Betty Simba knew she would remember the days of her belated honeymoon with Shane Simba the rest of her life.  The media had no idea where they were.  Manda Bay Resort is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  On the Indian Ocean very close to Lamu Island, it consists of cottages that are striking and open to the sea breezes.  Shane, upon his arrival, let his driver and guard go to seek their fun.  Shane and Betty’s hut was enclosed clandestinely in a thicket of palms.  Their bedroom had a full view of the moonlit ocean.  They stayed within the lodge area the entire time.  They ventured forth the last day when the paparazzi snapped them on the beach.  The couple’s days and nights had been spent in enjoying the unique food, swimming in the in the clear waters and making love.  One very early morning they took one of the lodge’s boats to spot some Humpback whales and their young.  They returned to the Mara feeling relaxed and more enchanted with their marriage than ever. 

             Lucy Cougar felt labor pains one afternoon when Micah Mbube and Christine Cheetah were having drinks with her in her leased apartment in Lyon Towers.  One might consider it the height of incongruity that Lucy’s ex-husband, who had failed to relate to her when married, was the one that took her to the clinic.  Christine accompanied them.  Dr. Sylly Cougar Lyon was about to go off duty but was paged in the knick of time to attend her youngest sister. 

 “Lucy, I think we need to bring the cub.  It is just two weeks shy of your due date.  I’ll page Frank and we’ll prep you for surgery,” her sister told the frightened Lucy. 

 Micah and Christine stayed in the waiting room for two hours while Dr. Frank Tigeres and Sylly took the single male cub by caesarian section.  Before they put Lucy completely out, she was told that her cub was healthy and active.  She cried tears of joy.  What they didn’t mention to the recently divorced Lucy was that the cub looked pure lion like his father, Alexander Simba.   There were no indications of his mixed heritage in the tiny newborn. 

             Sylvia Cougar called Betty and told her of the birth.  Shane and Betty joined Sylvia, Bernard, Sylly, Roy Lee and Chloe in sharing a bottle or two of good champagne to celebrate the baby’s birth.  Christine and Micah joined the group.  It could have been an ill at ease assembly if the grandparents had been less forgiving but Lucy had told them of Micah’s friendship and how he and Christine had rushed her to the clinic.   Bernard gave Micah a resounding pat on the back.   There was bit of discomfort on the part of Shane and Roy Lee Simba since their half brother was so conspicuous by his absence.  Of course no one had notified Alexander that his first child had been born that day. 

Lucy went to her great grandmother, Lucretia’s home on the river to recuperate from the caesarian.  Lucy was very close to her great grandmother.  Lucretia, the matriarch of the Leoparde family, was a difficult female but had taken with great gusto to her granddaughter’s youngest cub that had been named for her.  Sylvia and Bernard were taking a fishing trip on Bernard’s boat for a week so Lucy’s convalescing with Lucretia was a good thing all around. 

            Chloe Cougar Simba’s nose was out of joint.  She had named the female in her last litter for Lucretia but the thorny leopardess had never liked Chloe so no elaborate gifts were forthcoming for recently born Lucretia Simba or her litter mate, Tarek.

Staci Simba had become the main tennis partner of her father, Shane Simba.  When Lewis Lyon wasn’t available, Shane played with his daughter.   Staci was turning out to be a major athlete.  Her coach had told Shane that he wished Staci would hit the professional courts when she was out of school.  She was that good. 

Staci plays her father in tennis…..

Shane called his aunt, Leander, and told her of the birth of Alexander’s son.  She drove to Alexander’s home and found him with Linda Cougar. She was very disconcerted. 

“If you are interested, you have a new cub.  Your son was born last night,” mocked Leander and left hastily. 

            Alexander Simba drove to the Exotic Animal Clinic and was barred from Lucy’s room by her brother, Carson Cougar – Linda’s father.  He walked down the hall to the nursery and saw his tiny son.  His eyes welled with tears.

            Betty took pity on Alexander Simba and told him of Lucy’s whereabouts.  Shane agreed that this was the right thing to do. 

 “He will either get past Lucretia Leoparde or he won’t,” remarked Shane.

             Alexander rang the doorbell of the carved Teak door that was a part of Lucretia’s estate on the Mara River.  Her liveried houseboy showed Alexander to the library where the matriarch sat in a damask chair of such antique splendor that Alexander’s attention briefly flew to the details.   

“Would you like a cognac, young lion?” asked Lucretia, raising a lacquered paw to detain the houseboy.   

 “Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”

 She beckoned Alexander to take a seat.   Alexander felt as if he was in the presence of royalty as he took the equally opulent chair adjacent to hers. 

 “You have behaved shoddily with Lucy but you are the father of her child so I will ask her if she will agree to see you.”

             The houseboy returned to the library to tell Alexander that Lucy would see him.  He led him up a winding staircase to Lucy’s room.   There she stood next to a carved rosewood crib. 

 “Here he is Alex.  Come can see him.  I haven’t named him yet,” said Lucy.   

Alex approached the crib and looked down at his son whose eyes were still closed as are all feline young of less than ten days.  He lifted the small bundled cub and held him close.  Alexander suddenly began to cry.  He stood there, holding first child, wracked with sobs. 

 “Alex, you can see him sometime.  I think he needs to know his father,” said Lucy putting a paw on his arm. 

 “Luce, I don’t want to just see him sometime.  I have done a terrible thing to you but if you will forgive me, I want you and my son to go home with me.  We can try again now that we have our child.  I love you, Luce.”

 “I know I wasn’t the easiest thing to live with when I was pregnant, Alex.  Our divorce is not final yet.  I’ll go with you and we can see if we can patch things up for his sake.”

             The young parent’s got in Alexander’s car after Lucy bid Lucretia a warm goodbye and thanks for all she had done.  Lucretia had pressed another munificent check in Lucy’s paw.  

             The housewarming party for Clint and Chelsea (Cheetah) Cougar’s new and impressive home was a blast.  The house is awe-inspiring, resting high above the savanna.  My entire crowd at the arts center turned out.  Clint and Chelsea impressed me with their delight in each other.  I took Lachlan.    

             The newly named James Alexander Simba was christened at the First Church of the Ascending Predator.  His proud parents, Lucy and Alexander Simba presented him to the Reverend Saul Serval for baptism.   He was named for Bernard Cougar’s grandfather and his father.  The Cougar family had been torn asunder with the affair between Linda Cougar and the married Alexander.   Carson, Monica nor Linda Cougar attended.  Clint and Nat Cougar brought their wives.  The always caring Bernard and Sylvia attended as well as Sylly and Junior Lyon, Chloe and Roy Lee and Shane and Betty Simba.  Leander Simba was present.  Bubba Simba didn’t attend.  Carson Cougar was his chief deputy and the police chief resented the fact that Alexander had toyed with his daughter, Linda.  Sarah Lee Simba didn’t attend her great nephew’s christening nor did Sam Simba.  They knew Shane was invited with his wife, Betty.  Lucretia Leoparde stood with the parents as did Bernard, Sylvia and Leander. 

Alexander and Lucy with their son, James Alexander Simba.

            A reception followed at Lucretia’s magnificent estate.  I usually try to make a point of seeing Lawrence’s mother as often as possible but with a heavy schedule it had been awhile.  She took me aside. 

 “Maurice, I am so glad to see you looking cheerful again.  I hope you have found someone by now. I know your grief for Lawrence was intense.”

 “Lucretia, I am seeing Lachlan Lion.  He has made life good for me again.”

 “I’m delighted to hear this.”

 “I’m so glad Lucy got back with Alexander,” I mused.

 “This remains to be seen.  I did think their son needed a chance at having two parents.  However, I don’t know about these lions.  They’re an outlandish lot,” she said and then thinking twice, smiled slightly.  “I’m sure yours isn’t though, Maurice.  I saw Lachlan after Lawrence’s death.  I had so many issues to resolve regarding my continual breach with Lawrence. He is a gentle and wonderful animal.  He will never wound you as my son did.”

             Caroline Cheetah was with Luke Leoparde in his home in Mombasa.  They had gone there for a weekend of deep sea fishing with Ashley and Leah Lyon.  Caroline shares the athletic ability of all her kind.  She wasn’t terribly taken with the art of fishing but had mastered wind sailing and surfing her first time out.  Luke had to be impressed with Caroline’s sporting ability.  After all this was one of the things he loved about Leah Lyon.  If only Caroline had Leah’s personality, thought Luke, she’d be just the ticket for a first class mistress.   

            That evening after leaving the fish grill at Ashley and Leah’s, Luke and Caroline were in bed at his home. 

 “Did you enjoy deep sea fishing, Caroline?” inquired Luke, lighting a post coitus cigarette. 

 “I could acquire a taste for it I suppose, Luke.  I did love the surfing and wind sailing.  I’ve never really spent time on the beaches of the world but I find I like this place.  Mom and Dad have a great house next to Syl and Bernard’s.”

  "You’re quite good at these things, actually.  I get off on a sporty female.  You might just make a fine choice for a permanent mistress, Caroline.”

 Caroline shot up in bed and swung her long supple legs over the side. 

 “You are outrageous, Luke.  Do you think your billions make you immune to practicing good manners?  Why would I consider being your goddamned mistress?”

 “Because, I am never going to marry again.  Simone was the first and last wife I will ever have.  I am not unfavorable to the thought of a mistress that lives with me.  I wasn’t being insulting, Caroline.  I was merely giving you the facts of my existence.”

 Caroline settled back in bed, taking a cigarette from Luke’s pack, lighting it and blowing the smoke through her nose. 

 “I’ll have to think on that one, Luke.”

 “Now if you’re one of these females that’s hell bent to procreate, we’ll have a problem.  I have two sons and don’t want more kids.”

 “Rest assured, I’m not one of those.”

 “Good, we may just be on to something,” said Luke, taking her cigarette and putting it in the ashtray.

 He mounted her for a second round. 

             Betty Simba had made an appointment with Lachlan Lion at the Mental Health Center.  She had a question she wanted answered. 

 “If I were pregnant again, would I have to suffer all of that post partum disorder that I had in previous pregnancies?”

 “You know you would, Betty.  That is a genetic thing in your case.  I hope you aren’t thinking of having a baby by Shane.  You will be risking a lot if you do.”

 “He doesn’t want any, Lachlan. I just adore him so that I want to share everything with him.”

 “Don’t share that, Betty.  It wouldn’t be a real mix of you and Shane.  It would be another lion cub implanted in your uterus.  I would hate to see you go that route and mess up what I believe to be an exceptional union of two very attractive animals.” 

 “I’m sure Shane wouldn’t go for it anyhow.  He says that we’re to raise the ones we have.”

 “He’s got that one right on the nose.  You have three sons and he has a son and daughter.  You have enough between you to keep you busy the rest of your lives.  Don’t make a mess of this marriage for a child that would only be a genetic sample from Shane.  You have wanted this lion for as long as I have known you.  You have suffered breakdowns over your passion for him.   Now you’re married to him. Be happy with that.  You would be courting disaster with another pregnancy.”

 “You’re exactly right.  Thank you for thumping me on my thick head, Lachlan.” 

“You bet!”