The Lion King In The Human World Part 3

Put The Puzzle Away.

MUFASA

I leaned my cane against the table. "What's your name again?" I asked the spy I don't know, "I think I'm having a senior moment and can't remember your name."

"My name's Janja Mr. King," Janja told me.

I nodded. "I'm probably going to forget it. I'm old."

Janja chuckled. "It's alright Mr. King," he said, "I don't think our paths will cross too much after this."

I had to agree to that. I was getting up there in years, sadly most of those years were spent in a coma.

"So," Bunga said, "Scar, Phamtoma, and many of the higher ups in the criminal underworld have been sent to prison for the rest of their lives. Said underworld is in shambles. And Kion and Rani got married. Where's the wine!"

"No, no, no!" Binga said, "No wine for you! You know what happens when you drink it. I'm not going through the Tut incident again."

"Do I want to know?" Fuli asked. Binga shook her head.

We were all gathered in the dining room for some reason. I was told but I'm old. All of the family is here, Rani and her family count as part of that, along with Kion's friends. We had just gotten back from Taka's trial. I hated to testify against my little brother, but it needed to be done. I was in tears when I was done, but I did it.

Simba chuckled. "Whatever this Tut incident was, you don't have to worry about it happening. We don't drink wine in this house."

"Say nothing," Simba's friend Timon said to Simba's friend Pumbaa, "Say absolutely nothing." I covered my eyes with my hand, blocking my view of them. They were embarrassing sometimes.

"Timon," Simba growled. Timon turned red and ran out the back, a couple dogs after him. Simba put his head down on the table. "Never mind," he said, still face down on the table, "I don't want to know."

Janja, Bunga, and Binga, the three spies, all looked at each other as if they knew something. They probably did. Did I want to know? I decided that I didn't. Life's too short to wonder what the heck they knew, specifically when you get to be my age.

I sound like an old man again.

"Are you upset we couldn't have the wedding we planned Rani?" Kion asked.

Rani, her pregnancy starting to show at this point, shot him an annoyed look. "After all that we went through with that wedding, I would have been fine eloping. I'll be lucky if I ever feel comfortable enough to go another wedding again."

I could have sworn I saw Fuli glance down at her hands when she said that. "That makes sense," Anga said, "Mama already set me up for therapy about it. She says she will not stand for her only daughter to not have a wedding."

"Well," Beste said, "This has been an experience."

"Hey Bunga," Makini said, "How was Paris?"

"Classified," Bunga said, "Now that you guys know I'm a spy, that will be a large part of what I tell you about my job. Classified, classified, classified. I'll be singing it like a bird."

Ono rolled his eyes. "I think we all kinda figured that out," he said.

"Kiara," Kovu said, calling down the hall to the bathroom, "Are you alright in there?" The only answer was the sound of vomiting. "Is that a yes or a no?" Kovu asked.

Vatani shook her head. "That poor girl," she said, "Glad whatever fertility thing is on her mother's side of the family and I'm on the father's side."

"The side with the illness," Nuka said, "Neither side really wins in our family. Specifically with us Tani. Illness on one side, years of criminals on the other."

"Yeah," Ballyo said, "That sucks. Why did we let Rani marry into this family again?"

Surak and Nermala eyed each other and shrugged. That was a good question.

I let out a sigh. When you're the old man in the room and you sigh, you tend to become the center of attention. Well, for everyone but the kids and the man running from dogs in the background. "I'm fine," I told everyone, "Stop worrying so much. I came back from the dead, you don't have to panic over a sigh."

"Sorry," Nuka said, "It's just that you're very old."

I eyed him. "Don't make me call you a whipper-snapper," I threatened with my cane in one hand.

Nuka raised an eyebrow. "Is that the best you got?" he asked, not as a challenge, but curiously. I smiled at him. It wasn't the best I got.

"I know your secret," I told him. He went white. I didn't actually know his secret, but it worked for Taka all the time and like father like son. I wonder what his secret is though.

Hannah came over. She was setting up to sing the song she was going to sing at the wedding. Guess she's done now. "Are we all ready?" she asked.

We all nodded. She pressed play on the speaker and started to sing.