President Ralph Lyon, once again handed me the paper so I could view his star performer in the political environs of Kenya.

    Betty Chimpo, sat in her office at the Masai Mara Daily. She picked up her inter-office phone and called Bob Bushbuck, the publisher. She had a request.

"Bob, can I cover that Shane Simba summit in Botswana?"

"No, Betty. I need you here to cover breaking news. After all, you are my head honcho. Lucy Cougar Simba is going there to cover that conference."

Betty hung up from that conversation. She was filled with disappointment. She lit a cigarette and exhaled fiercely.

"Damn!" she exclaimed to the empty room.

    When Chris Simba came to retrieve his five cubs from his ex-wife, Christine Cheetah, he was barely civil. He was taking them for the weekend and they were to attend their grandmother’s ritual Sunday brunch.

"I know that damn book of yours will be the topic of conversation at the brunch. How embarrassing," he fumed.

"Fuck you!" was her response as she slammed the door behind them.

She lit a cigarette in an effort to cool down and came to the conclusion that she absolutely loathed her ex-husband.

    The romance between the disparately aged couple, Nat Cougar and Aurora Leopardiaz Lyon, was gaining momentum. Nat was finding great solace and enjoyment in the lovely leopardess that was still legally tied to Ralph Lyon. Her elegance and beauty matched his love of the same. He was thinking about popping the question.

    Jean de Leon, the flagrantly gay lion ballet dancer, was in a snit. Cappie Cape Buffalo had announced to his wife, Charlotte Elephanti, that he could no longer endure his presence in their home. He had been there for some time complaining bitterly about Cappie’s decidedly uncouth bathroom habits. They unfortunately shared one in Charlotte’s huge barn. Cappie had gotten a pair of Jean’s custom made silk tights on a horn, while showering,  and produced a terrific tear which sent the temperamental dancer in to stitches. He had stormed out and gone to Gerald Giraffe’s where he had stayed before Gerald foisted him on Charlotte and Cappie. Gerald was home after an extra hard day at RUNNERS and he was having none of a possible return to his house. He had had quite enough of Jean.

    Jean ended up renting the same furnished apartment in Lyon Towers that Betty Chimpo had just vacated. He was still in a swivet when he showed up after the move for the rehearsal of his new ballet choreographed by Chelsea Cheetah. She was choreographing the ballet, as well as dancing the female lead and was in no great mood, herself.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jean? You’re late again," carped Chelsea who had just been dropped on her ass after a leap to the male dancer subbing for Jean.

"I have told you that I have moved to a new apartment. It is soooo expensive. It’s a mess. That damn buffalo and giraffe won’t let me stay with them any longer. You will just have to be patient, Chelsea."

"For crying out loud, you should have gotten your own digs long ago. The arts center pays you well. Get with the ticket, Jean."

"Well, you can’t find another principal male dancer of my standards, so don’t go threatening me, bitch."

    Christine Cheetah went to have her afternoon drink at Betty Chimpo’s new and very sophisticated home. Betty was still stung from Bob Bushbuck’s refusal to let her attend the conference in Botswana as a press member.

"Betty, I have a free weekend. The kids are with their shitty dad. Let’s do something fun."

Betty lit a cigarette.

"Bob Bushbuck refused to let me attend the summit in Botswana that Shane Simba is heading."

"Betty, he’s out of the picture now. He would probably kick you out of there anyway."

"I would still have loved the chance to cover it. Where do you want to go with your free weekend?"

"I’d love to go to Montecore’s. Do you happen to have a date with him this weekend?"

"I can always take you there one evening. He rolls out the red carpet for me. Monte is one of my best friends now."

"Oh, let’s, Betty. I am dying to do something besides go to the Pub. Do you sleep with Monte?"

"Once in a while but it’s mostly platonic these days. He is a bisexual with a leaning towards other males."

"It will be fun to go there, Betty."

"They are ninety five percent gay, Christine - the animals that go there. You won’t catch a lover in that disco. Why don’t we try Tony Tigeres’ disco. It’s for straights."

"That’s a thought."

"Let’s do it Saturday. I have a date with Micah tonight. He’s taking me to OKAPIS."

    Shane Simba felt a tap on his arm. He had been asleep for hours. He opened his eyes to see his daughter, Staci, at the side of his bed.

"Daddy, you were calling out in your sleep," she said, concern written on her young face.

"It’s okay, Staci. I’m all right. I must have been dreaming."

"I dreamed of Mummy too, tonight. I was already awake when I heard you cry her name."

Staci sat on the side of Shane’s bed. His son, Sean, came padding in the room.

"Daddy, I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?" he mewed.

"I have an idea. You can both sleep in my bed tonight. Maybe that way the boogie man won’t attack us," suggested Shane.

The two youngsters giggled and piled in the bed with their father.

    Tony Tigeres' disco was a fun place to go. It has greater longevity than Montecores and was mostly frequented by heterosexuals. Tony, the only non medical Tigeres brother, is married to my sister, Margaux. He welcomed Betty and Christine and showed them to a small table near the dance floor. The first sight they saw was Ashley Lyon, very into his cups and fondling a leopardess that was dressed quite garishly.

"What’s Ash up to?" laughed Betty.

Their drinks arrived.

"I’d love to have a piece of his action. But it would be awkward because I’m a neighbor and simply adore Leah. She helped me through that mess when Chris didn’t want the big litter."

"Well, you could have a piece of Ash but you wouldn’t want to live there. I did and I know."

Ashley spotted them and came to their table.

"Are you up to something you shouldn’t be, Ash?" laughed Betty.

"Just hitting on a whore I know."

Before he left the table, he drunkenly invited them to his Mombasa safari club for the following weekend. One could not be assured he’d remember the next morning. He returned to the leopardess. Christine and Betty saw him leave with her.

"Well, that was a water haul," giggled Christine, lighting a cigarette.

    Leah and Ashley Lyon were going through another rough stretch in their marriage. Ashley Lyon was not the greatest male for monogamy. Unlike Shane Simba, another major player, he tired of the entire domestic front for weeks at a time. The thing that saved the marriage between Roy Lee Simba’s half jaguar daughter and the president and first lioness’ son, was the fact that she was a wonderful sport. Leah Simba Lyon could wave run, deep sea fish, wind sail, surf  and boat with the best of them. And Ashley simply adored her. It was the home scene on a continual basis that served to cool his jets. Where Shane Simba had always loved his home life and children, Ashley would frequently tire of his mess of kids.

    Luke Leoparde had to get a reality check many a day. He was falling in love with his best friend’s wife. He adored Leah Lyon with her wonderful personality combined with her athletic abilities. The three were thrown together repeatedly with the joint venture of the their mutually owned safari clubs in Mombasa and the Masai Mara. Luke slaked his passions on many a date, fantasizing that Leah was beneath him. But she never was.

Leah Simba Lyon leaves the water after surf boarding....

    Since Leah was one of those females who dote on their children, she could dismiss Ashley’s occasional lapses as long as he didn’t make headlines. Leah had five cubs and her daily routine was full to the max of play dates, school events and the like. In addition, she was the patron for the Masai Mara Orphanage and participated greatly in that agency. When Ashley did decide to walk the straight and narrow, there was no more devoted husband and tender lover than he.  He could also assume the role of doting father, when he had refreshed  himself on an outside sexual binge or two. 

    Shane Simba spent the fourth weekend he was in Botswana, taking his children to Chobe National Park. There were no really civilized animals of the sort that were so common to Kenya. Staci and young Sean were the only big cat cubs in their schools but were making friends in spite of this fact. Shane spent the weekend, renting a jeep and taking his children around the park with a driver. They stayed in the Chobe Chilwero Lodge. His children laughed gaily for the first time since losing their mother. They were on a tourist boat and some elephants followed the boat in the water. The cubs were delighted with this antic.  They also giggled with their father about the human tourists gawking at the well dressed male lion with his cubs.  Shane Simba was very high profile in Botswana these days.  He was on the television newscasts  most evenings and his picture filled the newspapers. 

"Daddy, smoke again.  They really stare when you light a cigarette," whispered Staci. 

Shane laughed and lit another Marlboro. 

Sean, Shane and Staci Simba in Chobe National Park in Botswana......

    Cynthia Cheetah worried a great deal about her husband, Dorian. He tried to keep busy in their successful and lucrative fitness center but he rarely had a light moment since their daughter, Catherine, had met an untimely end. Dorian, possibly due to his daughter’s troubled past, had seemed more concerned with her well being than those of his other offspring. Catherine would be the most caustic with her father but still he had adored her. He moped around sadly, not even particularly interested in the sports events he had always watched on satellite television.

    Caroline Cheetah moved into her new apartment in Lyon Towers and kept busy with her newly acquired post as director of the arts center. She was quite efficient but was still getting her sea legs in the job. MIcah Mbubé asked her out and she accepted. He had fallen for her sister, Catherine, before that. Catherine, being married to Shane Simba and simply wild about him, had not returned Micah’s affections. He had turned to Betty Chimpo. Now, here was this new Cheetah sister who was a dead ringer for the deceased Catherine and, joy of joys - she was single. So, in the course of a very short time back in her homeland, Caroline had acquired two new male friends - both lions. Sam Simba asked her out regularly and along came Micah as well. She went on a shopping spree to JAGGERS and Chanel. She was feeling quite good about herself and things in general.