Blessed? event

CRAZY MAISIE

 

Maisie, I and my folks are driving to Wild Kingdom tomorrow. Personally, I have no interest in the open zoo. T.V. gives me as much as, more than, enough. Lion cubs being taught by their mama how to kill, elephants scratching their backs on baboa trees, crocs chomping the stampeding gnus way before they can cross the river, turn my stomach.

 

Maisie and I are twins, the most un-identical twins one can imagine. I'm fair and she is olive toned. At 16 I'm three inches taller than she is. We don't like the same foods, colors, school subjects or boys. Yet, there is a bond between us that has a lot of knots, knots we so far have overcome.

 

Today is a perfect example of our differences. She has longed to visit Wild Kingdom since we were small and today she gets her wish. She read about the new baby elephant born to Madam Aida and will just die if we don't take her. Dad and Mom drive and pay the 40 bucks to get in. I think they threw out Dad's hard earned money.

 

I am the first to see a rhino coming towards our car. It' s too close for my comfort. Thru the closed window Maisie calls the rhino over. I yell, 'Cut it out, you're nuts. That thing can knock our car over and eat us all for lunch. Duck down. Don't wave. Please don't wave!' My disobedient sister waves. The rhino gives our car the once over, isn't impressed and plods heavily away.

 

Dad drives very slowly, dares not honk the horn. I softly mention to Maisie, 'I think I see a lion resting under that tree.' It breathes, lifts its head and roars. Maisie is really exited. 'Look, Betsy. Look at Santa's reindeer. Wow, they do have big antlers, don't they?' I reply, 'Yes, they do. Why don't you ask Donner where he left Santa?' Mom and Dad are getting agitated over us and warn us if we don't behave, they will throw us out of the car so the buffalo can stomp us to death.

 

Maisie gets very quiet as she stares out the back window. Then changes and practically screams at us, 'Look, quick, Look! There, over there is a white tiger and a lioness. 'They aren't doing anything. They're just standing there.' Mom and Dad don't see them either. 'But, Mom,' she goes on, 'They are right over near the stream. They almost look like statues, but I saw the tiger take a drink. Look. Look. The lioness is coming our way.' Dad tells Maisie to stop that nonsense but she insists she sees them. 'Daddy, I think they love each other. The tiger is rubbing the lioness' rear end.'

 

We are all ready to leave, all except Maisie. 'Please, look, look again. There they are in front of us on our right. ' Dad tells Maisie he will make an appointment for her with a good eye doctor tomorrow. He purposely drives slowly right where Maisie said her two 'friends' are. A loud roar bounces against our windshield  Even Maisie is frightened.

 

On the way home we stop of Mac's for salads and shakes. Dad, of course, gets a triple burger with cheese and raw onions. Mom gives him a foul look, pats his growing girth and drinks a cup of water. At home we watch 'the Great Escape ' on t.v. and Dad teases Maisie that the white tiger must have escaped from Lions' Country. My sister is angry, hurt, disappointed that we didn't all enjoy the animals the way she did. Bedtime.

 

At 7:30 a.m. Dad comes running upstairs with the morning paper. 'Come see this, everybody.' The headlines blare that four people who don't know each other saw a white tiger  and a lioness making love at Wild Kingdom Saturday. They were the only ones who saw them. People were lining up at the zoo by 5 a.m. to see god's miracle.

 

Maisie laughs and says they won't ever see god's gift to us. They have moved to Kings' World where god is going to stop crowds from bothering them. God told her, during the night, that the Tiger is going to father a Tigress in privacy. She looks so darn smug, I could kiss her.