Luke Leoparde declares....
“If
love is the answer, could you please rephrase the question?”
Lily Tomlin
Betty began to feel much better. Her second round of chemotherapy had knocked her down for a week or ten days. Since there were no more scheduled she was regaining her strength and emerging from the severe nausea that had wracked her frail body. Betty had always been slender to a fault. She could little afford to lose more weight but that she had done. Babs and Miss B, who has grown very fond of Betty too, plotted to put weight on her tiny frame. The Kikuyu cleaning lady was a very good cook as were Babs and Miss B. Between the three the family’s meals became richer and more fattening. Shane had to pass over some of the more calorific items in order to keep his great physique but he welcomed the fact that Betty seemed to be delving in to the mouthwatering feasts.
She began to go each morning with him to the State House where she would work on cancer and AIDS related projects with the First Lioness and Bernice Bear. She would go home around noon, feeling weariness take her over. She and Mildred Lyon were planning a huge bash to raise funds for cancer clinics which would be adjoining the AIDS hospices around Kenya. Her current signature headwear of turbans in one form or another became a fashion craze.
Where she had once been featured in tabloids and such for her three husbands and three children spawned by the French procedure, she was now featured on the cover of Paris Match with an article applauding her brave struggle with cervical cancer and chemotherapy and the ensuing effort to focus on early detection. ANIMAL magazine gave her its cover for the month with another article about her current marriage, the merging of their families and her battle with cancer. Betty had become a heroic personality over night.
Staci Simba ran screaming through the halls on the second floor. Betty who was lying on her bed resting ran out to see what was happening. She found Staci just outside her room in a state somewhere between hysteria and giggles.
“What is it, Staci?” asked the alarmed Betty.
Staci pointed to Arlon’s room. Betty went to his door which was barely cracked. She pushed a little and found Arlon sitting on the floor with a Playboy magazine. He was zipping up his fly hurriedly. Betty laughed to herself. Apparently Staci had seen Arlon masturbating.
“He’s growing up, Staci. He is getting his mane. Males will be males,” she attempted to soothe her step daughter.
Staci burst out in a fresh explosion of giggles.
“He had his Willy out, Betty and he was really working it,” chortled a highly amused Staci.
Betty was worried all afternoon for fear Staci would divulge the scene she witnessed to her father. Apparently she did for when Betty walked down the stairs, she overhead Shane give a great guffaw.
“That’s called ‘spanking the monkey’, Staci. Your own brother will be doing it soon enough. You might as well get used to it,” he told his daughter.
When Betty greeted him and they were settled with their drinks, she just had to bring it up.
“I guess Staci told you about Arlon?” she asked, lighting a cigarette.
“That he was jacking off? Yeah,” he laughed.
“I hope it doesn’t upset you, darling.”
“Upset me? Hell no. That’s a male lion for you. You have lots of fun ahead of you. You’re just beginning to find out what raising an adolescent and sexually precocious male lion will entail. Thanks to your French conception procedures you’re in for a whole shit load of entertainment, Fifi. Those not usually afforded your average chimpanzee.”
“I already know what a sexually precocious lion is like, thanks to you, darling,” she giggled.
“Touché, Fifi,” he said smiling.
Luke Leoparde was on a week’s safari flight. Jane, the lioness that heads the news department at the Masai Mara Daily invited Caitlin Cougar to go with a group of reporters to the Watering Hole Pub after work. She liked Jane and consented to join them. The pub was at its raucous best with single females waiting to pounce on the eligible bachelors. Jane got the group a table very close to the bar. Chris Simba was there and waved to Caitlin. She didn’t acknowledge him. She saw Caroline Cheetah waiting at the bar, her topaz eyes seeking someone. She had shared with Jane her fear of male lions. The lioness had roared with laughter.
“I can’t stand the bastards, myself. That’s why I haven’t married yet. The parents want me to marry my own kind. I’m waiting for them to kick the bucket or get Alzheimer’s so I can marry out of my species. As for my druthers, I think your uncle, Bernard Cougar, is the hottest thing on the planet.”
Caitlin had found a good friend and protector in Jane, the same one that had befriended Lucy Cougar when she was first in the work force as a neophyte. About that time there was a discernable stir in the crowd. Caitlin saw the lion that Linda had made such a fuss about make his way to the bar.
“Who is that?” she asked Jane. “I saw him briefly the other night with my cousin, Linda.”
“One of those god-awful Simbas,” was the answer. “I think his name is Sloane. He’s a lawyer. If there’s anything worse than a Simba, it’s a Simba who’s a lawyer.”
"I hear that name everywhere. Who are they?” asked Caitlin.
“They’re a sorry ass pride that made it good because of their movie star son. They think Kenya revolves around them. They’re all shit in my book,” snarled Jane.
“I like Leah Lyon. She’s one of them. Ashley Lyon is Luke’s best friend. Two of my Cougar cousins are married to them.”
“Yeah, Leah’s kind of neat. She’s half jaguar. Her mom is a sweetheart. As for Ashley, he’s like most presidential sons – his brains are in his dick.”
Caitlin noticed that Caroline Cheetah made a beeline for Sloane Simba. As he turned around to deal with Caroline, he caught sight of Caitlin. He stood facing her table. He remained that way gluing his tawny gaze on her until she became so unsettled that Jane noticed and looked his way.
“You want to go, Caitlin. It seems like that prick is zeroed in on you.”
“He makes me so nervous,” shuddered Caitlin.
“Aside from coming on like a serial killer he seems pretty harmless. His main problem is his ego.”
They left the pub. Jane consented to spend the night at Caitlin’s place to put to rest her fears. When they were settled on the sofa with brandy, Jane lit a cigarette and said:
“You’re going to have to get accustomed to lions if you are going to remain in Kenya, Caitlin.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Jane. Just the males make me frightened.”
“Honey, it’s the damn males that are everywhere. The lionesses are busy doing valid stuff,” laughed Jane.
“I do admire President Lyon.”
“Yeah, he cleaned up good and made a difference in animal’s lives globally. But frankly, it was his main lioness, a female cheetah and your aunt Sylvia and Uncle Bernard who focused him on the miserable lives of prey animals here.”
Chloe Cougar Simba and her oldest daughter, Lee, arrived home from their pre-Christmas shopping spree in Paris and London. Roy Lee met them at the plane. Feeling at peace with his renewal of romance with his ex-wife, Janice Jaguar Gorilla, he was able to warmly welcome Chloe.
Wardrobe fittings and meetings regarding Bertram Baboon’s new silver screen project, The Paradine Case, were in progress at Baboon-Simba Studios. Roy Lee was going to co-star with his wife, Chloe, in the lead roles. Old Scar had his first film role in awhile as did Bop Boon. Simone Serval refused to take a less than starring role and rested on her film laurels for the time being.
Micah Mbube was still rehearsing Macbeth at the arts center. It had been decided by director Christine Cheetah and me that we would schedule the vibrant Shakespearian epic for January 2007. Our rationale being that the season approaching Christmas would not be favorable to ticket sales for those who would have to travel abroad to take part. Christine’s idea was to have the biggest after-play party ever. The arts center was in the process of upgrading its banquet area. It had been such a successful project that our coffers were brimming. The troupe of actors would take a two week break for the holidays, commencing with rehearsals just before the opening. A very talented young human Ethiopian artist was showing at one of our galleries and Chelsea Cheetah Cougar was rehearsing the Nutcracker Ballet for pre-Christmas performances. Jean Pierre de Leon was raising his usual rumpus complaining to Chelsea that the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies should be changed to Dance of the Elves so as not to disparage gays. Chelsea informed him of what she thought of his idea in her usual vociferous and forthright manner.
Betty’s first evening out since her illness was to attend a benefit dinner to aid the Masai Mara Orphanage, Leah Lyon’s major charity. It was held in the Predator Club. Betty wore a lovely dress with an evening turban on her shorn head. She looked lovely but I noticed that she and Shane left long before the evening was at an end. I attended this soiree with my usual group, Bertram, Chad Cheetah and Lachlan.
Shane and Betty at the benefit for the orphanage….
Betty decided that the best course of action would be to start again with Gerald Giraffe and his physical training sessions at RUNNERS. She was regaining her strength daily but still had far to go. Gerald was delighted to see his client and friend again. He started Betty on some light weights and the tread mill to help shore up her muscle tone and energy level.
In the charming home of Alexander and Lucy (Cougar) Simba, their young cub, James, was growing like a weed and the joy of their lives. With the pressure off and having had her first child, Lucy became pregnant again. She was thrilled. As far as offspring were concerned, Lucy had the same outlook as Leah Simba Lyon. The more she had, the better, was her reasoning. Dr. Frank Tigeres and her sister, Dr. Sylly Cougar Lyon, decided to forego the sutures this time and see what transpired. They gave her vitamins and hormone injections and hoped for the best.
Even Sam Simba was beginning to speak to his mother, Sarah Lee, regarding her hard line toward her son and daughter’s spouses.
“Mom, you love your pride and you’re going to have a miserable Christmas if you don’t make it up with Tookie and Shane,” he counseled.
“I will never accept that ape and human. Betty hurt you too much and almost ruined your life and as for that human – well you know that humans killed my parents.”
“Mom, Ali has convinced me to let go of my resentment toward Betty. And she has battled cancer recently. Shane still stands to possibly lose another wife. Let it go, Mom.”
“Never,” snarled the obdurate Sarah.
“I’m not the marrying kind, Caitlin. I care more deeply for you than almost any female I’ve ever known, including my ex-wife, but I know that I have a difficult time with monogamy,” declared Luke Leoparde.
Caitlin felt forlorn. She was still getting her grounding in the Mara but she had grown very fond of Luke and hoped they could make a family one day. This avowal was disconcerting at best.
“I guess I should thank you for your honesty then, Luke.”
“I don’t want to hurt you. I just want us to get everything clear before we go any further.”
He left her house shortly after that conversation. He was slated for a four day safari which would take him as far as Namibia.
She went to the Watering Hole Pub, planning to meet Jane, the lioness, there. Caitlin had been sculpting all day. Jane and her group hadn’t arrived. She went to the bar and ordered a chocolate martini.
“My treat!” said a deep voice behind her.
She turned to see Sloane Simba hand his American Express card to the bartender.
“I prefer to buy my own drink, Mr. Simba,” she declared.
“Sloane to my friends, Miss Cougar and might I call you Caitlin?”
“No, I don’t think so……uh, Sloane.”
“What have you got against me, Miss Cougar? You seem to have drawn your conclusions without benefit of even knowing me.”
“I have to be honest, Mr. Simba, you male lions frighten me.”
“So why the choice to move to East Africa? We’re pretty prevalent here – absolutely all over the scenery.”
“I like it here. My uncle and aunt live in the Mara.”
“I’ve seen you with a leopard. Why wouldn’t you find them equally unsettling?”
“They’re smaller. I find your size menacing and that ruff around your faces.”
He leaned back and laughed briefly before answering.
“We can’t help our sizes. We’re very large animals – king of the beasts, I think we’re called by humans. And as for the mane, we find that females are turned on by it.”
“Well, I’M NOT!” she said, her sea green eyes growing more so.
Sloane held up his paws in mock distress.
“I see you don’t. Actually, I’m not a bad sort. I have a mother who loves me and I even take her to parties sometimes. I could take you to dinner and promise I won’t fall on you and crush you with my great weight. However, I refuse to chop the mane,” he laughed.
Caitlin couldn’t help but be amused. She tried to stifle a laugh but failed.
“Let me invite you to a very nice restaurant here – Klip ‘n Dodi’s. It’s full of atmosphere. I promise I won’t touch you. You can even follow me in your own car if you have one.”
“I have a car.”
“Good for you. Are you game to join me? I dare you!” he laughed.
Caitlin followed Sloane’s Mercedes convertible to Klip ‘n Dodi’s. The restaurant was quiet. The waiter led them to a table on the terrace under an orange tree. They ordered drinks and steaks. Sloane drew Caitlin into conversation, asking her about herself and her work. She told him of her sculpture and part time job reporting for the Daily. He told of his days in London while he studied law. The time passed pleasantly. At one point she put her paw on his thick mane in a show of curiosity. They finished their meal and Sloane paid the bill. They went to their cars. Sloane opened the door of her car for her. He didn’t attempt to sneak a kiss. He knew better. He waved as her car left the parking area.
When she arrived home, she went immediately to bed. She lay there remembering the tawny eyes, the thick dark mane and the muscular body.
“Stop that!” she admonished herself just before falling into a deep sleep.
Sloane and Caitlin at Klip ‘n Dodi’s restaurant…..