Monkey Business

Entry via Letter:

By Friday I had finished most of my exam grading and had started to work on other big looming projects, like closing my house in order to leave for Thanksgiving. I was just leaving to take a bucket bath when there was a knock at my door. I ran out the back way (after putting on more than just my towel) to find my friend Chili sitting there with 2 of my students – and a baby monkey. I immediately started gushing about how cute the monkey was and how much I’ve seen them in Tanzania, snapping pictures all the while as 50 small children (who had followed the monkey) ran about the yard. As I wrapped up my pictures I began to thank everyone, and then the first shocking statement was made – “Mwalimu Mirinda, for 3000 shlling we will sell you this monkey”. A look of shock crossed my face and I immediately replied – “you want me to buy this monkey”? Chili immediately shook his head and replied “you are right, 3000 is too much – for 2000 we will sell you the monkey”. I immediately launched into a series of explanations of why I couldn’t possibly allow a monkey to stay in my house.

“What would I feed him Chili?”

“Fruit” He then fed the monkey, whose cute little paws curled around the fruit.

“He will bite Pepsi”, I countered.

“No, he will be Pepsi’s friend and bring her fruit” He replied.

“What if he bites me, Chili” I pleaded, “I could get very sick.”

“Silly Mwalimu, he won’t bite you, he is a nice monkey” he said as he patted the monkey on the head.

Exasperated, I finally had to pull out the big guns.

“Chili, if Peace Corps found out a monkey lived here they would make me leave; we aren’t allowed to have monkeys.”

I felt bad when I saw Chili’s crestfallen expression, but he took that monkey and those 50 squealing children right off my porch and waved as he led the monkey parade down the street and in to the dusk.

This is how I did not come to own a 2 dollar baby monkey.