The Lion King In The Human World Part 3

Seven Days Until The Wedding.

RANI

One week until I'm Mrs. Kion King! It's right around now that my nerves have kicked it along with my excitement and O.C.D. all at the same time. I don't know who's having a harder time with this wedding, me or the people around me.

"Rani," Nermala told me, forcing me into a chair, "Deep breaths. Panicking won't make anything easier. In fact, it will do just the opposite. You should know that by now."

"It's the biggest day of my life," I said, "How can I stay calm when I just heard that my wedding dress is on back order? And I still don't know who's going to walk me down the aisle. Why is that such a hard choice to make?"

"Do I need to get your calming oils?" Nermala asked, "It's been a while since I've done that."

Kiara, my soon to be sister in law, rubbed her temples. "I told you I would fling your words back in your face Rani. There is no need to panic. Everything is going to be fine."

"The priest had to cancel," I told her, "His mother died. I get that, but still."

Kiara sighed. "It's hard to argue with you when you pull that out. I never had to find a priest last minute."

"I got an idea!" Jasiri said, "There's online courses to get ordained. It's not the same as a priest, but it will work. What do you think Rani?"

I thought about it. "Let's save that for plan B," I said, "It's a good idea, but I don't want to ask someone to get ordained just for my wedding. Though Ballyo would probably do it in a heartbeat."

Then I heard a crash. I put my head in my hands and didn't dare to look. "Asher!" Jasiri called.

"Tray!" Nermala yelled.

"Timon!" my soon to be mother in law screamed, "Pumbaa! You should know better than that! You're paying for that window and the painting."

"Yeah," Kiara said, "This wedding is a little more out of control than mine was."

I went outside to get some air. Everything was falling apart. How can one wedding lose the dress, priest, and possibly the deposit on the reception hall in one day a week before the said wedding is supposed to happen. I don't even know why the window is broken or what happened to that painting. I just hope it wasn't the one I inherited from Great Grandmother, that would make things even worse.

I heard a stick snap behind me. I turned around. "Wow," Kion told me, "You hear everything, don't you?"

"I certainly heard your uncles break a window and a painting," I told him, "Along with my cousin and your son."

"Why is he my son when he bugs you?" Kion asked.

"He is not related to me," I snapped back, "So he's always your son."

Kion did something you should never do when a bride to be is in a mood like mine, he walked up to me and hugged me. Part of me wanted to punch him, and yet I still love him. So I just slapped him and walked away.

I found Amahle soon after leaving Kion. She sat quietly by the entrance of the hall. The place Kion and I chose for the reception was a remodeled barn surrounded by gardens on the shore of one of the Great Lakes. I'm too frustrated to remember which one exactly. Amahle seemed so calm, how is she calm? She has issues talking to people in this new country and I doubt she understands what's going on around her. She has this way of blocking out the world around her. The only way to snap her out is to touch her.

I tapped her shoulder. Amahle opened her eyes and looked up. "It is busy today," she said, "Why do Americans rush rush rush everywhere? They are not going to add more days to their lives by rushing and worrying."

Why is that the best piece of advice I got all day?

I sighed. "Weddings are big days to us Amahle. It's the day we start a family of our own and it really changes our lives. And I'm sure some of this rush has to do with a bunch of guys messing around a breaking a window and ruining a painting."

Amahle smiled at me. "Makes sense," she said, "Was it the Timon and the Pumbaa and Tray and Asher?" I nodded. "It seems like something they would do."

I had to smile then. It really does seem like something the four of them would do. Tray and Asher were the next generation of Timon and Pumbaa. Oh no, they are going to live off of Kion and I our whole lives, or until Kion snaps. I cannot see him snapping at Asher.

After walking around the hall again, I found Kion once again. "I knew you'd be back," he said, "You're not going to calm down so easily after that mess." He pointed to the mess inside the hall.

I sighed. "Sorry for slapping you," I told him, "It's been one of those days."

"Time of the month," Kion said, "Got it memorized. Day three. It's almost over." Yeah, that may have played a part of my mood today, and yesterday, and the day before, and a little bit of the before that because I was so worried my time of the month would start during my wedding.

I had to be impressed that Kion understood my issue and was so calm. He pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket. "Happy one week before our wedding Rani," he told me, "Sorry the chocolate's a few days late."

I took the chocolate bar and smiled. "At least you're not mansplaining to me how my own body works," I told him, "That would have made this day that much worse."

"I know a way to make it better," Kion told me, "Nermala and Surak brought down your mom's wedding dress if you wanted to wear that."

Leave it to Kion to not only handle my O.C.D. stress, but make whatever stressed me out better than than before I got stressed.

ANOTHER PLACE

TAKA

"One more week Zira," I told my aging wife, "One more week and all our problems are over."

"Then Taka," Zira told me, "It will be just you and I on a deserted island somewhere. Together for the rest of our lives."