Betty in Shane's office with him......

   Betty Chimpo wanted to kick herself in the arse for feeling this peevish way but the emotion still prevailed. Despite loving Jack Tarzan, she still carried a terrific torch for Shane Simba. Now here she was in his office at the State House with a request she knew better than to make. It was completely without the knowledge of Jack Tarzan or her son.

"Will you let Jack adopt Solly?" she asked, lighting a cigarette and ignoring the inflammatory spark in Shane Simba’s odd green eyes.

"Why are you asking me this thing, Betty?" he roared.

"Jack adores Solly and the feeling is mutual on our son’s part. I thought it would be a nice gesture."

"Well you can damn well forget it, Betty. I will never let my legitimate kids be adopted and especially not Solly. He is very dear and special to me."

"I thought I would ask at any rate."

"You seem to have a burr up your butt, care to elaborate on the cause?"

He lit a cigarette and poured a drink for himself without offering her one. He was pissed and she knew it. She realized she had made a major booboo coming here.

"You have these two new babies and a wife you seem to fawn all over. I thought you might want to resolve the lives of your other children. It was merely a thought," she stated nervously.

"You seem to be in a fit of pique over my new family with Alex. I can't figure you for the life of me, Betty. You are a strange animal. As for resolving the lives of my other offspring, I have done just that. I have been generous in letting you keep Solly, Jalil and Tarek all week with me having them only on the weekends. And there are plenty of those when I am out of the country and don't take advantage of them. The cubs seem content with the situation so why can't you be? I doubt if Jack is a part of your scheme. He hardly seems the type."

"I’m sorry I bothered you, Shane."

He looked at her long and hard saying nothing. He guessed rightly that she was jealous of his love for Alexandra and his children with her. He stubbed his cigarette out angrily.

"Betty, do remember that you left me and filed for a divorce?  I even went to Tanzania and tried to bring you back. You are the reason our marriage ended. It has nothing to do with Alex so don't blame her in anyway. I am extremely happy in my marriage to her and I thought you had found your soul mate in Jack Tarzan. I guess I got that part wrong. If you aren't totally happy with him, I can't understand the reason. He is a fine lion and one of impeccable character I've begun to believe. "

It was too much to hear him extolling Jack’s virtues. It simply pointed out to Betty how contented he was with his lot in life and how little she had recovered from her obsession with him. He even had a picture of his wife on his desk, a place where her image had never been put during their marriage. It sent zingers through Betty's very being to see Alexandra Simba smiling gaily from her husband's desk top.  She placed her cigarettes in her bag and left without another word. Shane gave a sigh and refreshed his drink.

    There was a struggle going on in the social hierarchy of the hoof stock in the Mara. At least among the females of that genre. Irma Impala, the wife of Irving the owner of the television station in the Mara, had always been in ascendancy socially. She was the President of the Prey for Safety Guild, a major social club among the hoof stock. Now there was a threat to Irma’s position. Kay Kudu, the wife of attorney Kyle Kudu, was beginning to be noticed. Irma, whose dear friend was the wife of the publisher, Bob Bushbuck, got together with Beryl Bushbuck and attempted to find a solution to the usurping of her social throne. There seemed to be none. Kay was stylish and on the ball. Her husband had started a law firm in the Mara and even Dodi Dik Dik Lyon had sought his counsel.

    The last meeting of PSG had been quite cantankerous. Irma and Beryl loved to bash the big cats. In doing so, Irma had mentioned ‘our obscene president, Shane Simba and his human wife. Kay had stood, put a polished hoof up and spoken her piece. The room fell silent at Kay’s pronouncement that she not only didn’t resent the current lion president, she considered him to be a ‘hottie’.

Adding with a wicked giggle, "He’s a freaking hunk if you ask me. I simply live for pictures of him in his Speedo. I’m sure others feel the same."

This elicited confessions from several other hoofed ladies that they also found Shane Simba to be something of a sex symbol. Among his admirers was Carolyn Cape Buffalo whom Shane had encouraged onto a successful local political career.

"Quite frankly, the Leoparde National Bank loaned Kyle the money to open his law firm so we are not anti-big cat," added Kay Kudu.

Irma fumed after the meeting as she and Beryl counted the dues that had been collected that day.

"Can you imagine any self-respecting hooved female being sexually attracted to that damn lion?" groused Irma Bushbuck. "I just remember the days - their jaws gaping and covered with blood from a kill."

Irma placed a well groomed hoof to her breast to accentuate the angst of yore.

"Well he is kind of a looker, Irma, you have to give him that," said Beryl Bushbuck.

"Oh dear heavens, Beryl, what is this world coming to?"

  Irma Impala (left) and Kay Kudu (right).            

    Juma Mnyama wanted to cheer up his good buddy and colleague, Trevor Tau. Trevor seemed very down in the mouth lately. Juma knew that he had carried the torch for both Leah and Betty Chimpo. Trevor had been the one to break up with Leah but Betty had dumped him. Things were a bit tense between the two doctors who had even been housemates at one time. Now Juma wanted to do away with the frost and help his friend.

"You look miserable, Trevor," noted Juma one afternoon as he stood in Trevor’s office door at the Kenya Medical Facility. "How about dinner at my house?"

"Will Leah be there?" was Trevor’s only question.

"If you would prefer she not be, then we will eat alone."

"I loved Leah but we weren't right together so I don't resent you taking up with her, Juma. I just want you to know that. It’s Betty Chimpo that I sort of miss. We had a very brief but intense thing going - at least I thought we did."

"So you're grieving over Betty?"

"Not really that....I have some things on my mind. I guess I could use a good buddy evening if you don't mind, Juma."

"Let’s go to my place, have a few drinks and chow down. Leah won't mind if she’s not invited. I'll call her."

Juma with Trevor, tries to put his friend's mind at ease......

They drove the short distance to Juma’s river home. Over drinks, the tenseness left Trevor.

"Juma, I made a big bad ass mistake one evening not too long ago. I was lied to and as a result I brought home Georgy Simba, Sloane’s kid," confessed Trevor.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"Yeah, I did. I am praying she’s not pregnant. She told me she was on birth control pills but she also told me she was of legal age and gave another name."

"She lives with Leah’s daughter, Imani Lyon - or at least she did. I think Sloane retrieved her recently when the two of them got in some shit with the law."

"That’s when I learned who she was one night when she was in the pub with Imani."

"Think on the bright side, Trevor. She probably didn’t get pregnant. And you've certainly learned who she is and will avoid her at all costs."

"She keeps calling my home and office phones. I don't take them but nonetheless her mind is still on me. I sure as hell don't want to get into anything with Sloane Simba. There will go my job and career."

"Don't worry, Trevor. She’s probably too young to get pregnant anyway. Leah hired her as a kid model."

"I've seen the billboards now and she sure as hell doesn't come off as a kid model."

"Trevor, you worry too much."

    Georgy Simba was immediately expelled from St. Mary’s School for Troubled Felines on her third day when she shot a bird at Sister Louise with her new hands that she got by lying to Todd Tigeres about her age. Sloane Simba was called and asked to pick Georgy up in the principal’s office at the school. He walked the hall among human nuns who were singing their vespers as they progressed down the corridor. Sloane sat down in the office of a lioness who headed the school. The lioness wore a nun’s habit. Sloane had never seen that before.

"My name is Sister Leonine and you must be Mr. Simba," she introduced herself, offering a paw.

"Is there no way of keeping my daughter in your school, Sister Leonine?" he asked.

He seemed desperate and the lioness took note.

"Only if she can board and then the restrictions are very firm and sometimes harsh. We only have the intensely troubled ones who board. The rest are day students, Mr. Simba."

"Her mother is in Tanzania and she lives with my wife and me. She could go back to Predator High but then she would run wild again, I suppose."

"Mr. Simba, if she is living with you and Mrs. Simba then she will fare well in the high school once more. How much trouble can she get in during the school day?"

"Plenty, Sister, you hardly know Georgy," moaned Sloane.

"I know that she is very rebellious. I believe she wouldn't fare well living in the school but I am prepared to make an exception. I live on a remote piece of land in the bush. I have a small cottage and garden. If Georgy will consent to share my home, I will try her there. But only with her consent, Mr. Simba."

"You would do that, Sister Leonine?"

Sloane seemed amazed at the lioness’ immense sense of charity.

"I have dedicated my life to God, Mr. Simba. I want to help the troubled young. These are intensely changing times in Kenya. All values have changed drastically. While many changes are for the best, others don't fare so well - especially our young."

When Georgy was brought into the office, it was apparent that Sister Leonine was a favorite of Sloane’s daughter. When the offer was made by the lioness, Georgy accepted. The lioness nun stated that Georgy could remain at St. Mary’s as long as she was living with her.  Sloane was very relieved. 

Sister Leonine of the St. Mary's School for Troubled Felines, known to the students and faculty as Sister Leo.....

    Alexandra Simba had redecorated the mansion and worked wonders in the state house as well. Now there were those who wanted to view the two buildings that are the hub of our government. Alexandra sent memos to all of the charity guilds and female clubs in the Mara asking for volunteers to train and run tours during the day.

    The Aves Literary Guild, headed by Vonda Vulture held a meeting and decided, naturally, that Vonda would be the one touted to train in the State House. Cornelia Crested Crane was livid.

    At the Predators Guild, once headed by the likes of Sylvia Cougar and Cynthia Cheetah, a new and younger group made up the membership. Bubba Simba’s ten lioness daughters were part of the crowd as was Amy Chui. They selected among their membership a lioness and young cheetah to attend the training sessions.

    At the Prey for Safety Guild there was no way that Kay Kudu was going to let anyone else have the coveted position of guide to the kingdom of her fantasy squeeze, Shane Simba. Hooves were counted and Kay was in.

    As the names came in from the enthusiastic participants, Bernice Bear took a look while working with Alexandra one morning in the state house. The twins slept quietly in baskets placed near the first lady’s desk.

"I’ll help you with the training sessions but you probably need to be there for everyone to see. Some of these females are probably volunteering because they have a crush on President Simba. There are so many volunteers," said Bernice.