AN: Putting another part or two between the funeral and the memorial concert I think. Oh think I should say something. Please remember that the attitudes and opinions expressed within this story by any of the characters are not representative of the attitudes and opinions of the author. There will be Allies, there will be non-allies, there will be believers and non-believers. There will be a wide variety of characters.
Part 10
That night, laying in his bed, Johnny was trying hard to sleep. Ryan was at his hotel and his bed felt so cold and empty. He got out of bed and went out to the living room. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat next to his dad who was still clicking through channels for something to watch.
"Why are you still up, boy?" His dad asked him.
Johnny shrugged. "Can't sleep. Anything good on tv?" He took a drink.
Marcus shook his head. "Just the usual crap. Why can't you sleep? Thinking about Mr. Moon?" He could certainly understand if he was.
Johnny shook his head but thought about it. "Well, maybe a little. It still hurts but nahh… I don't know what it is. I just can't sleep. It's like I just can't get comfortable. Like something's missing."
The larger gorilla grinned with amusement. So they were drinking from that cup tonight. "Something? Or someone?" He asked and his son blushed, turning away. "Like a certain tiger?"
Johnny bit his lip. "Maybe… Dad, how… how did you know you were in love?" He asked. "How did you know, this is it?"
Marcus reached out to pick up one of the photographs of the pretty lady gorilla. "When I met your mother, I was just starting my gang. I thought she was the most beautiful gorilla I'd ever seen. And when our hands touched, that was when I just knew. She was the one."
"I wish I could be sure. I really like Ryan. I miss him when he's not around and he makes me feel really special," Johnny scratched his head. "I think I love him but I just want to be sure."
Marcus nodded. "Johnny, there are some situations where you're never really going to be sure until you take the chance. If you care for this guy, then tell him. You know, he didn't need a hotel." He pointed out, passing him the handset.
Johnny nodded. "Thanks Dad. But it's so late. What if I wake him up?"
The big gorilla laughed. "Trust me, son, he's awake. Look at me, son. You know someone going through a hard time because he never took the chance. You don't want to know what that's like."
Johnny sighed and dialed. "Ryan? Yeah, sorry if I woke you up but… I wanted to know if you'd like to come over…." His eyes went wide. "You would? Great! I'll see you soon." He hung up. "You were right Dad. He was awake."
Marcus nodded knowingly and drank his own beer with a chuckle. He wasn't stupid. He got up and put a large tray of Johnny's favorite pizza rolls into the oven for ten minutes.
The doorbell rang right as the timer went off. Johnny opened the door and Ryan came in. The tiger didn't hesitate before hugging him and kissing him deeply. Johnny didn't even notice his dad slip down to the garage.
Suddenly Johnny didn't know what to say or how to start. They sat in awkward quiet on the couch. The platter of pizza rolls steamed enticingly on the coffee table.
Ryan picked one up and tossed it, catching it in his mouth expertly. His mouth popped open as he struggled to chew the little cube of molten lava. He and Johnny both laughed. "Well that was a mistake."
"I'm sorry I called you so late… I just needed to see you," Johnny admitted. "I couldn't sleep…"
Ryan put his arm around Johnny's shoulder. "You neither?" He asked and the gorilla shook his head. His fingers began playing with Johnny's hair. "I missed you too."
Johnny sighed contentedly. "When you're not around, I miss you. You're all I can think about." He thought about his words. "And all I want is to be near you and feel your arm around me. I… I… like… I mean really like you…" His mouth dried up as his heartbeat quickened. "I… I…" Why couldn't he say the words. Ryan chuckled at him and covered Johnny's mouth with his own in a passionate kiss. His heart started beating even faster and he returned the kiss until his lungs started burning for air and he had no choice but to pull away. "I love you," he said breathlessly.
The tiger smiled wide. "I love you too…" He stood up and tried to pick Johnny up in his arms. Except Johnny was too heavy. "Okay, this doesn't work."
Johnny laughed and picked Ryan up with ease. He carried the other dancer back to his bedroom, closing and locking the door behind them.
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Suki was unused to all this downtime. Usually her day consisted of helping Crystal find new shows to fill the theater. Even at night, she would dine with Jimmy and Porsha. Jimmy was constantly working. It never stopped despite her efforts. Jerry would join them and do anything Jimmy asked. Suki would talk to Porsha to discuss what her tutors were supposed to teach her that day but usually she paid them no attention. Of course, they made no attempt to either get or keep her attention. They just assumed she was a vapid, spoiled teenager. They weren't necessarily wrong but Suki knew it wasn't her fault.
Now, she sat in front of her television in her small condo, eating a tv dinner and watching an evening game show. She looked at her phone, contemplating. She was lonely. Linda would be asleep but… 'Call me anytime,' his voice rang in her head. She bit her lip and dialed.
"Hey, Marcus. I'm not waking you up, am I?" She asked politely.
"Of course not, Su. I was just hanging out down in the garage while Johnny and Ryan have a heart to heart," she could practically hear his smile through the phone.
She smiled while she went to her mini bar to mix a drink, turning on the speaker. "Awww, he's finally going for it?"
"I think so. It's nice… Johnny chose well. Ryan is a fine young man," he said.
"How… how was the service? I'm sorry I couldn't be there," she apologized. If she was being honest, she didn't feel she'd have been welcome.
Marcus sighed. "It was very nice. Nana did the eulogy." He covered his face for a moment. "I think… the hardest part is… knowing that there's nothing I can do to help them."
"I don't know. You seem to be very capable to me," she told him. "If anyone can help them through this, it's you, Marcus. Especially Porsha."
"Thanks, Su. Knowing you believe in me helps," he told her.
"How is Porsha doing?" She asked. "Is there anything I can do?"
He thought. "Well, I got an appointment to formally adopt Porsha and Nooshy. If you'd like to be there… On June 10th."
Suki opened up her calendar app. "I have nothing going on that day. I'd be happy to come. Thank you. But how is she doing? Is she adjusting alright?"
"Yeah. It's definitely a culture shock for her but she's keeping her chin up," he replied. "Are you coming Saturday?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I won't miss that but are you sure they don't mind me coming?" She hugged the small round pillow on her couch. She was partially looking forward to it.
"Why would they?" He asked incredulously.
She sighed. "Well… I'd be surprised if they didn't hate me." She looked at a framed photo on her coffee table. The day she had accompanied Porsha and Jimmy to an amusement park when she was ten. She realized now that she was mainly there to keep an eye on Porsha so Jimmy could keep working but at least he tried to look like he was there to have fun. Wearing his blue Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts.
"Su, they don't hate you. They know you tried. They don't blame you," he tried to reassure her. "I certainly don't. I'm actually looking forward to seeing you on Saturday."
She didn't know why but she felt herself blushing at his admission. "Me too…"
--
Rosita helped Eddie get comfortable on the couch. After Norman explained Nana's request, she was happy to let him stay with them. To accommodate the crux of her request, she set up a few air mattresses so her kids could join him in a sort of slumber party set up. They were mostly asleep except for Caspar.
"Now, is there anything else you need, sweetie?" She asked him. There was already a can of soda on the side table.
"No thanks. Thanks for letting me spend the night, Mrs. Suarez," he thanked her. He couldn't help feeling embarrassed. He was over forty and he still needed Mommy to take care of him.
She smiled. "I told you, call me Rosita. If you need anything, Norman and I are right upstairs." She tucked him in. "Caspar, you take good care of Uncle Eddie, okay. Make sure he sleeps." She kissed her son.
"Goodnight Mommy," Caspar said. He climbed up onto the couch with Eddie and stared up at him.
Eddie stared back. "Um, hello…" He had no experience with kids.
"Hi, I'm Caspar," he introduced himself though his mother already had. "Mommy says you'll be staying with us awhile."
Eddie nodded. "Yeah, is that okay?"
Caspar nodded. "Yep! I love slumber parties!" He began jumping on the couch.
Despite himself, Eddie laughed at the piglet. "Hey, you're going to wake up your brothers and sisters." He got the piglet to sit down quietly.
Caspar jumped down and went to the tv, picking up two gaming controller. He offered one to Eddie. "Play?"
The older male looked at the controller. He used to play video games with Buster into the early hours of the next morning. He took it. "Yeah, okay…"
Neither of them saw Rosita peeking around the corner. She normally didn't let her kids play video games so late but this was a special circumstance. Hearing him laugh was encouraging.
She went upstairs and got into bed with her husband. He was still awake and waiting for her.
"You're such a wonderful mother, honey," he kissed her. "Have I told you how much I love you today?"
She giggled. "Oh only about 150 times." She kissed him back.
"So not nearly enough," he concluded. He put his arm around her, laying her back on the bed. "How about I show you."
She blushed up at him, understanding his intentions and nodded in agreement.
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The next day, Meena decided to join Alphonso and Tyler at the Calatonia Farmer's Market. It was a bustling, open air market with hundreds of stands selling all manner of goods. Vegetables, fruit, homemade products, and more.
Alphonso happily presented Meena with a green-and-white striped shirt and an apron. "But I mean it, you don't have to work if you don't want to. I'm just happy you're here."
She smiled. "I want to, Alphonso. Let me just get changed." She pecked his cheek.
The bull elephant sighed as she ran off to the nearest restroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Tyler making mock kissy faces. "Oh shut up." He held up his hand in a rude gesture and his friend just started laughing.
"Dude, could you want her more? Just propose already," he teased.
"Tyler, we haven't even gone on a real date yet!" Alphonso had to keep from raising his voice.
The orangutan shrugged. "So? You know how you fix that right?" He chuckled. When Alphonso just glowered, he crossed his arms. "Fine, you want me to be serious. Here you go. I have known you since junior high school. I've seen you go out with other girls and you've never been as happy or comfortable as you have with her! So do something about it already! She's a great girl and if you don't, someone else will!"
Alphonso knew his friend was right. Meena was the greatest girl he had ever met. The very idea of anyone else was sacrilege now. "Well, I should at least ask her out. I just… don't know how. You know my dad set up all those other dates."
Tyler nodded. He looked just past Alphonso and asked. "Hey Meena, would you like to go out with Alph here?"
Alphonso felt his insides become ice when he heard her respond. "I'd love to go out." She giggled.
He turned and blushed. "Tonight then? Maybe dinner?" He asked nervously.
She nodded. "Sounds great." For the first time, she didn't hide her blushing cheeks behind her ears.
"Excuse me, are you open yet?" A voice snapped them back to reality and Alphonso turned with his tray of ice cream cones.
"Oh yes, I'm so sorry, what can I get for you? Tyler, can you show Meena how to run the register?" He asked, signaling the start of the workday.
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With things starting to make sense again, Ash finally felt up to picking up her guitar. "This is my kiss goodbye. You can stand alone and watch me fly…" She played and sang, rehearsing her number for the upcoming concert.
Nearby Clay sat and listened. The longer he stayed, the harder it became to leave. When he witnessed the incident with the Noodleman family, it had taken all of his strength not to handle them himself with his paint gun. The koala had invaded his privacy and forced him out of his nice, safe lake house but he didn't deserve their hateful words. He certainly didn't deserve to be attacked when he couldn't even defend himself. If Marcus hadn't arrived at the right time to scare them away, he might have given into his darker impulses.
He opened up his guitar case, admiring the photo of his wife for a few moments, almost as though he were having a silent conversation with her. Closing it, he set it aside. Ash looked up at him.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
He nodded. "I think I've come to a decision. I'll keep the house by the lake but… I think my place is here. With you and your team. I think Ruby would like it if I stayed."
Ash smiled. "That's great! We'd love to have you with us." She was afraid that, at any moment, he might decide to return to his isolation. "And you can stay here as long as you like."
"Thank you," he said. "Not just for that but for not giving up on me. My Ruby would have been ashamed of me for hiding from the world."
"I don't think she would have been ashamed. Sad, worried, but not ashamed," Ash reassured him. "She would understand that you just missed her so much."
He sighed. "I don't know… maybe… but… and I'm sorry I gave you both such a hard way to go. I was an ass."
"Clay… really, it's alright. We invaded your home without even asking," she said. "Wait, I hope you're not feeling guilty. Clay, it wasn't your fault. Moon would never blame you. Crystal was pissed about something different. Even if you agreed to do the show, it still would have happened because he was pissed about something else. So no, it's not your fault."
He wanted to believe her and maybe a part of him did. But it was hard not to accept blame given the circumstances. Maybe Crystal still would have done it but perhaps not. They would never know now.
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When Nana arrived at their apartment, Rosita quickly put on a pot of chamomile tea. "I'm sorry I don't have lapsang souchong." She apologized.
The old ewe simply chuckled. "It's alright. I just came to see how Eddie is doing. As for his parents, allow me to apologize for my son and his wife. I had warned them about their behavior. I'm disappointed they disregarded my warning."
Rosita shook her head. "You don't need to apologize for them. Eddie's just upstairs helping Norman do laundry. He and Caspar were up half the night playing video games. I came down to find him sprawled out on the couch with Caspar sleeping on the arm of our recliner."
Nana nodded. "Thank you. The way he was talking yesterday had me very worried. I do not want him left alone, even going to the bathroom."
"I understand… He loved Mr. Moon very much. We all did but it was different for him," Rosita sighed. "He'll be okay. The children have been dedicating every waking moment to playing with him. Caspar even made him laugh last night."
The opera singer sighed with relief. "Good, good. Now, how are you doing?"
Rosita studied her, as though trying to figure out how much she really knew. "I'm trying. Norman's been doing his best. It's just… I keep going through it in my mind. Everything I could have done to…" Nana stopped her train of thought with a hoof on her own. "I know I shouldn't blame myself. I just…"
Nana nodded. "I've been doing it too. I was the one who put the idea into his head. If I hadn't…" She looked sadly at the table. "If you must blame someone, it must be me. He was going to accept her judgment but I…"
Rosita stopped her. "Nana, it's not your fault! Buster might have been discouraged at first but we both know he would have done it on his own ultimately," she said. "Redshore was a huge dream for us.."
Nana nodded. "It was and he wanted to make it reality. Not just for you but himself. He wanted to prove he had what it takes." She tilted Rosita's head to look up at her. "Do you think he regrets how things ended?"
She shook her head. "He wouldn't even let us get him to a hospital. He had to see the finale. He didn't even get to join us for curtain calls. It's not fair." She looked away, anger in her eyes. "Buster was getting so excited. He was going to invite you and… your family…" Realization colored her face. "He was trying to impress them. To… win their approval…" It made so much sense. Redshore represented more than just their professional dreams.
"I've already spoken with my lawyer today. They'll regret their actions in due time," the ewe's eyes grew cold and dark. "I hope you're understanding."
The young mother nodded. "Yes ma'am." She sighed heavily. "I just don't know how to stop feeling this way. I know it in my head, convincing my heart is another problem. What should I do?"
"Lean on the assurances of your husband and your friends," Nana explained. "And find something to do. Small projects here and there can be therapeutic. Like this contraption." She admired the babysitting device that Rosita had built and later repaired. "Fascinating…"
Rosita shrugged. "Well no one wants to babysit 25 kids and Norman still had to work and I don't really like doing chores if I don't have to. Unless I'm stressed. I built it after I auditioned for the contest and Norman was just too tired for me to even talk to him about it. I had to find a way to still take care of everyone."
Nana stroked her chin pensively. "You ought to consider patenting this device. Many middle-class families would love something like this in their homes."
"Do you think so? It's just a bunch of odds and ends that I cobbled together," she said modestly.
Nana nodded. "It's an envious feat of engineering. You have a great deal of talent. Both on and off the stage."
Rosita blushed at the praise. "Thanks…" She didn't know what else to say.
Nana stood up. "But back on topic, my point is, I know Mr. Moon doesn't blame you for any of this. He died happy and that's all any of us can really ask for in the end."
"I suppose," the pig sighed. A trotter on her hand got her to look back up from the table.
"Repeat after me, "it is not my fault," Nana instructed.
She sighed. "It's not my fault." She repeated. "It's just not fair… We got our dream and… he…"
"Ahhh but if life were fair, no one would ever die. I would still have my youth and my children would not be the infected pustules of the world that they are," Nana said. "Just repeat that mantra every time you feel the guilt. Eventually, you'll start to believe it." She stood up.
Rosita nodded. "Thank you, Nana. But I want you to say it too. If I can't blame myself, you can't blame yourself either."
The matronly sheep smiled. "Deal. Ahh, Eddie, dear," she drew their attention to Eddie and Norman who were both carrying heaping baskets down the stairs.
"Hey Nana," he said. "We're doing laundry."
"I see that. That's good. Let Mr. and Mrs. Suarez teach you the skills you should have learned long ago," she said. When they had left for the laundry room, she sighed. "Thank you for your help with him. I should have seen what they were doing to him long ago. I know it's a lot to ask, trying to raise a forty year old while also parenting your own offspring."
"We're glad to do it. After meeting them yesterday, I am especially happy to help." Rosita took the empty tea pot to the sink. "Thank you for coming to visit."
Nana nodded. "Thank you for receiving me. Just remember. He is not to be alone. Not for the foreseeable future."
Rosita nodded. "Don't worry. We won't let him do anything foolish or crazy." She walked Nana down to the exit. "We'll see you tomorrow night."
"I'm looking forward to it, dear. I think you'll like what I've done for Mr. Moon," Nana bade her farewell and was on her way in her pale pink town car limo.
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Porsha was doing her makeup at about noon when her phone rang. She picked it up. "Hey MeeMee, how's it going at the farmer's market? Whoa, wait, let's back up. He did what? Oh that's awesome! You two are so cute together. Oh? That's no problem. Meet me at the mall in like twenty. I know just what to do." She hung up. "Fashion emergency, Big Daddy. Meena needs me to help her find the perfect first date dress. Whooo! Nooshy, want to come too?"
Nooshy shook her head. "Oh no, I'm gonna go dance."
Marcus had been watching over the two girls from Redshore City for several days now. Porsha was slowly adjusting, for which he was pleased. She and Nooshy were getting to know each other and Nooshy had no problem telling the arctic wolf the cold, harsh truth. However, there was something he was realizing that he couldn't ignore.
Once Porsha was gone, he looked at the lynx as she prepared her boombox. "You know, I can't help but notice that you've worn the same outfit everyday, for a week."
Uh oh. Nooshy was hoping she had time to preserve a little bit of her pride. "Well… I don't really have anything else. But don't worry, I'm gonna get new clothes with what I earn today."
He shook his head and put his hand in his pocket. "Catch up to Porsha." He started to hand her some money. "Get you some clothes."
"I can't let you do that, Mr. Green," Nooshy tried to push it away. "You've already given me so much. I can handle my clothes."
He grabbed her wrist with one large hand and pushed the money into her hand with the other. "If you're going to be my daughter, you need to let me provide for you. You're only 16, you should not need to provide your own clothes."
Nooshy looked away. "I know how old I am. I can take care of myself. Really… I've done it this long…" It felt weird accepting money from Mr. Green. His brown eyes latched onto her and she sighed before pocketing the funds. "Thank you Mr. Green."
He ruffled her head fur. "I told ya, call me Dad or Marcus or even Big Daddy. Go on now. I'm happy to let you be as independent as you need but let me at least get you started." He offered by way of compromise. Nooshy hurried after Porsha as Johnny and Ryan finally come out of his room. "Well, well, look who finally decided to get up." He gently teased his son. "Did you sleep better?"
Johnny blushed and nodded. He kissed Ryan quickly before ducking into the bathroom. Ryan continued out into the living room and eat-in kitchen. "I just want to say, your son is awesome."
Marcus nodded. "I know he is. Which is why I feel I should warn you. There's not much I would not do for my son and if you hurt him, I can make you disappear like you never existed." The tiger swallowed hard. Johnny had told him what really happened to Crystal. "That said, what exactly are your intentions for my son? Are you serious or is he just a toy until you get bored."
Ryan examined the older gorilla, as if looking for something. "I am seriously in love with him. I intend to make him the happiest gorilla in the world if he'll let me."
The silverback nodded. "Good." He sat back. "Then you have my blessing."
The bathroom door opened and Johnny came out. "Dad, I hope you're not embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend. Is he giving you a hard time?"
Ryan laughed. "Nahh. You're lucky you got a dad who supports you. My parents kicked me out when I was 18…."
"Ahhh because of…." Marcus left the sentence unfinished.
The Tiger's eyes went wide and he shook his head. "Oh hell no! They never even found out about that. No, I wanted to be a dancer and my dad wanted me to be a football player like him. And he said dancing wasn't masculine. He made me play sports through my childhood and then I had to go out for the team in high school. I hated every minute." He explained. "I haven't even seen my parents since I refused a football scholarship to the same university my dad went to. He gave me a choice. Either football or the pavement. I have no regrets. But your dad is great. He gives you unconditional love."
Johnny hugged his boyfriend. "That's their loss. And my gain." He wondered if he should tell Ryan just how supportive his father wasn't. He had forgiven his father but their stories weren't that far apart. A glance told him that his father was thinking about it too. Maybe that conversation was better had in private.
Ryan chuckled. "You got that right. You know, it's okay. I've since forgiven them. But yeah, you gotta know when to cut the toxic waste out of your life. Hey, wanna go get some lunch? My treat."
Marcus watched the two leave. When he was arrested for the gold heist, he had almost made the same mistake with Johnny. For too long, he had been the toxic waste in Johnny's life. Well, at least he was making up for it now.
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Meena was so excited when Alphonso finally asked her on a real date. However, she soon came to a dreadful realization. She had nothing to wear.
They closed the ice cream truck at noon after business had died down significantly. They agreed that Alphonso would pick her up at six, giving her time to remedy the problem with a call to Porsha.
Now, she and Alphonso sat together in a very nice restaurant. Not as fancy as Les Calamars but that was fine for Meena.
Porsha helped her find a jade halter top cocktail dress that stopped just above the knee and even did her make up and hair for her, tying bejeweled hair ties into the two little tufts. Around her neck was a turquoise heart-shaped pendant.
"You look really pretty tonight," Alphonso finally seemed to find his voice with some anxiety.
She blushed. "So do you…." She shook her head. "I mean not pretty but… I mean you look handsome." She hid her face with embarrassment.
Nervously, he held out his hand to her. She squeezed it and let her ears unfold. At least he understood her shyness because he fought the same battle.
A young antelope came up to the table. "Good evening, welcome to La Italia, I will be your waiter. Can I show you our wine list?" He offered a laminated card.
Alphonso was not familiar with wine at all but neither was Meena. "No, thank you. Unless you would like some. I don't drink alcohol." He explained.
She smiled. "Me neither. I've never had alcohol." He was so wholesome, he made her feel safe and comfortable. He was generally careful with his language. With Tyler, he was more willing to use colorful words and gestures but that was different. When it was just them, he was so polite and sweet. And so shy. The more time she spent with him, the more she was sure she wanted to spend more time with him.
"Just a couple glasses of apple juice, please," Alphonso asked the waiter. When he left to fill the request, he redirected his attention to Meena. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to ask you out. I'm even
sorrier that Tyler had to ask for me. I've just never been good at this."
She shook his head. "It's okay. Believe me, I understand. You're my first boyfriend. This is my first date. Unless you want to count when we went to church with your dad."
He laughed. "Even I'll admit, church does not count as a date." He sighed. "Meena, I… I… is it weird that… we only met a week ago and… now… I can't even think of my life without you in it. It's like God chose you for me and put you in my path. Does that make sense?"
She smiled. "Well, I know that… you make me feel so safe and comfortable. It feels like going to Redshore City wasn't a complete waste. Maybe fate or God. I don't know. Is it… is it possible to fall in love in such a short time?"
He shook his head. "I don't know but there really is no other word for it. I definitely more than like you. I… I…" Her hand squeezed his. "I love you, Meena."
Meena thought her heart might beat its way out of her chest. "Alphonso, I love you too." She said just loud enough for him to hear. They held each other's hands, each losing themselves in the other's eyes. The doubts were gone. She was finally, truly in love.
AN: love is in the air all around. Please review!