Caesar's Pearl Chapter 24
It was while Margo was eating her lunch in the parlor continuing to watch cartoons with Ranger when Will made it back home. The front door opened and Will came barging inside causing Margo's head to snap up in surprise. Ranger rose from where he was lying down beside his owner and trotted over to Will releasing light barks in greeting.
"Hey, Ranger," said Will, bending a little to pet the border collie on the head. He then spotted Margo sitting on the couch. Smiling he marched over to his daughter and cupping her face kissed her on the head. "Hi, Honey."
Tilting her head in confusion, Margo said "Hi, Daddy."
Releasing Margo, looking in all directions for Caroline, Will asked "Margo, where's your mother?"
"In the kitchen, Daddy," said Margo, pointing at where she was.
Will then caught the sound of the other television plugged into the kitchen.
Kissing his daughter again, Will said "Thanks, Baby." He then booked it into the kitchen. "Caroline!"
When Will left Ranger turned to Margo's side as she watched her father enter the kitchen with great curiosity. Upon hearing her husbands voice Caroline stepped into the doorway mirroring the expression reflected off of her daughter's face. Clearly she was just as shocked to see Will home so early. At this time of day he'd usually be off hard at work, not here.
Will hugged Caroline and spun her around in jubilation lifting her partially off her feet into the air. Once he set her down Caroline instantly demanded why he was home. Margo was sitting too far away and the mixed sounds of the two TV's muffled Will's response too much for her to actually hear, but whatever he said must've been good for her mother's face lit up in disbelief and then broke into an overjoyed grin. Cupping her hands over her mouth Caroline leapt at Will and wrapped her arms around him. The two of them kissed and stood there a sew seconds before separating. Will kissed his wife's hands before rushing back over to Margo. Whatever made him so happy it certainly wasn't slowly him down.
Kneeling in front of his daughter and placing his hands on her shoulders, Will said "Margo, I have a pretty big news for you."
A very justifiable skeptic and suspicious look on her face, Margo said "What is it, Daddy?"
"I quit my job," said Will.
Margo's eyes practically popped out of her skull. She couldn't believe what she just heard. In fact she thought what he said was a trick of the tongue.
"What," she mumbled.
Smiling, Will, repeated "I quit my job, Margo."
As it registered with her mind Margo's face broke into a huge grin, shouting "Yeah!"
Laughing at his daughter's enthusiasm, softly, Will said "That's right, Baby. I won't be working anymore."
"But why, Daddy," asked Margo. "You said you like working there."
"Margo, I discovered there were things more important than the stuff I was doing there. Those things were you and Caesar," explained Will, cupping Margo's face with both hands. "And speaking of Caesar I'm going to get him right now!"
Margo shrieked and leapt at her father wrapping him in a tight hug. Will hugged Margo close kissing her head. Ranger was running around the room feeding off of the joy in the house while Caroline laughed.
Lowering her back onto the floor, Will said "I need you to do something for me. Can you get Caesar's room ready for when I Bring him back?"
Nodding, Margo said "Yes, Daddy!"
Turning to his wife, Will said "Add another person to the dinner table tonight, Caroline. We're going to have us a celebration."
Will then ran out of the house and got in his car leaving his family to get everything ready in his absence. Will drove straight to the San Bruno Primate Shelter. Once there he convinced Rodney to let him in and went directly to Mr. Landon's office. There he took the money he'd gotten from the bank and put into an envelope from his coat pocket and slapped it onto the man's desk as he was fixing some broken machinery.
Mr. Landon gave Will a quizzical look before looking inside. There he found a thick wad of money that had to be a few thousand dollars.
Will was counting heavily on the guy not being someone that was above accepting bribes at the right price.
Pushing the envelope forward on his desk, brow raised, Mr. Landon said "You wouldn't be trying to entrap me, would you?"
Will didn't speak a word just staring blankly at him.
"Well I can't say I approve," chided Mr. Landon. "They're not people, you know."
"You gonna let him go or not," asked Will, bluntly, bypassing the small talk. Will came here for one reason and one reason only. He didn't need a lecture from Caesar's captor.
Mr. Landon released a heavy break looking back and forth between Will and the thick envelope of currency. Finally Mr. Landon took the newspaper on his desk and placed it over the bride to conceal it.
Mr. Landon then led Will to where Caesar was being kept. Dodge had already been told what was going on. Glaring scathingly at Will he unlocked Caesar's cage and handed the leash and collar back to him.
The whole time Caesar didn't move. He stared at the wall not even acknowledging Will's presence once.
"Caesar? Hey, come on," said Will, gesturing with a nod of his head for Caesar to come out.
Caesar continued to ignore him.
Reassuringly, Will said "Come on, we're going home." Caesar still wouldn't even look at Will, refusing to budge. "Home."
Slowly Caesar turned to look at Will with questioning eyes not sure if what he was telling him was real this time.
Smiling, Will coaxed "Come on, we're really going."
Caesar jumped down from his cot and began to walk on two legs towards Will.
Taking a few steps back to allow Caesar some room to move, Will said "Come on. Let's get out of here."
At first it appeared like Caesar was going to take that first step. Then his gaze traveled to the leash and collar Dodge had passed him Will's hands. Inwardly a change came upon Caesar one Will was clueless to see. Caesar wasn't the same ape he was when he was first brought here for containment.
Extending a hand of his own out to Caesar, smiling encouragement, Will said "Yeah. Come on."
Caesar reached out a hand, but instead of placing it in Will's he shut the door to his cage.
"Caesar," said Will.
Caesar then turned his back on Will and climbed back onto his back returning to his previous position.
Aghast Will slowly looked at Mr. Landon.
"I guess he likes it better here with his own kind," said Mr. Landon, shrugging. He then gestured for his son to lock the cage as he walked away.
A satisfied grin on his face Dodge locked Caesar's cage again and strutted off.
Will stood in front of Caesar's cage in stunned disbelief not believing Caesar had chosen to stay here instead of coming home. Finally he staggered away unaware that Caesar had tears in his eyes.
Leaving the place on by himself unaccompanied Will heard the calls of multiple apes rising within. So out of it was he Will failed to realize what they meant or how much value they had to the chimpanzee the chant was directed for.
What was tearing at him inside was how Margo was going to react when she learned Caesar wasn't with him and the reason why.
Caesar rejected the opportunity to come back to her and that was going to break her heart.
At the house Margo had immediately jumped into preparing Caesar's room. She was so happy. Margo was listing a ton of things she wanted to do with Caesar when he got back. All the fun things they were going to do together.
Hearing the familiar rumbling of the family station wagon Margo ran down the stairs wanting to be the first to greet sister. Ranger was already at the front door barking and pawing at it. Margo was tied with her mother and together all three of them waited.
The door opened with Will standing in the door alone. He came in and closed the door so Ranger couldn't get out.
Caroline was the first to realize something was wrong. Her face fell when she realized what it was, that someone was missing.
Margo was a bit slower to the take.
Still a bit bubbly, Margo said "Where's Caesar, Daddy?"
Will was still in shock.
"I got his room all ready, Daddy! We're going to play our favorite games and have lots of fun," giggled Margo.
Swallowing, kneeling so he was eye level with Margo, Will said "Margo…Caesar isn't coming home."
It hit Margo like a ton of bricks.
"W-What," stuttered Margo, her voice miniscule. It was a complete revert from her happy self. "But y-you said you were going to bring him home."
Shaking his head, Will said "I know what I said, Margo, but…"
"But what, Will," asked Caroline, worriedly.
Breathing deeply, Will said "He doesn't want to come home."
"No," said Margo, shocked.
"I'm so sorry, Margo," said Will. "I went to take him out, but he shut the door to his cage on me. He wants to stay there."
"But why," cried Margo, crestfallen, not understand it. How could Caesar not want to come home? How could he not want to be with her? Last time he wanted to do everything he could to come back to her! "Doesn't he like me anymore?"
That broke Will and Caroline's hearts.
At the same time Caroline and Will wrapped their arms around their distraught child. Margo broke down into tears and sobbed her heart out. The day had started off so full of joy and now it was all gone again. This is not how it was supposed to be.
Authors Note:
(Sniffles) I know. Makes you want to cry doesn't it.
Uh…you guys do know that Born To Lead 2 was recently updated too, don't you?