Language.
Gigi clapped her hands at Dirk's appreciation of her bouquet.
Stay. Man go. Gigi sad
, she signed.
Dirk solemnly took her hand, then said, “Good-bye, Gigi. Thank you for the flowers”.
Tears stung Ellen's eyes as Dirk climbed into Rocinante and headed toward Anthony's cabin. She watched until he was around the bend in the road.
Gigi lumbered up the porch steps and touched Ellen's cheek. Ellen sad? she signed.
"Yes, Gigi. Ellen sad," she said while signing.
Gigi sad, too
.
"Why?" Ellen signed.
Dirk was temporarily forgotten as she did what she loved best, her work. To her the most amazing thing about her research was that Gigi expressed emotions. Although she knew why Gigi was sad, her question was aimed at encouraging the gorilla to think abstractly.
Man go. Gigi love. Gigi sad
. The gorilla pointed to her own face. Her mouth was turned down in an exaggerated expression of sorrow.
"Happy good," Ellen said as she signed. "Sad good too. Make Gigi fine animal gorilla."
Gigi fine animal gorilla?
Gigi's expression of sorrow was immediately replaced with a toothy grin. She loved compliments.
"Yes," Ellen assured her.
Gigi clapped her hands.
Fine animal gorilla hungry. Eat pie
.
Ellen grinned at the devilish expression on Gigi's face. The gorilla knew that pie was for special occasions. She was playing on Ellen's sympathy.
"No," Ellen signed. "Gigi eat fruit. Eat vegetables. Good food."
No. Food stink. Gigi eat pie
.
"Maybe," she said. "After vegetables." Ellen took her hand and led her into the house.
As Ellen watched Gigi finish her meal—she had relented about the pie—she wished that she could put Dirk from her mind as easily as Gigi. She wished pie would make her forget.
She thought about the parting and decided that Gigi had handled it with more thoughtfulness and compassion than she had. Gigi had given Dirk flowers and she had given him money.
Almost
, she corrected herself. She had almost ruined a relationship with thirty pieces of silver.
She wondered if civilization got in the way of relationships. Was it possible that civilized trappings stifled love and romance and caring? Was it possible that love could not grow unless people forgot rules and codes of behavior and returned to primitive emotions?
o0o
She was still pondering these things when Ruth Ann led Gigi off to prepare her for bed.
Ellen went to her office to bring her notes up-to- date. Her mind kept wandering back to Dirk, and she finally threw her pen down in disgust. The ringing of the telephone was a welcome interruption.
"Hi. It's me," Rachelle said. Ellen smiled. Rachelle always identified herself that way. "How was the trip?"
"Fine."
"Fine? Fine! You return from a romantic weekend with a Tom Selleck look-alike and all you can say is fine?"
"Who told you?"
"You did," Rachelle said. "Before you left. While you could still drool and palpitate. Tell me everything."
"Aunt Lollie and Uncle Vester are still two wonderful lovebirds. They're as timeless as Beech Mountain. Glenda is still the family failure for having married beneath herself. Aunt Fronie still makes a great chocolate cream pie. ..."
"What about Dirk? What did your family think of him?"
"He passed muster with flying colors."
"What did you think of him?"
The question caught Ellen off-guard. She shouldn't have been surprised, she reminded herself. Rachelle had been monitoring her love life—or lack of one—for the last five years. "It doesn't matter what I think of him. Besides, I don't even know what he does for a living."
"Good grief. You're off with a movie star and all you can think about is his job? Check out the body first, and then worry about the job." Rachelle giggled. "If you ever get around to it."
"That's one of the things I love about you, Rachelle. You don't let mundane things like jobs worry you. You live in a fantasy world."
"Yeah. It's filled with fabulous faces and great bods."
Ruth
Gigi clapped her hands at Dirk's appreciation of her bouquet.
Stay. Man go. Gigi sad
, she signed.
Dirk solemnly took her hand, then said, “Good-bye, Gigi. Thank you for the flowers”.
Tears stung Ellen's eyes as Dirk climbed into Rocinante and headed toward Anthony's cabin. She watched until he was around the bend in the road.
Gigi lumbered up the porch steps and touched Ellen's cheek. Ellen sad? she signed.
"Yes, Gigi. Ellen sad," she said while signing.
Gigi sad, too
.
"Why?" Ellen signed.
Dirk was temporarily forgotten as she did what she loved best, her work. To her the most amazing thing about her research was that Gigi expressed emotions. Although she knew why Gigi was sad, her question was aimed at encouraging the gorilla to think abstractly.
Man go. Gigi love. Gigi sad
. The gorilla pointed to her own face. Her mouth was turned down in an exaggerated expression of sorrow.
"Happy good," Ellen said as she signed. "Sad good too. Make Gigi fine animal gorilla."
Gigi fine animal gorilla?
Gigi's expression of sorrow was immediately replaced with a toothy grin. She loved compliments.
"Yes," Ellen assured her.
Gigi clapped her hands.
Fine animal gorilla hungry. Eat pie
.
Ellen grinned at the devilish expression on Gigi's face. The gorilla knew that pie was for special occasions. She was playing on Ellen's sympathy.
"No," Ellen signed. "Gigi eat fruit. Eat vegetables. Good food."
No. Food stink. Gigi eat pie
.
"Maybe," she said. "After vegetables." Ellen took her hand and led her into the house.
As Ellen watched Gigi finish her meal—she had relented about the pie—she wished that she could put Dirk from her mind as easily as Gigi. She wished pie would make her forget.
She thought about the parting and decided that Gigi had handled it with more thoughtfulness and compassion than she had. Gigi had given Dirk flowers and she had given him money.
Almost
, she corrected herself. She had almost ruined a relationship with thirty pieces of silver.
She wondered if civilization got in the way of relationships. Was it possible that civilized trappings stifled love and romance and caring? Was it possible that love could not grow unless people forgot rules and codes of behavior and returned to primitive emotions?
o0o
She was still pondering these things when Ruth Ann led Gigi off to prepare her for bed.
Ellen went to her office to bring her notes up-to- date. Her mind kept wandering back to Dirk, and she finally threw her pen down in disgust. The ringing of the telephone was a welcome interruption.
"Hi. It's me," Rachelle said. Ellen smiled. Rachelle always identified herself that way. "How was the trip?"
"Fine."
"Fine? Fine! You return from a romantic weekend with a Tom Selleck look-alike and all you can say is fine?"
"Who told you?"
"You did," Rachelle said. "Before you left. While you could still drool and palpitate. Tell me everything."
"Aunt Lollie and Uncle Vester are still two wonderful lovebirds. They're as timeless as Beech Mountain. Glenda is still the family failure for having married beneath herself. Aunt Fronie still makes a great chocolate cream pie. ..."
"What about Dirk? What did your family think of him?"
"He passed muster with flying colors."
"What did you think of him?"
The question caught Ellen off-guard. She shouldn't have been surprised, she reminded herself. Rachelle had been monitoring her love life—or lack of one—for the last five years. "It doesn't matter what I think of him. Besides, I don't even know what he does for a living."
"Good grief. You're off with a movie star and all you can think about is his job? Check out the body first, and then worry about the job." Rachelle giggled. "If you ever get around to it."
"That's one of the things I love about you, Rachelle. You don't let mundane things like jobs worry you. You live in a fantasy world."
"Yeah. It's filled with fabulous faces and great bods."
Ruth
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