Who would have thought that Arlon Lyon would have grown up to be such a level headed and even tempered male lion?  The first born of Betty Chimpo and Ashley Lyon, Arlon had quite the mouth on him while still a cub.  He annoyed his parents and paternal grandfather, Ralph Lyon, with his outrageous comments and questions.  Now, newly engaged to Lee Simba, he is outgoing, friendly and possessed of a natural wisdom.  His job with his multi-billionaire uncle, Lewis Lyon, is top notch and pays well.  Lewis’s wedding gift to his nephew is a home in a newly developed suburb in the Mara.  Arlon is graciously participating in the events surrounding his high animal society engagement. 

            President Shane Simba has a problem.  A new relationship formed by his ex-wife, Alexandra Delamere, is getting touted to the skies in the media.  The man in question runs a safari business in Kenya but is a big game hunter in other parts of Africa.  His specialty happens to be guiding hunts for male lions in nations that still allow such.  This has just come to light due to the focus on the chap’s affair with Alexandra.  Shane called his minister of justice to his office.  Dickey Simba arrived to find Shane staring at a newspaper spread on his desk. 

“Look at this, Dickey,” said Shane, slamming a fist on the pictures. 

One of the photos showed Alexandra and the man in a room with the walls hung with male lion heads. .

“Ouch!  Nasty,” commented Dickey. “Alex sure knows where to aim a zinger.  Who is this dude?”

“This fuck is making revenue from leading hunting trips to bag male lions in neighboring African countries and running his safari company with the profits.  I want him deported, Dickey, and it has nothing to do with jealousy.  I have moved on from Alexandra Delamere.”

“It’s going to be perceived as jealousy, Shane, and you know this.”

“What do I do, Dickey?  I want this prick out of Kenya and his safari company closed down pronto.”

“Take it through parliament maybe?”

“They’ll take too long. I want him gone yesterday.”

“Then you’ll have to bite the bullet and let the media howl about jealously.  I agree with you, Shane.  This bastard needs to be deported.”

            Betty was working on her planned class schedule for the new semester.  She had her laptop on a table in Shane’s bush house and was in deep concentration.  Shane poured three fingers of straight Scotch in a glass and decided to tackle his issue of the day. 

“Fifi, if I deport a guy that Alex is seeing will you think it’s because I’m jealous of him?” he began. 

Betty removed her glasses and lit a cigarette. 

“Are you jealous and who is he?”

“He runs a safari company in Kenya and makes ends meet by leading lion trophy hunts in other countries.  He’s a lion hunter and works his butt off for trophy hunting to continue in these neighboring countries.  I want him gone and I am not one bit jealous, believe me.”

“That’s awful, darling.  You have fought so hard to end the scourge of trophy hunting in Africa.  Deport him, Shane.  I certainly understand this and if the media doesn’t – well let them eat cake.”

Shane threw back his head and gave his first hearty laugh of the day. 

“Betty Chimpo, I do adore you.”

“Likewise, darling.”

             The party Lewis Lyon hosted for his nephew and bride-to-be was luxurious and loads of fun.  It was held in the Lyon’s estate in the Masai Mara.  Absolutely everyone was there.  Arlon Lyon and fiancé, Lee Simba looked as happy as cherubs in a vat of chocolate.  We all got quite smashed but on this occasion, Lachlan and I made it to our own home to spend the night. 

Lewis Lyon's garden in the Mara....                          Troy Simba and his cousin, Sean Simba, at the Lyon party.....

             An angry Alexandra Delamere placed a call to her ex-husband, Shane Simba.  

“So you’re having John deported?  I’ll go with him, Shane,” she sobbed. 

“Go with my blessings, Alex.  I just want him out of Kenya with his blood money from lion hunting,” was his response. 

“You hate him because I am with him now,” she countered. 

“No, Alex….no jealousy involved here.  I don’t care who you see.  I don’t want lion killers in my country.”

“I will go to Namibia with him and take your children there, Shane, you bastard.”

             Sam Simba suddenly had his law plate full of his littermate’s struggle to get at least one of his children from his marriage to Alexandra Delamere.  Shane wanted full custody of his daughter, Tanya Simba.  He would relinquish custody of his son, Sacha, to his mother.   With Shane’s brother, Sefu Simba, the chief magistrate of Kenya, things were simplified.  Maybe not fair – but simpler nevertheless.  Alexandra gave Shane the custody of their daughter.  Two days later, she was in Namibia and wedded to her trophy hunting boyfriend.  Sacha witnessed her marriage to the man who was a killer of his father’s species. .  It was all rather dreadful.   With a new husband who was banned from Kenya, Alexandra put the Lamu Island house up for sale.  She had won that in the divorce.

            Betty Chimpo arrived at Shane’s bush house to find Tanya Simba already present and once more part of her father’s household.  The little girl, who looked entirely human, gave a Betty a tremendous hug.  They had made friends during the weekends at Betty’s Lake Tanganyika retreat.

Tanya Simba, Shane's daughter with Alexandra...and asleep on Betty's shoulder.....

Betty at her party for her son, Arlon.....

            The garden was lit with hundreds of tiny lights as the guests mingled about at Betty’s party for her firstborn, Arlon Lyon.  His father, Ashley came early to help out and was joined by Betty’s neighbor, Staci Simba who rents my house.  Betty welcomed her first daughter-in-law to be, Lee Simba as she arrived with Sylvia, Bernard and Chloe Cougar.  Chloe managed to get super sloshed and the kind Roy Lee Simba drove his ex-wife home.  Betty invited Dickey and Cutty (Sark) Simba because they were neighbors and she had comforted Cutty one evening not too long ago.  Dickey avoided Betty; Cutty gave her hostess a kiss on the cheek.  Shane Simba arrived with much fanfare and rather played the host.  I thought it was a bit cheeky of him, but Shane has his eye firmly placed on reuniting with Betty.  Two days before, Imani Lyon had come out on the cover of a national magazine buck naked except for a towel.  This caused a momentary tiff between her divorced parents when Leah Simba accosted Ashley Lyon in regard to the nudity. 

“Ash,” said Leah Simba Tarzan, grabbing him by the tails of his suit jacket.  “Did you see the nude cover of Imani that just came out?”

“Yes, I did, Leely and you want me to do exactly what about it?” he asked. 

“She’s too young to be posing naked, Ashley.”

“If you want to reprimand Imani, you will have to ask your hubby Jack Tarzan to scuffle with our daughter.  Jack is a braver lion than I ever was,” snapped Ashley Lyon. 

Roy Lee Simba, daughter Lee and her fiancé, Arlon Lyon

            Cutty Sark Simba threw her evening wrap on the sofa in the living room.  She and Dickey had just come home from Betty Chimpo’s party for her son, Arlon Lyon. 

“Dickey, I want a baby.  I would like to have a lion fetus implanted like Betty did so many times with her lion husbands,” stated Cutty, lighting a cigarette. 

“I never wanted to be a father,” answered Dickey lighting his hashish bong. 

“You never wanted to be a husband either but now you are one.  I will attend it, Dickey.  Just let me get pregnant, please.”

There were tears rimming Cutty’s blue eyes. 

“Will that make you happy, Cutty?”

“In light of the fact that you married me on the rebound and don’t really love me, yes it will.  I have always wanted to be a mother.  If you can’t provide real feelings, then give me the chance to become a mom.”

Dickey didn’t protest the fact of not loving her – how could he when Cutty knew better. 

“Go for it, Cutty.  I’ll go to the clinic and do whatever is needed.  It’s the least I can do for you.”

“You’re damn right it is,” she sobbed and headed for their bedroom. 

Dickey didn’t follow but stood stoking his hash pipe.

            Bop Boon gave her former rival – now best friend - a birthday party at her penthouse in Lyon Towers.  Chloe Cougar arrived smashed and remained that way the entire time, almost falling beneath the table that held her birthday cake.  Dickey Simba had been invited, and though recently married, joined the party.  Dickey stayed the night, getting Chloe home to her neighboring penthouse and sleeping with her there. 

            The following day, hung over, and driving to a bridal luncheon for her daughter Lee, Chloe got dressed down by her own mother, Sylvia Cougar.  

“I think it would be terribly nice of you to get sober long enough to see Lee married.  Then you can return to your habits of sloth and drink,” said Sylvia, placing a handkerchief to her forehead for the day was humid and hot. 

“Oh, shit, Mom.  You did a lot of drinking when you were young too.  I’ve heard tales,” snarled Chloe, popping a codeine tablet for her headache.

“I never disgraced my children, Chlo, and you know this.  You must step up to the plate and make Lee proud of you as her mother.”

“Humph!’ muttered Chloe whose headache was getting worse by the minute. 

Chloe Cougar with the married Dickey Simba at her birthday party...

            Imani Lyon was huffing and puffing and mad as a hornet’s nest.  She was in the living room with her dad, Ashley Lyon, who was attempting to watch a soccer game on television. 

“Dad, I’ll never get freaking married,” she said, lighting a cigarette. 

“You need a personality makeover, Imani, or you damn well won’t,” responded Ashley, his real focus on the game. 

“That’s not the problem, Dad.  There’s no gene pool out there for me.  I’m blood kin to the main lion prides in the area – the Lyons and the Simbas.  Who the hell can I find that won’t be a cousin or worse?”

“There are, for starters, the Leo pride and a few others out there,” said Ashley. 

“Ugh the Leos are too wimpy – too bookish,” she whined. 

“The Lyons and Simbas are bookish too,” protested Ashley, watching intently now since South Africa had made its first goal. 

“Oh shit, Dad, I don’t see any encyclopedias or great novels lining your book shelves.”

“I have a degree from a university in England and your mother was a teacher when I met her,” he roared, having enough of this conversation already. 

“I heard that Uncle Shane had fleas when he was a cub,” giggled Imani who adored needling her father. 

“Well, he sure as hell doesn’t have them now, Imani.  I am watching this game.  Let’s continue this later, shall we?”

Imani returned to her bedroom where she phoned her cousin, Georgy Simba. 

“I’m feeding little Cougar now, Imani.  Let me call you back later,” said Georgy who had a husband and a new cub. 

“Crap!”

Imani Lyon and her nude magazine cover....

            Dickey Simba dutifully went to the Tigeres-Lyon Clinic to have DNA extracted so his human wife could be impregnated with his cub.  Upon his return to the office in the State House, he pinched Cutty on her shapely behind and whispered, “All done.  Frank wants you to come in next.”

“Good deal,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before running off to oversee a press conference