"Well, aren't you going to open this?" Amanda protested as she picked up a package Caroline had left for Caesar the night before.
Completely ignoring the gift, the chimp gave an annoyed huff and started to turn away.
"Oh, Caesar, come on," Amanda pleaded as she put down the box and placed a hand on his arm. "She's even letting me sleep in your room now, isn't she? Caroline's bending over backwards trying to say she's sorry, and you won't give her a chance."
The little girl smiled. "And, besides, I can't stand an unopened present!"
"You can open," Caesar told her.
But Amanda shook her head. "It's not for me."
In had been two days since Amanda's horrible nightmare, and Caroline had been on a desperate unceasing campaign of apology with the whole family ever since. Amanda had forgiven her, and so, she assumed, had Will and Charles. But Caesar was the one hold out.
Turning back to her desk, the girl closed her laptop with a worried sigh. "It's something else. What else is bothering you?" Amanda asked.
Caesar let out a long sigh and flopped down on the floor beside her. Now that he was sitting so close, Amanda could feel the waves of sadness and confusion and just plain old hurt coming off of him.
"God, what is it, Caesar?" Amanda sounded frightened now. What else could Caroline have done that was so bad? She could not imagine the woman deliberately hurting Caesar like this. But, then again, adults could be cruel and thoughtless and careless, sometimes. It happened even to the gentlest and the most caring among them.
Unable to stand the feelings of dejection from Caesar any longer, Amanda slid from the desk chair into the floor. She flung both arms around her friend and hugged him tight. In the testy mood he had been in, the girl half expected him to flinch or pull away, but he laid his head on her shoulder, instead. He buried his face into her hair which she had left hanging loose and unbraided and made a soft mournful whimpering sound.
"Oh, Caesar," Amanda murmured. "It can't be that bad, can it?" She rocked him slowly in much the same way he had comforted her just two nights ago.
"What is sanctuary?" Caesar asked after a long moment.
Amanda blinked.
"Uh, well, it's a place where ... where they take care of ... Caesar, why'd you want to know that?"
"Caroline wants Caesar to go to Sanctuary," the young ape told her.
Amanda gave a start of surprise. "Oh no, Caesar. You—You must have heard wrong." She exclaimed.
But she could feel him shaking his head. "They fight. Will said no. Will say Caesar stay at home. Will say Caesar with his family. Why does Caroline want Caesar to go?"
Amanda swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. "I don't think," Amanda began very carefully. "that she really wants you to go, Caesar. I guess she's afraid they won't be able to take care of you when you grow up. I guess she wants you to get to know your own kind when you're older."
"Own kind?" Caesar asked.
"Yeah, you know, other chimpanzees, other apes? Others ... like you." Amanda said.
"Chimpanzee ... Apes ... Caesar is ape." Caesar fell into a thoughtful silence, and it occurred to Amanda that the word 'ape' did not mean too much to Caesar. Had Will never told him anything at all about what he was, about his own people?
"How spell chimpanzee? Ape?" Caesar asked.
Letting go of Caesar, Amanda turned and picked up her laptop. She opened notepad and quickly typed out the two words for Caesar to see.
"Thank you." He told her after studying the screen for a moment.
"Sure," Amanda said slowly. "What are you plotting, Caesar?" She could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.
"Nothing," he signed sullenly.
"Fine. Keep me out of the loop then. I was gonna show you pictures of other apes, but—"
Caesar perked up immediately. "You can show other apes? On this?" he tapped her laptop with a finger.
"Yeah. Live pictures, video. There are live cams always running at the zoo. And I think there is one at San Bruno, too, in the apes play area. There's a live cam in Indiana, but that's only orangutans, I think."
Amanda started to type, but Caesar was leaning so close it was difficult. "Hey, I need room to move here," the girl said with a little grin.
Caesar hooted an apology and leaned back so Amanda could finish her typing. She pulled up the videos of the chimps at the San Fran Zoo.
"Apes?" she asked Caesar.
He huffed a yes, but it was clear he was now transfixed on the screen.
"Ok. You can watch this. I've been sitting and typing most of the day. I need to go and stretch my legs a bit, anyway, get some fresh air. Be back in a shake," Amanda said. But as she left the room, she wondered if Caesar even noticed that she was gone.
"Hey, Precious. Finally got your nose out of the laptop, huh?" Charles greeted her warmly just outside.
"Where's Will and Caroline?"
"Will's where he always is, in his office. And Caroline is-"
"Home," the woman was just getting out of her car.
"Caroline, I want to talk to you," Amanda said firmly.
"Oh boy, I know that tone," Charles smiled as he slowly rose from his chair. He kissed Amanda on the cheek and whispered, "Go easy on her, ok, Kiddo?" Then he went back in leaving the two females alone.
"Should we sit down for this talk?" Caroline asked warily.
"Yes, definitely," Amanda replied coolly, and they sat side by side.
"Caesar's still mad, isn't he?" Caroline began hesitantly.
"Yes. Do you really want to know why?" Amanda shot back.
"Yes," Caroline said anxiously. She took one of Amanda's hands. "What do I have to do to get him to forgive me, Amanda."
"Well, for starters, you can stop wanting to send him away," Amanda stated angrily.
Caroline gasped.
"Who told you about that?" the woman asked in a small voice.
Amanda frowned. So, Caroline did not deny it. The girl had been desperately hoping Caesar had gotten things wrong.
"Caesar told me just now. I guess he's overheard you fighting with Will about it," Amanda said flatly, not hiding her bitter disappointment.
Caroline dropped Amanda's hand. "Oh my God!" she moaned. "He understood us?"
That was enough for Amanda's fragile nine-year-old nerves. She jumped to her feet and glared furiously at Caroline, her hands on her hips and her blind eyes almost blazing.
"Jeez! You know what? I was just up in my room, telling Caesar he should give you a break, Caroline! I thought you understood apes, better than Will, anyway. you work closer with them than he usually does ... but you don't, do you? At least, you don't understand Caesar. He loves you like a Mother. But you think he's just another dangerous animal who will need to be caged. You just want to break up another family. You're just like those people who took Koba away from me!" the little girl cried, tears stinging the back of her eyes and throat.
"Amanda?" Caroline gasped, reaching out for the little girl. "Honey, wait a minute?"
But Amanda dodged away from her and ran around into the back yard.
Breathing heavily, Amanda leaned against the fence, her eyes pressed tightly closed, trying to get a little peace.
"What are you doing here?" a harsh voice snapped.
Nearly jumping out of her skin, Amanda groaned. It was that unpleasant neighbor of Will's—Alice's father. Alice had been Amanda's best friend, but her Dad had forbidden the girl from hanging around with 'that blind witch'. Of course, the girls had snuck around to see one another anyway, but when Alice's father caught them, he yelled at Alice so much that Amanda promised herself she'd never put her friend in that trouble again.
"I said, what are you doing here? Get home where you belong."
Amanda straightened. Alice was not here, she hoped, and she was not going to tolerate this ill-tempered man's abuse anymore.
"I am home," she stated. "Not that it's your business, but I'm staying with Will for a few days."
"Oh great," the man grumbled. "Well, get away from the fence then. Get back in the house before you trip or get hurt or something and I get blamed for it."
Amanda did not move.
"What, you're deaf now not just blind," he blustered. "I said get back inside where you belong?"
Amanda continued to ignore him.
The man reached across and gave her shoulder a shove, two fingers getting tangled in the girl's long hair as he did so. Amanda stumbled back and cried out, not so much from pain but surprise.
Then, somehow, Caesar was there, a low menacing growl coming from deep within his chest.
"You again," the man yelled. He was nursing the two fingers that had touched the blind girl's hair. "I'll fix you. I'll fix both of you?"
"Caesar, no!" Amanda pleaded. She tried to pull the young ape back, but his body was tense and unmovable, even quivering with anger.
"Caesar, please, don't," Amanda tried again, desperately pulling on Caesar's arm.
"Stop that!" came three voices from two different directions. Caroline came running from the front of the house while Will and Charles appeared through the back door at the same time, bumping in to each other in their haste to get to the kids.
"I warned you to keep that animal under control?" the neighbor screeched. "And keep that blind girl in, too. NO one wants her running loose around here."
Caesar gave a roar, but Caroline and Charles were there, helping Amanda hold him back.
Will put himself in between the kids and his disagreeable neighbor.
"Caesar, Caesar," Will said, his voice tense but quiet as he gripped the ape's shoulder. "Caesar, it's okay. I saw what happened. I know he pushed Amanda. Go with Amanda back inside. Caesar, go. I'll take care of this. Dad, car, a little help here, please?"
Both Caroline and Charles looked as if they would rather vault over the fence and do more than push the man, but with a reluctant sigh, Charles got on one side of Caesar and Caroline got on Amanda's other side and together they ushered the kids towards the back door.
Amanda was trembling violently, and Caesar was still growling as he stayed glued protectively to his friend's side.
They were not in the house yet before all the yelling started..
It seemed as if the whole neighborhood got involved. Caesar was amazed at how many people stopped by after the incident to talk with Will and Caroline about their troublesome neighbor, and to see if Amanda was alright. He had apparently not just been picking on Caesar's family. He was that way to almost all the neighbors.
Amanda seemed okay, but badly shaken. she stayed close to Caesar all that evening. The young chimpanzee did not mind. When she finally let him out of her reach to go and take a bath before bedtime, Caesar ran to Caroline. Forgetting, at least temporarily, that he was so angry with her, Caesar enthusiastically hugged the woman he considered to be his Mother.
"Amanda, okay?" he signed anxiously to his stepmother. After all, Caroline was a doctor, and a female. She should know what was wrong.
Caroline hugged him back, hard. For a second, Caesar felt a little bad for being so mean to her the last couple of days. He reached up and lightly nuzzled Caroline's cheek, and she grinned at him.
"Sure, she's okay, Caesar. She, uh, just had a nasty scare, that's all. You of all people know how mean that man can be." Caroline said as she stroked Caesar's head.
Caesar could not argue with that.
"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" Caroline inquired cautiously.
Caesar hesitated.
Caroline moved Caesar a little away from her, and he held her gaze patiently.
"Caesar, I'm so sorry if I said anything that hurt or frightened you," Caroline told him. "I didn't mean to. I'd never deliberately do something to hurt you or will or Charles. Please believe me, Caesar. Sometimes, well, sometimes we humans speak before we think how it might hurt others."
Caesar nodded. He was too confused and too tired to argue. Besides, he did believe Caroline was sorry. But did she still want him to go away? And would she be able to convince Will and Charles to agree with her?
Hearing Amanda leave the bathroom, Caesar jumped from Caroline's lap and fled upstairs. He realized in all the fuss he had forgotten to turn off or even plug in Amanda's laptop.
"Caesar, you need to be careful," Amanda burst out as soon as the ape entered her room.
Scampering over to her, he immediately began apologizing. "Sorry, sorry. Put plug in next time."
"Huh?" Amanda looked confused. "What plug? Oh, Caesar, I don't mean the dumb laptop."
The girl tugged him over and they sat on her bed.
"You gotta be careful around that man, Caesar," Amanda insisted, gripping both her friend's hands tightly. "You can't let him get to you or he'll start all kinds of trouble."
"Will won't let him," Caesar insisted stubbornly.
Amanda groaned, and bit her lower lip. It was starting to tremble. "Will won't have a choice. They can ... they can take you away, Caesar, and Will won't be able to stop them. Like they took ..."
Amanda swallowed hard. She did not want to start crying again. Her eyes were still sore from her nightmare two days ago.
Dropping one of her hands, Caesar lightly stroked Amanda's cheek, trying to make her feel better.
"Who is they? Who take your friend away?" Caesar gently projected the thought at her while still stroking her cheek.
He's getting so good at that; Amanda thought and forced a shaky smile.
"They. Animal Control, Caesar. The animal police," Amanda tried to explain. But she could tell Caesar had no idea what she meant. Or did he?
"But Caesar not animal?" he protested.
Amanda hugged him again, and he wrapped his arms around her.
"I know you're not an animal, Caesar. And Will and Charles know it, too. But Animal Control don't know it, see," Amanda said gently. "They're just dumb grownups."
Amanda expected her friend to start asking many more questions. She hoped he would not ask too many about Koba, but he had only one question about him.
"Koba. He animal?"
"No," Amanda answered without hesitation. "Koba was not an animal. Koba was ... is ... like you, Caesar." Suddenly realizing she might have given Caesar the wrong idea about her lost friend when she described him as friend and guide, Amanda went on, "Koba is an ape, too."
Caesar hooted happily. "Thought so," was all he said before letting go of Amanda and picking up his neglected gift. "Here, you open. Then we play?" the young ape suggested hopefully.
Feeling relieved and not wanting to press her luck, Amanda readily gave in.
A/N:
Hi friends and loyal and patient readers! ?
Surprise! A New Chapter! Hope the shock isn't too much for everyone? 😀
Hope everyone enjoyed this little tidbit. Thanks go as always to everyone who is currently reading, and a big welcoming hug to anyone new to the fic.
Special thanks to Estrella for all her helpful PMs.
I'll get the next part out soon-fingers crossed. 🍀
Happy reading everybody.
