here before Dr. Steimmel gets back.” He opened the door and stood in the middle of the opening.
“Did I wake you?”
“Oh, no.” Boris smoothed his hair back with a hand. “I was just sitting and thinking.” He looked down and stared at Ronald. Davis was holding the chimp’s hand. “Hi, Ronald.”
“Wave to Boris, Ronald.”
Ronald was as subdued as I had ever seen him, but he did wave, then nonchalantly took in the rest of the room.
“Well, aren’t you going to let us in?” Davis asked.
“No.”
“Come on, Boris. You know, I’m all right. Besides, how can I give you your surprise if you don’t let me in?”
“Well, okay. But really, make it quick. If Steimmel finds you here, she’ll kill me, or worse.”
“What could be worse than death?” Davis asked.
Boris just laughed.
“Where is Dr. Steimmel?” She was in the room now, her eyes darting the way they did.
“I don’t know. Asleep, maybe. She hasn’t been in all day. She’s depressed.” Then Boris shut up as if he’d said too much.
“She’s kind of nervous.”
Boris nodded, staring at Davis.
“Oh, your surprise,” she said. She dug down into her large straw bag and came up with a small, wrapped box. “It’s not much, but I thought you’d like it.” She handed it to him.
Boris was visibly moved, perhaps his hands were even shaking a little. “It’s even wrapped. Thank you.”
“Go ahead, open it.”
Boris opened the box and though I strained my baby eyes there at the rail of my cage, I could not see what it was, but whatever it was made Boris blush. He squeezed out an awkward smile and didn’t quite look at Davis directly. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” 6 Boris closed the box and put the thing into his pocket. “You really shouldn’t have.” He smiled, directly at her this time. “You said you had something for Ralph.”
“Yes.” Back into her bag and she produced a banana, its yellow skin now nearly all brown. “I thought the little fellow might like some fresh fruit. Since you haven’t been in to meals lately.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of food in here, but thanks. Ralph loves bananas.” Boris flashed a nervous glance my way. His expression moved toward panic as he saw me scribbling on my pad. “You’ll have to go now,” he said, trying to turn Davis around.
But the woman let go of the chimpanzee’s hand and the animal took off across the room. “Ronald, you come back here,” she said. “You come back here right now. I’m sorry”
“Well, just get him fast.”
Davis walked toward the ape, not looking at him but at everything else. “Come on, Ronald.” Ronald signed something at her. “Not funny, Ronald. Now be a good chimp and let’s go back to our cottage.”
Ronald dragged his knuckles toward my cage. I must admit that I found his size and evident strength somewhat intimidating. Still, though, I learned much as I observed the way the animal used leverage to move his body about. Ronald slammed shut the top of my cage and I fell to my butt on the mattress.
“Hey, that’s a cage,” Davis said.
“Not really,” Boris said. “Well, it is, but it isn’t. We couldn’t find a crib.”
Davis was next to me now, looking all around me, but not so much at me.
Boris was pulling her arm. “I think I hear Dr. Steimmel coming.”
“What’s this?” Davis asked, picking up my notepad.
“Some of Dr. Steimmel’s notes,” Boris said.
“I don’t think so,” Davis said. “This note says, ‘Boris, I like bananas as much as you like Steimmel.’ Did he write that?”
“Of course not.”
“Boris, he had to write it.” She stepped back and stared at me. “Oh, my god. Oh, my god.”
spacing
Hit cin rinny, rainy woony for jest su lung
end din ye laugh tew sewim.
Eat does ant reely mater ow! fest hit flews,
eeks wair zey pit ye end.
libidinal economy
Steimmel was large by my estimation, hardly a giant, but her feet sounded as if they
“Did I wake you?”
“Oh, no.” Boris smoothed his hair back with a hand. “I was just sitting and thinking.” He looked down and stared at Ronald. Davis was holding the chimp’s hand. “Hi, Ronald.”
“Wave to Boris, Ronald.”
Ronald was as subdued as I had ever seen him, but he did wave, then nonchalantly took in the rest of the room.
“Well, aren’t you going to let us in?” Davis asked.
“No.”
“Come on, Boris. You know, I’m all right. Besides, how can I give you your surprise if you don’t let me in?”
“Well, okay. But really, make it quick. If Steimmel finds you here, she’ll kill me, or worse.”
“What could be worse than death?” Davis asked.
Boris just laughed.
“Where is Dr. Steimmel?” She was in the room now, her eyes darting the way they did.
“I don’t know. Asleep, maybe. She hasn’t been in all day. She’s depressed.” Then Boris shut up as if he’d said too much.
“She’s kind of nervous.”
Boris nodded, staring at Davis.
“Oh, your surprise,” she said. She dug down into her large straw bag and came up with a small, wrapped box. “It’s not much, but I thought you’d like it.” She handed it to him.
Boris was visibly moved, perhaps his hands were even shaking a little. “It’s even wrapped. Thank you.”
“Go ahead, open it.”
Boris opened the box and though I strained my baby eyes there at the rail of my cage, I could not see what it was, but whatever it was made Boris blush. He squeezed out an awkward smile and didn’t quite look at Davis directly. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.” 6 Boris closed the box and put the thing into his pocket. “You really shouldn’t have.” He smiled, directly at her this time. “You said you had something for Ralph.”
“Yes.” Back into her bag and she produced a banana, its yellow skin now nearly all brown. “I thought the little fellow might like some fresh fruit. Since you haven’t been in to meals lately.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of food in here, but thanks. Ralph loves bananas.” Boris flashed a nervous glance my way. His expression moved toward panic as he saw me scribbling on my pad. “You’ll have to go now,” he said, trying to turn Davis around.
But the woman let go of the chimpanzee’s hand and the animal took off across the room. “Ronald, you come back here,” she said. “You come back here right now. I’m sorry”
“Well, just get him fast.”
Davis walked toward the ape, not looking at him but at everything else. “Come on, Ronald.” Ronald signed something at her. “Not funny, Ronald. Now be a good chimp and let’s go back to our cottage.”
Ronald dragged his knuckles toward my cage. I must admit that I found his size and evident strength somewhat intimidating. Still, though, I learned much as I observed the way the animal used leverage to move his body about. Ronald slammed shut the top of my cage and I fell to my butt on the mattress.
“Hey, that’s a cage,” Davis said.
“Not really,” Boris said. “Well, it is, but it isn’t. We couldn’t find a crib.”
Davis was next to me now, looking all around me, but not so much at me.
Boris was pulling her arm. “I think I hear Dr. Steimmel coming.”
“What’s this?” Davis asked, picking up my notepad.
“Some of Dr. Steimmel’s notes,” Boris said.
“I don’t think so,” Davis said. “This note says, ‘Boris, I like bananas as much as you like Steimmel.’ Did he write that?”
“Of course not.”
“Boris, he had to write it.” She stepped back and stared at me. “Oh, my god. Oh, my god.”
spacing
Hit cin rinny, rainy woony for jest su lung
end din ye laugh tew sewim.
Eat does ant reely mater ow! fest hit flews,
eeks wair zey pit ye end.
libidinal economy
Steimmel was large by my estimation, hardly a giant, but her feet sounded as if they
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