asked.
‘Very aggressive,’ Alphonse said. ‘They fight like crazy, especially for
the fruit. I also saw one kill a monkey.’
‘Why?’ Kevin asked.
‘I think to eat,’ Alphonse said. ‘He carried it away after the food I
brought was all gone.’
‘That sounds more like a chimp,’ Melanie said to Kevin.
Kevin nodded. ‘Where on the island have the retrievals taken place?’ he
asked.
‘All have been on this side of the lake and stream,’ Alphonse said.
‘None have been over by the cliff?’ Kevin asked.
‘No, never,’ Alphonse said.
‘How do you get to the island for the retrieval?’ Kevin asked. ‘Does
everybody use the float?’
Alphonse laughed heartily. He had to dry his eyes with his knuckle. ‘The
float is too small. We’d all be supper for the crocs. We use the
bridge.’
‘Why don’t you use the bridge for the food?’ Melanie asked.
‘Because Dr. Edwards has to make the bridge grow,’ Alphonse said.
‘Grow?’ Melanie questioned.
‘Yes,’ Alphonse said.
The three guests exchanged glances. They were confused.
‘Have you seen any fire on the island?’ Kevin asked, changing the
subject.
‘No fire,’ Alphonse said. ‘But I’ve seen smoke.’
‘And what did you think?’ Kevin asked.
‘Me?’ Alphonse questioned. ‘I didn’t think anything.’
‘Have you ever seen one of the bonobos do this?’ Candace asked. She
opened and closed her fingers then swept her hand away from her body in
imitation of the bonobo in the operating room.
‘Yes,’ Alphonse said. ‘Many do that when they finish dividing up the
food.’
‘How about noise?’ Melanie asked. ‘Do they make a lot of sounds?’
‘A lot,’ Alphonse said.
‘Like the bonobos back in Zaire?’ Kevin asked.
‘More,’ Alphonse said. ‘But back in Zaire I don’t see the same bonobos
so often as I do here, and I don’t feed them. Back home they get their
own food in the jungle.’
‘What kind of noise do they make?’ Candace asked. ‘Can you give us an
example.’
Alphonse laughed self-consciously. He glanced around at his wife to make
sure she wasn’t listening. Then he softly vocalized: ‘Eeee, ba da, loo
loo, tad tat.’ He laughed again. He was embarrassed.
‘Do they hoot like chimps?’ Melanie asked.
‘Some,’ Alphonse said.
The guests looked at each other. They’d run out of questions for the
moment. Kevin got up. The women did the same. They thanked Alphonse for
his hospitality and handed back their unfinished drinks. If Alphonse was
offended, he didn’t show it. His smile didn’t falter.
‘There’s one other thing,’ Alphonse said just before his guests
departed. ‘The bonobos on the island like to show off. Whenever they
come for the food, they make themselves stand up.’
‘All the time?’ Kevin asked.
‘Mostly,’ Alphonse said.
The group walked back through the village to the car. They didn’t talk
until Kevin had started the motor.
‘Well, what do you guys think?’ Kevin asked. ‘Should we continue? The
sun’s already set.’
‘I vote yes,’ Melanie said. ‘We’ve come this far.’
‘I agree,’ Candace said. ‘I’m curious to see this bridge that grows.’
Melanie laughed. ‘Me, too. What a charming fellow.’
Kevin drove away from the store, which was now busier than earlier. But
he wasn’t sure of his direction. The road into the village had simply
expanded into the parking area for the store, and there was no
indication of the track leading further east. To find it, he had to
cruise the parking lot’s perimeter.
Once on the track, they were impressed with how much easier it had been
to travel on the improved road. The track was narrow, bumpy, and muddy.
Grass about three feet tall grew down the median strip. Frequently
branches stretched from one side to the other, slapping against the
windshield and poking through the open windows. To avoid being hit by
the snapping branches, they had to raise the windows. Kevin clicked on
the air conditioner and the lights. The beams reflected off the
surrounding vegetation and gave the impression of driving through a
tunnel.
‘How far do we have to go on this cow path?’ Melanie asked.
‘Only three or four miles,’ Kevin said.
‘It’s a good thing we have four-wheel drive,’ Candace remarked. She was
holding on tightly to the overhead strap and still bouncing around. The