Maurice & Friends

Shane Simba sat with his legs propped and crossed on the coffee table in the family’s den. He was enjoying the weakened drinks that Dr. Frank Tigeres allowed him these days. No more Scotch neat – must have water added.

“Darling, I think you have recovered enough for me to broach a couple of unwelcome subjects with you,” said his wife, giving him a soothing kiss on the cheek before pressing her point.

“That sounds forbidding, Fifi.”

“I think we must have your mother over for dinner one night and you need to address the issue of Sonny (Shane, Jr.). Caroline is not letting him visit us anymore, darling.”

“You can call Mom, Betty. I guess I can sit through a meal listening to her bullshit. Just don’t lengthen the ordeal by serving dessert. As for Caroline and Sonny, I don’t want to deal with it. I don’t like dealing with Caroline – period.”

“But you must, Shane. He’s your son,” argued Betty.

“I’ll call Sefu and see if he can light a fire under her haunches.”

“Thank you, darling.”

“Is there anything else on your agenda, Fifi?”

“No, that’s it for the evening,” she laughed.

In the First Church of the Ascending Predator the following Sunday, a small group walked slowly up the main aisle to receive baptismal, indicating conversion. One stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. She was human among the animal converts. Dina Myers, head draped in a black mantilla, joined the group at the altar and received the baptism, making her a full blown member of the church based on the worship of a predator god. Shane Simba, sitting with his wife and family, was astounded. Betty patted his leg so he wouldn’t vocalize the exclamation of surprise that she sensed coming on. Staci Simba giggled in spite of herself. Sean, having perused the ANIMAL ENQUIRER with the saucy pictures of his father and the convert, sniggered. A slight rumble sounded among the parishioners. When the baptism had been performed, the group returned down the aisle to a pew reserved for them. It was noted by all that Dina Myer’s face was tear-streaked and euphoric. Shane groaned inwardly.

Dina Myers at her conversion....

Caroline Cheetah, having had a phone call from the office of the Chief Magistrate of Kenya, Sefu Simba, was boiling mad. Caroline had spent a large part of her life rebelling at one thing or another. She simply detested authority. She made arrangements with the state mansion to bring young Shane Simba, Jr. to weekend with his father and stepmother. In the meantime, she felt the need to heap further embarrassment on the presidential family. The Sunday after the congregation had been shocked to see the president’s much publicized squeeze convert within its walls, they were privy to anther incident. Caroline chose to baptize her illegitimate son at the altar. The Reverend Saul Serval had been dismayed to have to do the honors, knowing the president and his family attended every Sunday they were in the Masai Mara. However, ministers have no recourse when a baptismal is requested. Reverend Serval attempted to say the name of the cub as quietly as he could, saving the president’s feelings. It backfired. Caroline stated in a loud voice that she couldn’t hear her son’s name, leaving the hapless minister to practically shout it out in a fit of nerves. No one stood with Caroline at the altar. Dorian and Cynthia Cheetah, the grandparents, had not been notified and were in Mombasa for the weekend. She had asked Sloane Simba to stand with her but he was having no part of embarrassing his half-brother who was becoming a key factor in getting Sloane where he wanted to go in life.

For Shane Simba, it had been a week of unsettling personal events with Dina’s public conversion and the baptismal of his illegitimate son. Now the last hurdle was to be jumped. He walked the lawn to the state mansion where his mother was expected for supper. Now, Sarah Lee Simba is a much loved figure among her offspring. However, Shane is not one of those devoted to the lioness. Coming from a childhood where she openly favored her son, Sam, Shane’s litter mate, he was still smarting from the perceived neglect of his youth. Sarah Lee had compounded the grief in Shane’s mind by disapproving of every female he had loved. Only when Catherine had played such a great role in increasing the pride’s coffers with her brilliant ideas had she accepted her. Now, she had accepted Betty at last. He got off the elevator and went to the living room where he knew Betty would entertain his mother. She was already there, having a cup of tea. Betty got up and greeted her husband. Sarah Lee remained seated and indicated her cheek, wishing for her son to place a kiss there. He complied. Betty poured him a Scotch with a bit less water so he could more easily endure the evening. Shane noticed that his mother affected the doleful expression that was so typical when she was with him. He asked how the pride was faring and got this report.

“Leander’s boy, Sidney had to be pulled from the trailer out back and sent to rehab again. Bubba came and did it. Leander’s sons are filled with problems,” she groaned, placing a hankie delicately to her lips. “They just cannot be trusted.”

Shane cast his eyes in Betty’s direction. He knew this was a thinly veiled slap at his choice of Sloane for justice minister. She continued her reportage.

“And I spoke with Sefu the other night from Nairobi. I could hear the hurt in his voice. Poor Tookie has to have a nine month pregnancy since she chose that human husband and has a human child in her womb,” droned Sarah Lee taking no note of the warning signs in her son’s light green eyes.

Betty took note. She interrupted the recitation by announcing dinner. She called the children to join them. The servants were a bit taken aback by the premature arrival at the table. Nevertheless, they got it all together and managed early service. Staci and Sean, having been interrupted from their favorite television show were glum. Betty encouraged the children to get on their favorite subjects, placing a light pat on Staci’s leg and a wink across the table. Staci smiled and was off to the races with reports of the soccer game coming up – first for the season. Sarah Lee gave a great sigh and cut through the conversation.

“Shane, I have never been able to figure where you got those green eyes,” she moaned. “They are so unlike the others in the pride – not at all like a lion.”

Shane dropped his fork on his plate making a clattering sound.

“Certainly you don’t think I have a clue, Mom. Maybe it was some lioness in your ancestry that screwed a leopard, how about that for ideas?”

“Shane, mind your manners. You are in the presence of your mother,” growled Sarah Lee.

“Let’s have coffee in the sitting room,” suggested Betty, rising from the table and knocking over her water glass.

“I can’t have coffee, Betty. It goes badly with my digestive system,” opined the lioness.

Suddenly Shane burst out laughing and said, “Sit down, Fifi. Finish your dinner. Things are cool.”

With that sense of levity and release, Sean Simba began to discuss his latest topic of interest, dinosaurs. That theme took up the rest of the dinner hour. Sarah Lee, after another cup of tea in the sitting room was sent home with Shane’s driver in the official Rolls. She had him blow the horn as they pulled into the drive of her home. She waited until the lights went on in Leander’s home next door, before she made her exit.

Shane and his mother, Sarah Lee Simba, in the state mansion......

Chloe Cougar, lacking the impetus of her marriage to super star, Roy Lee Simba, sensed her career dragging. There were no movie roles of the moment; so once again, she sought Christine Cheetah Mbube and the arts center to provide an outlet. She had just completed a successful run in a comedy in the center’s Catherine Simba Memorial Theater. She now suggested (an idea emanating from Roy Lee) that she star in Chicago, the musical that had been a major success on Broadway and in film. Christine called into counsel her husband, Micah Mbube. He agreed that this was a good vehicle for the center. Roy Lee had another suggestion that held water. He would delay production of his coming film about King Arthur until Micah could play the male lead on the stage opposite Chloe. Being Micah’s mentor, Roy Lee felt that the actor could use a musical in his repertoire. Micah agreed with him but told his wife, privately, that he dreaded acting with the thorny Chloe. Nevertheless, contracts were signed and casting and rehearsals were slated for a few weeks hence.

Sloane Simba had avoided Caroline Cheetah since the night she had shoved a high heeled bedroom slipper into his groin, almost causing him to lose consciousness from the pain. Being sore from that episode as well as being tossed around his boudoir by the Amazonian Tawny Tigeres, he was once again frequenting one of his less stressful sex objects – Chloe Cougar. The only negative in being with Chloe was having to endure her mindless babble. He was enjoying a quiet Saturday in his bush home when the houseboy announced a visitor. He went to his library to find Caroline standing by the fireplace, smoking a cigarette, her dark eyes filled with agitation.

“Caroline, I have tried to stress to my friends that I don’t take kindly to drop-ins.”

“Your elevation by that prick, Shane, has gone to your already megalomaniac head, Sloane.”

“Caroline, I do not appreciate having my balls almost removed by your bedroom slipper no matter how chic it was,” he snarled, lighting a cigarette.

“You deserved it, Sloane, having broken off our engagement.”

“What? Our what? Caroline, you are one demented broad.”

Caroline liked nothing better that getting Sloane Simba going unless it was nettling his half-brother. She approached and reached a paw in is shirt, which as always, had several buttons left undone to affect the ultimate sexiness. He removed it.

“Caroline, we were never engaged. If I did propose and you refused, as you have stated, it is a moot point now.”

“Oh, get off your high horse and fuck me, Sloane. Shane, Jr. is with pops and the monkey this weekend so I’m at loose ends.”

“If I service you, will you go away, Caroline?” he asked, unbuckling the belt to her tight jeans and sliding them to the floor.

She undid his shirt and took it from him, dropping it to the Persian carpet beneath them. He removed her thong. She opened his jeans with the fashionable holes in the fabric and lowered them.

“Do you think we’ll make it to my room or should we proceed with the venture right here and now?” he asked.

“Here and now,” she purred, stoking his boner.

He pushed her against the wall and took her right there. She didn’t make good on her promise to leave. She spent the entire weekend. They had a remarkable time of it.

Caroline and Sloane in a heated moment at his house....

Sam Simba, in the taking over of Simba Brothers, was slightly dismayed by two new attorneys that had been hired in his absence. Tawny Tigeres, with her total self confidence, was walking all over him. As for Dina Myers, he was tired of her long suffering eyes and quivering lips. Both were top notch lawyers and aced any cases assigned them in court. Tawny had a habit of wearing the highest heels which caused her to tower over him. Sam really didn’t care about that factor as long as she clobbered the opposition.

“How are your testosterone levels, Sam?”

That was thrown at him one day as they were about to go to court. Tawny stood in his office hovering over him by at least five inches.

“I beg your pardon,” said Sam, removing his horn rimmed glasses.

“Do you have the balls to allow me to tower over you in the court room?” she laughed in her strident fashion.

“Hell yes, Tawny, my only concern is that we win the case.”

“Well good for you. Sloane was all in a knickers twist about my wearing these heels in court,” she giggled.

“It‘s not a problem for me, Tawny.”

“Good boy,” she enthused and then did the unthinkable as she walked away. She pinched his seat.

Caitlin Cougar went to the Exotic Animal Clinic and had a sonogram which revealed that she and Steven Simba were to be the parents of a male cub. Already mom to adorable Georgia Leander Simba, she rejoiced in being pregnant with a son. She made plans to invite Steven for dinner and tell him the news. It was in the shank of the evening when she got a chance to call him. The phone in his condo rang several times before he answered. He sounded out of breath.

“Steve, can you come to dinner tomorrow evening? I have some news I want to share.”

“I guess so, Caitlin. What’s this about?”

“A surprise – a very nice one too.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

Steven had not seen much of Caitlin lately. He sank back in his bed and continued making love to Cameron Caracal.