” laughed Shane, giving Betty a quick kiss. 

“We can get Leah Lyon who is a genius at these things,” said Betty. 

            Shane Simba allotted an entire meeting room to the committee that was headed by Cynthia Cheetah with a membership including, Betty, Leah Lyon, Christine Cheetah, Roy Lee Simba and Charlotte Elephanti among others.  Bertram Baboon was asked to take part, as was I.  We met twice a week at night.  The State House staff thoughtfully provided refreshments for the occasion.  The artists at the arts center, including Caitlin Cougar, put together a beautiful poster to be distributed to all countries.   This was an exciting prospect for our growing country which was moving at a great pace into the 21^st century.  Carolyn Cape Buffalo was put on the committee as well as Michele Mamba to cover all species bases.  Sylvia Cougar consented to come out of retirement and help with the project. 

            The hotels in the area got ready for the onslaught.  Roy Lee, Gloria Chimpo and Bertram bent their heads to the drawing board for ideas.  The three decided to write an original pageant of sorts to describe the animals and people and changes of Kenya and present it on the stage of the arts center.  Upon hearing of our two week festival, the New York City cast of The Lion King has asked if they can stage a week long production here in the arts center in the Masai Mara.  Chelsea Cheetah Cougar and director Christine Cheetah, the director, were delighted.  Every available animal and dancer would be needed for Bertram, Roy Lee and Gloria's pageant.  It is even rumored that former President Ralph Lyon will play the piano but that very much remains to be seen. 

    Shane Simba took an official trip to South Africa to confer with that leader as to his thoughts on Somalia.  He took Sloane with him.  Also along for the reportage and ride was the lioness reporter, Jane.  Shane and Sloane stayed in a five star hotel.  After working in the office of the president for eight hours, they arrived tired and ready for a drink at the Ritz Carlton in Johannesburg.  Not wanting to lure the media, they sat in a section of the bar that was restricted.  They asked Jane to join them.  She wrote down the latest details of their day with the President and faxed them to the Masai Mara Daily.  Sloane went off to find some excitement for the evening. 

“Want to join me in my room for dinner, Jane?” Shane asked the lioness. 

“Are you sure about that, Mr. President?  After all, you’re the father of a new baby,” she told him. 

“What’s this got to do with him or anything else at home, Jane?”

“It’s your call.”

            Jane followed him to his suite where he ordered a rib roast for two plus a great wine.  He pulled the Scotch from the mini bar and poured two neat.  He gave one to Jane.  They sat on the comfortable couch in the living room of his suite and kicked off their shoes.  They spoke for a while about the problems that Somalia was creating on her border countries.  Jane was sharp and a jump ahead of the news on most scores, being a reporter.  Their dinner arrived with two bottles of fine red wine. 

“This steak is delicious, Mr. President,” commented the lioness having had a bite. 

“You can call me Shane out of sight of the world, Jane.  Why aren’t you married?  Too much career?”

“I come from an old fashioned pride of lions that are very primitive.  I was engaged to Luke Leoparde but they don’t want me to marry anything but a male lion,” she explained.  “I don’t want to dishonor their wishes.  I’ve never liked male lions before……….”

He stood up pushing the rolling dinner table from them.  He pulled Jane to him. 

‘Before what, Janie?  I’m all ears…..” he said, breathing and licking in her ear, running his paws along her dress buttons, leaving some undone. 

She moaned.  “Before you……I never had a male lion before that time with you and Sloane.  I never wanted to have one.  I thought you were all assholes.”

"We are, for the most part....."

She unzipped his fly and placed her paw inside, fondling him. 

“Not you, Shane.  There is something about you.”

“You know I can’t marry you, does that matter?” he asked, removing the last of her clothing. 

“No, it doesn’t matter at all.  I just hope to get a forbidden piece of you now and then,” she breathed into his chest. 

He turned the lights off, blackening the room before he pulled her on top of him.  She continued to moan as he made love to her. 

            Kenya, mainly the Masai Mara and Nairobi, was getting gussied up for the coming two week event that had been renamed The Kenya Festival.  Cynthia Cheetah had loved her former son-in-law’s idea of making Tourist Appreciation Day a much bigger entity to reflect the new Kenya.  International advertisements and invitations had gone out and were being received with enthusiasm.  Lewis Lyon, already in the middle of building a Lyon-Regency Hotel, was doing a rush job.  The Mara Simba Lodge had added two new wings.  Not to be challenged, the Leoparde-Lyon Safari Club was adding 400 new rooms and duplexes.  The German soccer team was coming to challenge the Masai Mara All Stars.

            Bob Bushbuck, the publisher of the Masai Mara Daily, called his news director, Jane the lioness to his office. 

“Jane, congratulations, President Simba has given you a permanent place on any plane he takes officially on a junket.  You must be doing something very right,” said Bob. 

“I think he just appreciates my stating only the facts and not going off on lollygags,” she told her boss.

“You were always quite no-nonsense, Jane.  That is why I count on you so.”

“Thank you, Bob” she said, leaving his office and out of hearing she muttered, “And thank you my darling lion president.”

Jane, the lioness head of the news department at the Masai Mara Daily

       Jane the lioness sat in the cozy den of her long time friend, Caitlin Cougar.  Caitlin had invited her to dinner, seeking another romance free female.  Jane had brought wine for the meal but first the two females enjoyed a bottle of Scotch left by Steven Simba on his last visit. 

“Where is the father of your son this evening, Caitlin?  I thought he and his human wife had broken up finally,” asked Jane, lighting a cigarette. 

“Steve is so jittery about females these days; he’s no pleasure at all.  I really wish I could get Sloane back but he’s not interested either.  I am at odds as far as a male goes.  But I do have my kids.  Georgy is so smart and Carly practically lives with my parents since they moved here.  He’s named for my dad.  They dote on Georgy too.  Don’t you ever wish you had a male and kids, Jane?”. 

“I can’t marry anything but a lion, Caitlin.  My parents won’t approve.”

“And you hate male lions,” giggled Caitlin. 

“I thought I did until recently.”

“Who is he, Jane……tell, tell?”

“He’s unavailable but I can always dream.”

About that time Georgy came running in to greet her ‘Aunt’ Jane and the conversation turned to other things. 

            There were some military clashes along our border with Somalia.  Shane went with two generals to see what was going on.  He was to spend the night at the main military instillation on the border.  It was an Air Force and Army base of good size.  He was assigned a barracks to himself. 

            Shane spent that day conferring with the generals and other commanding offices.  That evening having dealt with much of the situation he turned into his barrack’s bedroom and suite.  He turned on a radio which was playing soft music.  He placed a call to Betty and told her he would be home tomorrow.  He placed another very brief call.  He was pouring a whiskey when there was a subdued knock on the door.  He opened it and drew his visitor inside. 

“That music is lovely,” said Jane, kissing him. 

“I was lucky to get such as close as we are to disaster,” he told her, holding her close and unbuttoning her shirt. 

“It is so odd, your being with a lioness.  I’ve never heard of you being with one despite the fact that you’re a lion,” said Jane, removing his slacks. 

“They never turned me on much until now.  You could say I have the opposite of a mother complex – in fact I detest mine,” he moaned in her neck. 

“I want to hear more about that one, if I may……”

He put her on the bed and kissed her question away for the moment.  They made love so many times they began to tire.  Finally Shane rose from the bed and returned with the Scotch and two glasses. 

“Now what was your question about me and lionesses or should I say lionesses and me?  I should, as president, always be grammatically correct.”

“You said you didn’t like your mother, If I heard you correctly.  Of course we were going through the motions so I could have missed something,” teased Jane. 

“You’re very different, Janie,” he told her, pouring at least five fingers of Scotch in her glass. 

"How so?  I'd so love listening to your voice elaborating on that idea.  I so love the timbre."

“Very independent, without being too noticeable about it, which to me, denotes genuine independence of spirit rather than the sort some females adopt as a front – and maybe even a come hither aspect.”

“I’m not entirely inured to having someone of my own but I am in a predicament when it comes to that.  I also happen to love my career and have a great boss to work it with.”

“What is your predicament, if I’m not overstepping my boundaries?”

“I’ve always detested male lions.  I grew up with shitty role models.  My pride males were revolting.”

“We seem to be in the same boat.  As lionesses go, my pride was not blessed with great ones, my mom being the supreme disappointer.”

“So here we are,” she laughed. 

“Jane, you do not disappoint me in the least,” he said, stroking her bare breast. 

“Nor do you me, Shane Simba,” she said laying her face on his belly and moving ever lower. 

Shane and Jane in the barracks......

            Lucy Cougar moved into her delectable estate on the Mara River two doors down from her great grandmother, Lucretia Leoparde.  She called her ex-husband, Alexander Simba, and invited him to dinner.  It was late afternoon, shadows beginning to fall on the already beautifully landscaped garden with the brick walls ensconced with bas-reliefs of saints and animals.  Alexander arrived with a hospitable bottle of wine.  He was shown the garden which was already fait accompli.  He wasn’t impressed at all.  He had worked forever on the garden in his home and felt it not only represented beauty but love and dedication.  The dinner was tense, with Lucy and the cubs going between cloying and cross.  Alexander couldn’t get away soon enough.