The Hard Facts Of Life

Chapter 3

You learn something new every day, a wide-eyed and amazed Mary thought as she watched with a look of enthralled fascination as Maurice sat at the big box with the LONG buttons and made music come out of it with his fingers. Between his playing, and Karin's lovely singing, it was a terrific way to start off a morning.

A morning that was not going to end well for her, Mary knew.

The little ape girl would not have minded spending another day at Karin's house, anything to avoid going home and having to face her Father and the poor human girl he had violated. Not to mention a furious Uncle Luca and Aunt Cornelia.

"One more?" Mary begged for just one more song. After all, who knew when she would get to experience this again. It was lovely!

But both Karin and Maurice made it clear that was not going to be an option. So, Mary had to sit and watch while the wonderful music making thing; what had Aunt Karin called it, a 'piano? She had to watch while it was closed up and covered over again.

She wished Karin would come back with them, but the woman had declined. Saying that there were still things she needed to get done first, she had promised to arrive later that day, and Mary knew she was always true to her word. Besides, whatever it was Karin had not been able to get done, Mary figured, was all her fault for showing up so unexpectedly the night before.

Mary waved goodbye to Karin until she faded from site, then she clung to Uncle Maurice's back as they moved at top speed through the trees back towards home.

He was waiting, and Mary knew he would be. The very minute they arrived back at the ape village the next morning, an extremely irritated silver-back descended upon her. She bowed her head like a good ape girl and took Luca's scolding for a bit, as she knew was right.

"Uncle Luca, I know," she finally cried. "I know all that. Uncle Maurice already yelled at me for all that!"

She caught Luca giving Maurice a very surprised look.

"I did not yell at you, Child," Maurice signed indignantly.

"Well, it's what you meant," Mary pouted. "And you might have if Karin hadn't been there."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Luca," she went on, ignoring Maurice's irritated rumbling and turning to the big, perturbed silver-back gorilla and giving him her sweetest, most innocent little girl look.

Luca huffed with irritation, his big hands still on Mary's shoulders. He was not buying her sweet innocent act for one single minute.

"Don't drag this out," Maurice signed gravely to Luca over Mary's head. "I need to speak with you and Rocket, immediately, if not sooner! Just let her go."

Luca seemed to consider both Maurice and the somewhat repentant child before him for a second. It felt more like an eternity to Mary.

"Cornelia waits for you," Luca growled ominously at Mary. "Go attend to the Queen, now!"

"Yes, Uncle," Mary said softly.

And there was even more trouble. Cornelia's opinions and/or feelings had not even occurred to her last night, that was how upset she had been. The thought she might have upset Cornelia, who was practically her Mother, really did affect Mary far more than any useless scolding any of the males could have given her. Cornelia was the closest thing to a real Mother Mary had, and the child never enjoyed disappointing her. It hurt Mary more to disappoint Cornelia than to anger her Father.

The ape girl started to move away, but she turned back to Luca after just a few steps.

"Uncle Luca, who was on guard last night," Mary asked in a small voice.