Makaka was anxious to play with someone roughly his own size. While Togo and Kombi were not quite his size, at least they played roughly.
“Hey, fellows!” Makaka said.
“Yo, Makaka. Wanna play?”
“Gee, that would be swell!”
Togo looked at Kombi. “Is he speaking in simian?”
“I don’t think so. We have a serious problem here.”
Kombi felt of Makaka’s forehead. “Stick out your tongue, Master Makaka.”
“Aaaah.”
“Now belch!”
“Buuurrrrrp!”
Kombi said, “Uhhh! Gross! I love it! There’s hope.”
Togo shook his head. “I’m not so sure. Walk around, Makaka.”
Worriedly, Makaka paced back and forth. He watched Togo’s long face. “What's wrong with the way I walk?”
“That's not walking, it's just going from place to place. We have to perscribe some therepy. It’s the only humane thing to do.”
Kombi put his paw on Makaka’s shoulder and gave it a reassuring pat. “Leave it to the doctor. He’ll clue you in.”
Togo stretched, letting his claws snap out full length, then yawned. “OK, first of all, I want four in the floor!”
“Drop down,” Kombi said.
“Now do like this.” He started forward with a syncopated slide. “A one and a two and a one-two-three. If you wanna be cool, gotta walk like me. Keep your chin turned up and maintain your pace, or your not really walkin, you’re just a changin your place.”
Makaka put his heart into it. “A one and a two and a one-two-three!”
“More bounce,” Kombi said. “Keep a slinky slide that’s the mark of the pride. Oh baby, you’re cookin now!”
“Gee! This feels swell!”
Togo abruptly stopped and Makaka ran right into him. “Let’s do something about that ‘swell’ thing! This is a full-blown cultural emergency!”
Kombi said, “Repeat after me. Cooool!”
“Cooool!”
“All right!”
“All right!”
Kombi began to smile. “Can you dig it!”
“Can you dig it!”
“He learns fast!” Kombi said, “This one takes real effort.” He held up his paw and, being quick on the uptake, Makaka high-fived him.
“How does that feel, ape dude??”
“Gee, it feels swell!”
Kombi shot Togo a pained glance. “I hate to see the little guy suffer. Cancel all my other appointments.”
Meanwhile, Togo and Kombi’s mother was getting her stiff shoulder rubbed by Rafiki. Uzuri half closed her eyes and purred as the mandrill’s skilled hands massaged the pain away.
“Today Makaka ground his own Campa root,” Rafiki said. “You know, that boy is headed for great things. When I was his age, I was out playing with my friends. He’s probably saying his morning prayers right now.”
“I don’t know about that,” Uzuri said. “Children have to be children. They’re not just small adults. I give him love--and that’s not to say that you don’t--and you give him wisdom. But he needs to get out and play. And I don’t mean alone. He needs to learn from other young and growing minds. He needs to burn off excess energy. He needs to have a life.”
“And you don’t think he has one?”
“I didn’t say that. I only meant that everyone needs to do some service, but they all have to be served too. Makaka is a child. He needs a childhood.”
Rafiki put his hands under Uzuri’s ears and began to rub in little circles. She purred again, closing her eyes. “Oh yes!” she murmured.
“You make a valid point, old girl. Maybe I forget sometimes how it felt to be young. Do you think the cubs would accept him?”
“All right!” Kombi shouted. “We’ve created another masterpiece!”
“Too cool!” Togo answered.
“Just gotta get with the program,” Makaka said, slinking about with a swaggering flip of his tail. “Cool isn’t a thing, it’s a way of life.”
“It just gets me right here,” Togo said, patting his chest. “Another soul snatched from the jaws of utter geek-dom.”
Later that day Rafiki returned, tired but refreshed by his time with Uzuri. “Hello, Makaka.”
“Yo, daddy-o.”
“Huh?”
“You look beat, dude. Why don’t you chill while I raid the pantry.”
“Chill?” He watched the way Makaka slinked to the cache of fruit. “Is there something wrong with your legs?”
“Man, my dogs are barking! You know what they say--sometimes life’s a....”
Rafiki clapped his hand over Makaka’s mouth. “TOGO!! KOMBI!!”