With dinner over, they cleared the dishes, rinsed everything and placed it in the dishwasher before heading back to the couch. Alexis sat in the centre, Rick and Kate on either side as she pulled the first of the binders from under the table. Rick put his wine glass to the side and pushed Alexis's grape juice out of the way as she placed the binder on the table.
This binder just had a plain brown cover with a printout of the title pasted on …. There was no drawing on it. As Alexis opened it up, all three could see the first page …
MONKEY-BUNKEY AT THE ZOO
For my little Pumpkin on her birthday
By Richard Rodgers
Below was a drawing which was obviously Monkey-Bunkey. Alexis looked at it and then sighed. "Obviously I wasn't endowed with artistic talent!"
"It sometimes skips a generation" Said Rick with a grin.
"Dad!" "Rick!" came simultaneously from both women.
"Well if you two are critiquing my writing, I'm critiquing the artwork!"
"Meanie!" said Kate, passing her hand behind Alexis' back and giving Rick's waist a pinch.
"Ouch" he pouted, then sighed, "Ok, I'll shut up!"
It was Monkey-Bunkey's birthday and the sun was up, the sky was blue and the birds were singing in the trees.
What can I do today? Asked Monkey-Bunkey
I know! I can go to the zoo!
All three laughed at the picture of a tree with a monkey hanging out of the branches. A blue bird, almost as big as the monkey was standing in profile on the ground, a rather beady red eye staring out at them.
Alexis flipped the page.
"Dad, you read it out loud, but I want all the voices as well!"
Rick pulled the story a bit closer to him and leant forward throwing a mock-glare at the others "And if I get critiqued for my voices you two can get dinner tomorrow!"
So Monkey-Bunkey got dressed in his best clothes … "I can see that from his bow tie!" Rick said in a stage whisper which set the two women giggling … and walked aaaall the way to the zoo.
When he got there, he joined the queue which was full of funny people!
Oooh! He said, there are tall people, and short people, and skinny-winny people and fat people!
And all dressed in pinks and blues and reds and oranges and greens!
He turned the page, cleared his throat and continued
When Monkey-Bunkey got his ticket he ran into the zoo! … "So did someone else I won't mention, dragging her Daddy behind her" … and the first thing he did was look for some ice-cream!
There it is! He said, seeing the big pink and yellow ice-cream cones over the stall. So he went and bought the biggest-wiggest chocolate ice-cream ever!
It was ginormous! It was bigger than Monkey-Bunkey!
As he turned the page, Rick glanced at the two women. Alexis sat rapt; he could tell her imagination was taking her back to those days of his reading these stories to her. Kate was sitting forward, a smile on her face, as she listened to him acting as she read the lines along with him. Her occasional glance at Alexis also told him she was aware of the effect it was having on his daughter.
So Monkey-Bunkey licked his enormous ice-cream as he reached the first of the animals! And on the sign it said L – I – O – N – S …. It was the lions! There were five of them and one veeery, veeeery big and scary one.
He was the daddy lion, and he had a big wig … "I remember having to explain what a wig was" he added with a roll of his eyes which garnered him an elbow to the ribs … "ooff!" … on his head with loads and loads of hair!
Monkey-Bunkey was licking his ice-cream when daddy lion opened his enooooouuuurmous mouth and let out a big "Roooaaar!"
Monkey-Bunkey was so frightened he almost swallowed the whole cone!
He turned the page, grinning at his rapt audience and took a sip of wine.
When Monkey-Bunkey got over his fright he decided to go and look at the next animal.
Ooooh! Said Monkey-Bunkey with a big round mouth. He is very big … and very grey …. And what a funny long nose he has!
So Monkey-Bunkey went to look at the big sign in front of the enclosure … E – L – E – P – H – A – N – T …. he read out loud that's ELE PHANT! Ha!Ha!Ha! He laughed what a funny name!
But then the elephant put his funny nose in a bucket of water. He sucked it aaall up with his nose, pointed it at Monkey-Bunkey and sent a big shower of water all over him!
And then it was the elephant who was laughing at Monkey-Bunkey's wet clothes!
Kate was shaking her head and smiling at him as he turned the page
Monkey-Bunkey could see some funny looking things in the next enclosure so he moved away from the nasty elephant, wringing his clothes out as he went.
When he got to the enclosure he could see rocks and water and a slide! Oh it looked like a fun place!
Then he looked at the sign. It said P – E – N – G – U – I – N – S …. Pen … guins. What a funny name! They did look a bit like short pens!
And as he watched them the pen-guins jumped up on the rocks and got on the slide and went wooosh! Into the water making a big splash!
Then a man came into the enclosure and he had a bucket in his hand
Monkey-Bunkey though Oh No! But then the man pulled a fish out of the bucket and threw it into the water. And the pen-guins all went Splash! Splash! And one of them swallowed the fish!
Monkey-Bunkey didn't like fish, so he decided to look at something else.
As he took another sip of wine and glanced at his two 'girls', he saw that Kate and Alexis were sitting shoulder against shoulder, thoroughly immersed in his storytelling, and he wondered what was going on in his Detective's head.
The next enclosure Monkey-Bunkey got to was his favourite. It was where all his family lived!
The sign said M – O – N – K – E – Y – S and Monkey-Bunkey knew that because he was a Monkey!
He could see his cousin 'Spider' up in a tree. Spider was scratching under his arm .. yuck! Near him was his other cousin Gibbon. Gibbon was cute! He had a funny white face and wore dark sunglasses and had veeeryyy long arms!
Then he saw his Uncle Capuchin who looked very annoyed and was eating a banana. He was looking at Grandma Tamarin who must have gone to the same hairdressers as Grandma Martha! She was all orange!
Monkey-Bunkey waved goodbye to his family and as he had finished his ice-cream he decided to go to the next place.
Kate was laughing at the previous line and looked at him "Has your mother seen this story?"
Alexis giggled. "Yes, and she didn't forgive him for about a week!"
"No," said Rick, "But she did rush to the mirror to check!" he added laughing.
When Monkey-Bunkey got to the next enclosure he stopped and opened his mouth in a big Oooh! He saw the feet, and then the legs, and then the neck which went up, and up, and up, and up for miles!
He looked at the sign and it said G – I – R – A – F – F - E ..… gi … raff, what a strange creature the gi-raffe was!
Then the giraffe looked down at Monkey-Bunkey and bent her long neck until her face was as low as Monkey-Bunkey's face. And she went blink, blink with her biiig eyelashes just like Monkey-Bunkey's Alexis did.
And then Monkey-Bunkey remembered that he had all his friends and Alexis' friends coming to the party and if he was late they would eat all his cake, and blow up all his balloons and open all his presents!
Rick turned the final page and took another sip of wine.
So Monkey-Bunkey ran all the way home and had a big party, with loads of friends and a nice big strawberry cake with candles and they played lots of games and sang songs and then he was so, sooo tired after such a long day, that he went up to bed.
But Monkey-Bunkey was a good Monkey, so he washed his face and hands, and brushed his teeth with his blue brush … "which I have to add here, someone was insistent I get him!" … and climbed into bed!
And then he gave Grams a goodnight kiss and another one for Daddy and a veeeerrryyy, veeeerryyy big one for Alexis! And after such a looooong day he went to sleep!
There was a collective sigh from both his girls and he could swear there were tears in his daughter's eyes. He slung his arm over her shoulder and gave her a big hug as he planted a kiss on the top of her head. As he did so he caught sight of Kate looking at him, a glow in her eyes which had him gulping and quickly releasing his daughter.
"That was so sweet Rick! And thanks Alexis … for letting me in on this little secret!"
Alexis nodded, "Uh-Huh, it was kind of special wasn't it. I'm so glad you found them Kate, they could have been lost!"
"Well, I'm off to bed guys, read the next one tomorrow?"
"Of course Pumpkin, sleep well" said Rick as he gave her a hug and a goodnight kiss. Kate just stood up and hugged her, feeling Alexis' squeeze her tightly in response before heading up the stairs.
As Kate settled back on the couch she cuddled up against Castle and stroked the cover of the binder. Rick looked down at her bowed head, her hair falling forward, covering her face and not allowing him to see her expression. "You ok?" He asked.
She gave a quick nod of her head and squeezed the hand she had resting on his thigh. She didn't answer him, but settled back against his chest, nestling her head into his chin.
Rick let out a sigh of contentment and closed his eyes as he breathed in the scent of his partner, the cherry, coffee and Kate scent which soothed him beyond words.