CHAPTER TWELVE
(chapter title – Honeymoon Bliss)
It was 1:30 PM the following day when the plane landed in Africa. Cassidy sat up and rubbed her eyes. She put her laptop away, along with its charger. She gathered her backpack and stood up, banging her head on the low ceiling.
"Ow!" Cassidy yelped, rubbing her head. Marius kissed the spot where she had banged it.
They exited the plane and saw a tall skinny-as-a-string-bean African-American man holding a sign that said 'Marius and Cassidy Pontmercy'.
"Ah Mtambo! Hello!" Marius called, taking Cassidy's hand and brought her over. "This is my wife, Cassidy. Cassidy, this is my friend Mtambo. I met him when he came to the States a few years ago."
"Nice to meet you." Cassidy greeted Mtambo, shaking his hand.
"Marius has told me all about you. Cassidy, you are a lovely vision," Mtambo told Cassidy, his voice heavy with a thick African accent that Cassidy couldn't place. He turned to Marius, "we get your bags then we see the savannah." Cassidy noted that he called Marius 'Mary us.' He called her 'Cass a dee.'
The couple nodded and followed Mtambo to baggage claim. Cassidy leaned against Marius as a warm breeze drifted through the open airport doors.
"Flight okay?" Mtambo asked as they went to a bus. The three of them climbed on and couldn't find seats together. Cassidy sat next to a young girl selling something, while Marius and Mtambo stood towards the back of the bus. Marius smiled and waved at Cassidy. She smiled and waved back, turning to the girl next to her.
"Hello." Cassidy greeted the girl. The girl smiled and said something to Cassidy in a language she didn't understand.
The bus rolled on for a long time. Cassidy was bored instantly, so she looked out the window. She thought she saw a vulture circling up ahead, its massive wingspan spreading across the sky.
Mtambo, Marius and Cassidy got off the bus at a large wooden fence. Mtambo punched in a complicated code on a keypad near the fence. The fence opened slowly and the three of them walked forward.
Cassidy couldn't believe what she saw – animals and people were everywhere. She saw a young girl leading a lion cub on a leather leash, like one would walk a dog. She also saw a female ostrich running after four boys, the boys laughed, while the ostrich squawked loudly. Women walked by while they balanced full baskets on their heads, talking amongst themselves.
Four men walked by, along with goats, dogs, and to Cassidy's surprise, a leopard. The leopard stared at Cassidy – its green eyes sparkling in the sun. It looked at Cassidy for a while before limping off. Cassidy noticed it only had three legs – it had both of its back legs, but was missing its left front leg.
"This is The Land of Good and Lucky Animals and People." Mtambo told Marius and Cassidy, leading them even further into the community. People greeted Marius, Cassidy and Mtambo as they walked by. Cassidy smiled as six girls placed a white garland around her neck and said something to her that she could not understand. They also put a white garland around Marius' neck and said the same greeting to him.
"What sort of lucky animals and people live here?" Marius inquired as he watched children between the ages of six and fourteen kick a leather ball on a field. He realized they were playing soccer. The kids were mostly boys, but he saw a couple girls playing, too.
"It is a combination orphanage and wildlife preserve. The adults who live here, like myself, help both the children and animals," Mtambo explained. Cassidy saw his eyes turn sad as he looked at her, "my wife and I started this, but she died of malaria two years ago. She could not get the treatments right away. She was also carrying our first child."
"I'm so sorry, Mtambo." Cassidy apologized, hugging him. Mtambo smiled and hugged Cassidy back.
"I will leave you two to change then we go on the savannah. There's a giraffe out there that's about to have a baby. We may need to help." Mtambo told the couple as he spoke into a walkie-talkie.
Marius and Cassidy entered a tent and quickly changed their clothes. They then joined Mtambo and another man he introduced as Jonathon.
"Jonathon is going to drive while I tell you about the wonders and dangers of the savannah." Mtambo told the couple, helping them into a vehicle that Cassidy had only seen on the nature channel. "Giraffes, zebras, elephants, water buffalo, ostriches and antelopes are nice. Lions, leopards, rhinos and hippos are bad.
There are also some poisonous plants and good plants out there. Where we are going, there are no poisonous plants to worry about." Mtambo explained as they headed out of the community and sped to the savannah.
"How long is a giraffe pregnant for?" Cassidy asked, clinging to her favorite sunhat for dear life.
"Almost fifteen months. This giraffe we're going to see is one of my favorites. You'll see why soon." Mtambo answered, talking to Jonathon in some language that neither Marius or Cassidy could understand.
They reached a wooded area where a beautiful light-brown spotted giraffe was standing. She had large chocolate-brown eyes, long lashes and was extremely tall. Her shoulder came to Mtambo's head and her neck reached the top of the tree she was standing next to.
"This is Jewel, a first time mother. I raised her when her own mother died during the birth." Mtambo told Marius and Cassidy.
"What do you want us to do?" Cassidy asked as Jonathon handed her a carrot. Jewel eyed Cassidy and lowered her head, wrapping her slimy tongue around Cassidy's hand. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!"
Marius laughed and Cassidy wiped giraffe slime on his shirt.
"Marius and Cassidy keep her calm while I check the baby." Mtambo instructed Cassidy and Marius.
"Hi Jewel. You are certainly the most beautiful giraffe I've ever seen." Marius told her, reaching out to pet her when a contraction seared through her. Her head jerked up and Cassidy could see the whites of her eyes.
"Easy, easy Jewel. You're okay. Shh," Cassidy soothed, stroking Jewel's leg. She looked at Mtambo. "How's it going?"
"The baby is breeched. We need to take her to the reserve. She'll be safe there." Mtambo said, tossing Cassidy a giraffe-sized halter. "Put this over her head. She will follow."
Cassidy found another treat and had Marius feed her while she put the halter on Jewel. She tossed her head up, nearly dragging Cassidy.
"Hey! Come on Jewel! It's okay!" Cassidy soothed, guiding her to the waiting car. She tied the lead rope to the top of the car as Jonathon drove as fast as he could back to the reserve. Jewel cantered behind them, snorting and throwing a fit.
Mtambo took Jewel to a tent near the back of the reserve while Marius and Cassidy had dinner with everyone.
They were reading in their tent when Mtambo entered, a smile on his face.
"The baby is fine, so is Jewel. She had a beautiful little boy. Would you like to see?" Mtambo asked. Marius and Cassidy nodded, exited the tent and followed Mtambo to the tent where Jewel was.
"How did you get him out?" Cassidy asked as she and Marius stood on a platform looking down at Jewel and her baby.
"She corrected it herself. She is so proud." Mtambo answered, watching Jewel and her baby bond. Currently, the little guy was finding his footing and kept tumbling over.
"He's so cute!" Cassidy squeaked. "Does he have a name yet?"
"We don't name the babies until they are twenty days old." Mtambo answered, going down the ramp to a platform four feet down. He looked up and signaled for Marius and Cassidy to follow him.
"Would you look at that!" Marius marveled, squeezing Cassidy's hand. She squeezed his hand back and rested her head on his shoulder.
Jewel had laid down and looked at her baby. He was the spitting image of his mother, complete with big brown eyes, long eyelashes and the same black nose. If he lived to see his twenty-day-old birthday, Cassidy would suggest the name Image for the baby giraffe.
"You two better get some sleep. Chores start early around here," Mtambo told Cassidy and Marius. "Be prepared to do anything – cleaning up after animals, going to town, going on a mission with me. Dress in light clothing."
Marius and Cassidy thanked Mtambo and went to their tent.
"How are we going to make out with this mosquito net between us?" Marius asked as Cassidy closed the tent flap. Cassidy looked like she was going to be sick. "Honey, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Is there any water here?" Cassidy asked. Marius nodded and handed her a bottle of water. She drank all of it.
"I'll see if Mtambo will let you off easy tomorrow. It looks like you're a little dehydrated, which isn't good when you're carrying twins." Marius said as Cassidy joined him, dressed in nothing but her bra and underwear. Marius wore his boxer shorts to bed.
Cassidy rested her head on Marius' shoulder. She fell asleep instantly. Marius removed her glasses, stroked her hair and kissed her temple before falling asleep.
Someone blowing a horn extremely early the following morning made Marius jump a mile in the air. He looked over and saw Cassidy fast asleep on top of the sheets, curled in the fetal position, which couldn't be comfortable for her.
Marius got up and went to shower in a small chamber in the back of their tent. Several girls giggled as Marius sung and showered. He looked up and his face turned beet red – there was no shower door.
The girls giggled to themselves and continued to stare at Marius.
"Girls, I'm married!" Marius told them, showing them his wedding band. That didn't stop them from staring. It wasn't until Cassidy joined him that they walked away.
"What were they staring at?" Cassidy asked, pressing herself against Marius and screamed as the water turned ice cold.
"Me. I don't know why." Marius answered, kissing Cassidy, his hands going on either side of her body.
They finished their shower and changed into the lightest clothes they could find. They then went to eat some breakfast before finding out what they were doing that day.
Mtambo paired them together to take care of some of the orphaned animals. Cassidy smiled as a baby gorilla was placed in her arms, along with a bottle.
She sat down on a rocking chair and fed the tiny male gorilla. He was thirty days old and was named Kovu. Marius was bottle-feeding his twin sister named Kiara.
Once the babies were fed, Cassidy played with some baby lions while Marius fed a baby vulture.
"Ouch! Zazu! You're gonna bite off my finger!" Marius told the vulture as he fed him. Cassidy smiled and exited the lion pen.
"I'll play with you guys later. I promise." Cassidy said.
The two of them either played or fed the orphans in the enclosure. Cassidy felt her heart freeze in her chest as a baby giraffe was led in. She sighed when she realized the giraffe was female.
Cassidy's favorite animal she got to play with was a baby zebra. The little guy was extremely gentle as Cassidy bottle-fed him. She stroked his soft baby fur as he drunk the bottle. He then butted Cassidy's arm when he was done.
She chased him around his pen and he whinnied happily. Mtambo had told Cassidy that zebras weren't related to horses. They were more in the donkey family.
After a quick lunch break, they played with more animals – a water buffalo, antelope, hippo and alligator. While Marius fed a baby hornbill, Cassidy carefully fed the baby alligator. It snapped its jaws and growled at her.
"N-nice g-g-gator." Cassidy told the alligator, carefully feeding it rotten meat, which made her gag.
Towards evening, Mtambo came to relive them of chores. Cassidy and Marius thanked them and exited the enclosure.
Cassidy took a shower and felt someone watching her. Turning around, she saw the three-legged leopard staring at her.
"Nice kitty." Cassidy said. It growled, but didn't attack. Cassidy quickly finished her shower and put her pajamas on.
"Everything okay?" Marius asked as he blew up the air mattress that Mtambo had given him.
"Yeah – there was a leopard watching me." Cassidy answered, wrapping her arms around Marius' neck.
"The three-legged leopard? That's Sarabi. She won't hurt you." Marius said, finishing blowing up the mattress. Cassidy laid down upon it and was instantly comfortable.
"So much better than sleeping on the floor." Cassidy said as Marius set up the mosquito nets and closed the tent flap. He then went over to Cassidy and took her in his arms.
He pulled her on top of him, covering her neck with kisses. Cassidy pulled his shirt off him as his hands went under her shirt and lifted it off her head. He then unhooked her bra and discarded it. Cassidy closed her eyes as Marius kissed each of her breasts, his hands going between her legs. He removed her underwear and felt around.
Cassidy took off Marius' boxers and felt him extend in her hands. She smiled and brought her head down, kissing the tip of his shaft.
The two of them made love for a while before falling asleep in each other's arms.
Before they knew it, their honeymoon was over. They made sure to get presents for everyone, including something for their twins.
Mtambo drove them to the airport while Marius and Cassidy slept in the backseat. Their flight left at 9:55 and it was now 5:45. The airport was a three hour drive from the reservation.
It was a bittersweet goodbye, but Mtambo promised that he would visit Mary us and Cass a dee soon. They hugged their dear friend, went through security and went to find their gate that would take them home.
"I had the most wonderful time. What about you?" Marius asked Cassidy as she got a chocolate chip bagel from the bagel cart.
"I had a lot of fun." Cassidy answered, taking a bite of her bagel. Marius took a big bite of her bagel as their plane number was called. Cassidy carefully stood up, got her backpack and held Marius' hand. He squeezed her hand and boarded the plane, Cassidy right behind him.
Cassidy sat next to the window, Marius sat in the middle, like last time. A woman and her young baby sat next to Marius. Marius smiled at the baby as the woman put on her seatbelt.
"How old is your baby?" Marius asked.
"She's six months old," The woman answered, adjusting the sling that the baby slept in. "Do you have any children?"
"We have a twelve-year-old, a two-year-old and are expecting twins in six months." Marius responded.
"That's quite a gap between your oldest and your two-year-old." The woman remarked.
"It took my first wife and I a long time to conceive our son – the two-year-old." Marius said, looking at Cassidy. She was fast asleep, head resting against the window.
"First wife?" the woman asked, slightly confused.
"Yeah, she died the day after our son was born. She had septic poisoning," Marius answered, squeezing Cassidy's hand. "I met Cassidy here through my daughter a year ago."
"She is pretty." The woman told Marius, smiling.
"Is she your only child?" Marius asked.
"I have an eight-year-old and a four-and-a-half-year old waiting for me at home. I brought her along because she's not only the best behaved baby, she loves going with me whenever she can." The woman said.
"She certainly likes airplanes. Is she your only daughter?"
"No, my oldest is a girl and the four-and-a-half-year-old is my son."
"What are your kids names?"
"My oldest is Brianna, the middle is Brandon and this is Bianca. What about yours?"
"My oldest is Ella, the two-year-old is Anton and we don't know what we're having, so the twins are unnamed for now."
"I'm Brenda, by the way."
"I'm Marius and sleeping beauty here is Cassidy."
"That's an interesting name – Marius."
"Thanks. It's French. No idea what it means. It was my mother's favorite name."
"It suits you. If you were my baby, I would've named you Marius."
Marius smiled at the compliment.
"So, Brenda, what do you and your husband do for work?"
"I'm a wildlife photographer and my husband is a chef at a hotel. What about you and Cassidy?"
"I'm a lawyer and Cassidy is a horseback riding instructor."
"Who's watching Ella and Anton?"
"My two best friends – Courfrayac and Joly. We spent two months in Africa helping out at a nature reservation and an orphanage for our honeymoon."
"I love hearing about that sort of thing. Which orphanage and nature reservation was it?"
"The Land of Good and Lucky Animals and People."
"Interesting."
Bianca started stirring, so Marius stopped talking and turned to Cassidy, who was still sleeping. He kissed her temple and brought her over to him. He then turned his attention to the in-flight movie – The Heat. Marius found his earphones and watched the movie, laughing out loud at some parts.
Towards the middle of the next in-flight movie – Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Sea of Monsters – Marius started to get sleepy. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the headrest.
Cassidy was now awake, sort of, and had to pee. She unfastened her seatbelt, climbed over Marius and went to find the bathroom.
She relived herself and went back to her seat. She sat down and rested her head on Marius' shoulder.
They reached the airport the following morning. Cassidy bonked her head on the low ceiling again. Marius kissed it and helped Cassidy off the airplane, saying goodbye to Brenda as they exited the plane.
Eponine and Enjolras were waiting for them in the terminal. Cassidy stiffly walked over to them as Marius hugged both of them.
"So, how was it? I want to hear everything!" Eponine told Cassidy.
"It was so much fun and I feel like I made such a difference." Cassidy told Eponine as the four of them walked to baggage claim.
Cassidy dug around in her suitcase and found the meercat salt and pepper shakers for Eponine and Enjolras. The couple smiled and hugged Cassidy.
"That's what we got everyone, except their different animals. We even got Sara and Jolene something," Marius said, digging in his suitcase for the baby gorilla stuffed animals. "On our first day there, we got to feed twin gorillas named Kovu and Kiara."
"They will love them, especially Jolene." Eponine said, hugging Marius.
Marius and Cassidy found the car and drove home. They would get the kids the following morning.
Cassidy slept until two the next afternoon. Marius went to get the kids while Cassidy continued to sleep. Marius figured it was jet lag.
He gave the kids their presents – a stuffed wild buffalo for Anton and a stuffed giraffe for Ella. Right away, she named him Image, just like the baby giraffe that Jewel had delivered. He had lived to see his twenty-day-old birthday and Mtambo had loved the name that Cassidy had suggested.
Marius then went to check on Cassidy, who was still sleeping. He gently nudged her and she opened her eyes.
"It's time to go to your appointment, just to see how the twins are doing." Marius told Cassidy. She nodded and followed him out the door.
Cassidy was now four months pregnant, but wasn't gaining enough weight for both babies. At this appointment, she would be seeing how much each twin weighed and talk to the doctor about more options about what she could be doing to gain the weight she needed for the twins.
"Baby A weighs 4.5 pounds and Baby B weighs 4.3 pounds. Both sound extremely healthy, but Cassidy, I'm worried about you. You don't seem to be gaining the weight you need. I'm going to start you on a diet that will give you the weight you need so that you can eat for three. Right now, you're eating like you're carrying one baby." The doctor told Cassidy. She sighed and got off the examining table.
"They're healthy, though, right?" Cassidy asked.
"As horses, yeah." The doctor answered, handing Cassidy a laminated piece of paper.
"Salads, soups, steamed vegetables, pasta – yum!" Cassidy read some of the foods on the page.
"In two months, you can find out what you're having." The doctor told Cassidy. Cassidy thanked the doctor as she left the room. Marius entered and helped Cassidy get dressed. He had gone to the bathroom and was just now entering the room.
"What did the doctor say?" Marius asked as he helped Cassidy put her clothes back on.
"She said that she's worried about me not gaining enough weight. She also said I'm supposed to be eating for three." Cassidy answered as she put her underwear and jeans back on. Marius kissed her cheek and gave her hand a squeeze.
They exited the room and walked out of the clinic. They had lunch and good conversation at a restaurant called The Dancing Gnome.
After lunch, they headed home, Cassidy feeling happier about what the doctor had told her. She had eaten a whole garden salad, grilled cheese sandwich, chicken noodle soup and half a piece of chocolate cake.
Marius couldn't believe how much that Cassidy had eaten, but he knew that she was trying to get the correct baby weight she needed.
Cassidy took a nap while Marius played with Anton. Ella was at her horseback riding lesson. Windy had been weaned from Hope, which either girl was happy about. Ella was riding Hope for the first time in a long time.
When Ella came home, the four of them ordered a cheese pizza. Cassidy ate five pieces, Ella had one, Marius had one and Anton had one.
After pizza, Cassidy took a shower and went to bed, finally satisfied that she was gaining the weight she needed.