The Hard Facts Of Life

Chapter 2

Karin cradled the distraught young ape in her arms. Rocking gently back and forth, she sang a soft lullaby she used to use on her late daughter Lisa, when she was restless. She did not expect it to work, Lisa having been far younger than Mary, but she watched in amazement as Mary relaxed more and more, until the little ape girl gave a deep sigh. Karin waited until she was certain the child was sound asleep. Then, she eased the girl down onto the bed and carefully rose and crept noiselessly from the room, closing the door softly behind her.

"Men!" Karin muttered quietly under her breath as she came back down her hallway, her long black hair swinging behind her. "Either you can't get them to leave you alone without the use of force, or you don't want them to leave you alone, but couldn't get their damned attention if you doused yourself in honey and fruit juices."

"Hmm ... what an interesting combination," Maurice murmured from where he sat on Karin's sofa. "Something you are considering trying yourself, perhaps?" He went on. "I know where you can find some honeycomb."

Karin blushed. She always seemed to forget how acute Ape hearing could be compared to humans.

"Oh, damn it Maurice, please don't' tease me tonight," Karin laughed wearily. "I'm dealing with major teenaged angst here."

she came around the sofa and flopped down on to it next to the orangutan, automatically leaning against him and slipping her hand in to his without even thinking about it.

"Now I know how to get you to sing for me, just bring along a child," Maurice said lovingly. "But is Mary alright?" he went on even as he gently squeezed Karin's hand, concern written large in his eyes.

"She's sleeping now. I told you she needed the woman's touch, but no, she isn't all right," Karin said bluntly. "That poor kid is very upset and confused and angry, and--

There was a brief pause, the Karin blurted out,

"And I don't blame her!" "I haven't met her yet, but what the hell is that Haley girl thinking, anyway. And, Koba! ... I'm sorry, Maurice, I know he's a friend of yours, but I can't believe he would ... that even Koba would ... rape a human? And is Caesar gonna permit this? I REALLY can't believe him! I thought you said this Haley was a friend of his from his past with humans."

" I'm not sure it is that simple," Maurice replied sadly when Karin paused for breath. "If it were, of course Caesar would not permit it."

"" He didn't force himself on that girl, you mean? That's even worse!" Karin exclaimed, horrified. "Out of all the Apes in that village, Koba would not even be on my short list of mates to consider."

"You have a short list?" Maurice asked, now very interested. "And just who might be on this list, may I ask?

Karin Elizabeth 'Big Mouth" Evans strikes again! She thought, embarrassed again, and not noticing yet the teasing twinkle in Maurice's eyes as he gazed at her.

Karin cleared her throat nervously.

"I'm just thinking out loud. Humans do that a lot, you know. And aren't we supposed to be talking about Mary's problems," she said, trying to change the subject, and fast.

Maurice made a small sound deep in his throat. It sounded suspiciously like a chuckle. Karin leaned back a little and took a closer look up in to his face

"Oh, damn you, Maurice. You're teasing me again, aren't you," she cried, half-exasperated and half-affectionately.

The Orangutan laughed openly that time.

'Not at all," he protested. "I just wanted to make sure that, if you did have a list, that the occupant of such list was behaving himself properly."