Maurice & Friends

Saturday arrived with such crystalline beauty and clarity that even those not predisposed to outdoor worship would have to indulge. Lachlan stretched during coffee on the porch and declared his intentions.

“Maurice, I know you love gardening. We are going to set about planting a vegetable garden this morning. You have wonderful space in that far quarter beyond your rose bed. What do you think of that idea?”

He looked at me with such an expression of warmth and companionship, I melted at the sight. I had always loved to putter among my pots and roses. I had often tried to engage Lawrence who had told me in no uncertain terms that leopards didn’t till the soil.

“We are carnivores, Maurice, not eaters of string beans,” he would declare, before retreating into the house.

This enthusiasm in a lover for planting was entirely new to me and I absolutely adored it.

“We don’t have seed or stalk,” I laughed.

“That is easily remedied. My patient, Sidney Simba, now manages The Simba Garden Center, bought for him by the pride and the intervention of Shane. I loved to tend my herbs in the window garden at the condo. Unfortunately that was all the space allowed me. Now, we have all this,” he said, indicating the north forty.

“Let’s have another cup of coffee and head for Sidney’s,” I laughed, delighted with the day and the love I had been blessed with in the remarkable Lachlan.

Sidney Simba, lacking the usual bulk of a male lion due to his battle with drug addiction, was showing customers some Clematis and Freesias when we arrived in the Simba Garden Center. He waved gaily when he spotted us. He seemed contented and peaceful as he described the treatment and joys of the plants. To the other side of the center, a rather wan female caracal sat behind a counter. Lachlan whispered that this was Sidney’s wife, Dr. Cary Caracal, his defunct associate at the mental health center. She lacked the contented and rather jubilant air of her husband. The garden center was filling with customers enjoying the space between our short rains and the next bout. When Sidney had finished with the others, he helped us choose some tomato, potato and yam plants as well as seeds for several other vegetables. I bought a new variety of rose for my garden. I found Sidney quite charming although much scruffier in appearance than the other somewhat dandified Simba males.

As we drove off in Lachlan’s bright red truck, I commented on the fact that I thought Sidney, although a lawyer by trade seemed to enjoy this niche.

“I have high hopes for Sidney. He has told me that he never wanted to be a lawyer but was pressed into service by his upwardly mobile pride that had started the law firm. Sid has always loved to putter in the soil and grow things. As for Cary, I don’t share the same optimism.”

Another customer that same bright morning entered the front door and stood for a bit with a melancholy air about him. Sidney approached him.

“Alex, glad you’re here. I’ve just gotten in three brand new varieties of African roses. I know how you love them,” said Sidney, clapping his brother on the back.

“How lucky you are, Sid, to be able to work among these beautiful things.”

Alexander seemed wistful in the increasing heat of the Mara morning.

“I remember when you and I would put in a garden for Mom when we were older cubs. We both loved the dirt and growing things. Alex, the pride owns this place. Why don’t you join me in running it?”

“No can do, Sid. The pride educated us to be lawyers and that; at least, I must be to pay them for my education although it sticks in my craw. I don’t love the law like Sam. Sam Simba had rather figure out a law case than bed his wife or eat his supper.”

Alexander bought several varieties of the new roses and took them home to his garden paradise he had created at the home he shared with Lucy and his cubs. Lucy emerged from the house long enough to announce she was taking the two younger cubs for a play date.

“Alex, can you pick Jimmy up from his Tot’s Soccer practice?” asked Lucy.

“Yes, Lucy. I should be able to get these roses planted by then,” sighed Alexander.

“Good, after we return, we can take the kids for ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s,” she further announced.

Lucy Cougar Simba was quite the task master, dictating to her husband, children and programming the general itinerary for their marriage. If there were any that were unhappier with their career and marriage than Alexander Simba, one would be hard pressed to find them.

I saw Maude Hyena enter the State House and head for Shane’s office. She held several signs promoting her election for Deputy Mayor. Shane happened to be in his outer office as I followed Maude there. Shane was speaking with his secretary and looked up.

“What is it Mrs. Hyena?” he asked with glacial eyes.

“President Simba, I understand you won’t allow political signs anywhere on State House Road. I wanted to put these along the sides. May I ask your reason for that?”

It seemed to me that Maude wanted to intentionally needle the new lion president. I wished silently that she would cease and desist and was aware of his past with the hyena population.

“Mrs. Hyena, when I make a decision, it is mine to make and really doesn’t need to be questioned. However, I will tell you that along State House Road, I don’t allow political signage due to the fact that I am supposed to be totally impartial as to who wins an election locally. President Lyon set this precedent and I intend to keep it in place. Although, personally, I certainly do care, I am not supposed, as president, to allow it to be expressed on government ground, which State House Road is.”

“It seems unfair, Mr. President. I just wonder if one of the big cats was running, if you’d allow their signage there,” smirked Maude.

Shane beckoned to the Masai guard in the corner of the room.

“Please escort Mrs. Hyena from the building and the grounds. Make sure she clears them,” he instructed and turned once more to his secretary.

Sloane Simba did enter the warm waters of the Indian Ocean off Mombasa. He was there with Caroline Cheetah, her son and his daughter, Georgy. Georgy, being half cougar, enjoys a good dip and splash. Sloane, being a devoted papa, makes sure she gets one. The couple and their children had enjoyed a wonderful Friday evening of burgers at Wally’s Beach Pub and here was Saturday morning, bright, beautiful and exceptionally warm. The two cubs enjoyed each other’s company, playing and skittering about the edges of the surf. Sloane and Caroline watched them with heavy lidded eyes, somnolent from several Bloody Marys. Later at the house, the cubs slept while Caroline and Sloane made love in the room dimmed by the Arabesque shutters. The ceiling fan whirred above them, scattering the afternoon insects. They slept for a while, waking at the sounds of their children. Caroline marinated steaks while Sloane prepared the grill. Both, within their separated thoughts, took note of the ease and enjoyment they had with their combined families, the good sex and the companionship. Nevertheless, both, being very wary animals, didn’t express these sentiments to each other. The evening was spent, in part, around the dinner table with their cubs laughing and giggling about the day’s events. Later, when Caroline’s nanny had gotten both sleepy cubs to bed and tucked in, Sloane and Caroline walked on the moon pocked beach.

Sloane Simba in Mombasa......

Sloane Simba had three females that wanted to see him badly. Chloe Cougar had finished a successful run in Chicago and was at loose ends. Simone Serval was about to head for England and the new King Arthur film to star Roy Lee Simba in the title role, Micah Mbube as Lancelot and Simone as Guinevere. She wanted some heady sex with Sloane before she left. Then there was, of course, Caroline Cheetah who had found herself in love with Sloane but hadn’t yet made this declaration to him. He visited Chloe on a late night in her penthouse apartment in Lyon Towers. After wearing her out sexually, he made as if to leave the building and phoned Simone whose penthouse lay opposite Chloe’s. Simone was more than ripe for the taking. Sloane left the two dwellings sated to the max. This, however, didn’t dampen his nagging ache for Caroline.

Bertram Baboon typed wildly on the keys of his laptop computer. He had taken my suggestion to heart and was writing a play to, hopefully, be put in to production by the arts center. We had met with Christine Cheetah Mbube who had been delighted at the prospect of the much lauded Bertram, winner of two Cannes Festival Awards, writing a play specifically for the center. The final decision rested with me. So, Bertram, with a renewed vigor and lease on life, set to writing. He would call me at the office, excited and laying out plot sketches. It was good to see him out of his doldrums. He was still seeing Lachlan’s boyhood friend, Harold. However, with Bertram, it was always the career and not the love life that dictated his moods.

On a lovely evening with the sun setting in red streaks above the trees, Lachlan and I cooked out and invited Bertram and Harold to enjoy the grilled fish. First, they had to take a tour of the newly planted vegetable garden, expertly designed and executed by Lachlan with a small bit of help from me. Then onto a tour of the roses I had added to my already substantial collection. They were blooming and the fragrance wafted across the yard. Neither Bertram nor Harold were connoisseurs of the soil but were polite in their praise of our agricultural accomplishments.

Dr. Frank Tigeres came home from the Exotic Animal Clinic having delivered four cubs for Allison Scar Simba, Sam’s wife. Sam had seemed happy when Frank came to the waiting room to tell him of the births of his three new sons and a daughter. Frank knew of his daughter’s love for Sam and their ongoing affair. Being the type of parents that counsel their children rather than demand and reprimand, Frank and Melba had told Tawny that her affair with a married male was not what they wished for her but her life was hers to lead as she desired. Frank Tigeres had displayed no other emotion than one of gladness when he apprised Sam of his new offspring and that his wife had come through beautifully. This litter brought the total of Sam’s children to ten. When Frank arrived at his home, his wife, Melba was sitting with Tawny in their kitchen having a late cup of tea.

“Tawny, Sam’s a father again. Allison gave birth to four males and a female a bit ago. I delivered them.”

Melba placed her paw on her daughter’s. Tawny sat for a few seconds, deep in thought.

“Dad, I love Sam and he loves me. He also loves his family. I am not keeping him from them. He knows he is free to leave me anytime he wishes but we love each other,” explained Tawny.

“Tawny, it’s your life. Mom and I just want you to be content and happy and I suppose we wonder how that can be with a married male with numerous children and a life of his own – but, Tawny, it must always be your choice.”

“Thanks, Dad. I know this about you and Mom. I think you may be the greatest parents ever.”

Dr. Frank and Melba Tigeres, Tawny's wonderful parents....

Sloane Simba was sitting in Shane’s office one evening enjoying a Scotch with the president. They had become quite close.

“Shane, I know Catherine was rather troubled. What made you decide to marry her? I’ve heard she even bashed in your windshield and you had to have Bubba remove her from your home one time.”

Shane lit a cigarette. HIs eyes were suddenly so sad, Sloane regretted, instantly, bringing about the subject.

“I loved her desperately and decided to hell with it – marry her and let the chips fall where they may,” he answered. “And it worked in a strange sort of way. She even destroyed Staci’s litter mate with her drugs and crazy behavior when she was pregnant the first time. Then something took hold in Cathy. She straightened up when Maurice gave her that job at the arts center. We had Sean and she nurtured and loved him as well as Staci. She became an outstanding mother and wife. I was the one that fucked up all the time it seemed, after that. I was counting on cleaning up my own act when she got pregnant with the two cubs that died with her in that car crash. We were happier than we had ever been. Too happy, I suppose. I was looking forward to long and happy years with Cathy and our children.”

“Do you think Caroline and I would be happy?” asked Sloane.

“The only way to know is to make the leap.”

Ralph Lyon stood looking down at the water from the vantage point of Bernard Cougar’s boat. Bernard had finally gotten a reluctant Ralph on board and heading out to sea for a fishing trip. Fortunately his son, Ashley, was there as well.

“Dad, stop looking down. It only makes it worse. Here, I’ve baited your line,” laughed Ashley.

“What do I do with it this thing, Ash?” groaned Ralph who truly abhorred water sports and fishing.

“Just sit there, Ralph. When the line tugs you know you’ve got something and can reel it in,” instructed Bernard.

“The damn thing will probably reel me in first,” roared Ralph.

Suddenly there was a massive tug on Ralph’s line. He attempted to struggle with the huge fish with Ashley and Bernard assisting. It was a marlin and with great effort was finally landed. As luck would have it, only Ralph scored the massive fish that day. Bernard and Ashley’s only catch was sea bass.

Ashley helps Ralph land the marlin that Bernard and Ralph celebrate later......

For some reason, the horse given to Betty and Shane by the Queen of England didn’t fear the big cat scent of Staci Simba. If her brother, Sean, approached, the horse would rear, buck and whinny. Staci would go to the new stable built on the grounds of the bush house and groom, curry and feed the horse apples. Staci named the mare Elizabeth in honor of her majesty. Being a natural athlete, Staci began to ride out bareback on Elizabeth. Shane and Betty would see the beautiful young cat as she rode with natural grace on the horse as it galloped across the savanna. Staci added horseback riding to the list of sports she excelled at almost effortlessly.

“She is so amazing and gorgeous, Shane,” said Betty one afternoon as the couple watched from their patio as Staci cantered toward the bush on Elizabeth.

“She truly is,” he agreed. “And lucky to boot with a stepmother that loves her as you do.”

“It’s so easy to love her.”

“It’s easy to love you too, Fifi. Want me to demonstrate while the house is quiet?” he laughed.

‘Oh, please do, my love. I’d like nothing better.”

Staci Simba on Elizabeth......