Gorillas Short Story

Maisie and Indie are up close against the railing that wraps around the gorilla’s enclosure. Indie asks, “Oh, oh aren’t they gross?” about the two gorillas who are sitting up, almost on top of the glass. One of the gorillas is much smaller than the other. When I point to her and say, “She must be the female,” Indie asks, “So?”
Bane says, “I bet you’re right,” and Indie and Maisie roll their eyes. Then Bane reads from the little sign next to the railing, “The big one is called Richard, and the female is Kamba. And look,” he says, pointing to a pink piece of paper, “it says Richard is forty-five today.”
Julia says, “They’re cute!”
Michael mimics Julia, then he calls her a big dork. “Look babe, he’s–yep, he’s jerking off!” Kyran says, grabbing

Then he backs away from us while waving and saying, “Have fun kids! Welcome to the zoo!” Kyran is sitting close to me, huffing and puffing while he tears up the grass. When Mom huffs and puffs like that, she is usually looking for someone to ask, “What’s wrong?” so she can give a monologue about everything that’s wrong in her life: how it’s so unfair that she always has to drop us kids off at school even though both she and Dad are busy with their jobs, how she can’t be expected to pay the bills and make dinner every night, she isn’t Superwoman for the love of fuck– Of frick. I ask Kyran, “What’s wrong?” Kyran says, “I just don’t know what she wants, you know?” One of the elephants trumpets, and Kyran laughs and says, “You don’t know, do ya?” Then he puts his arm on my head and rests it there. He smells like the inside of Abercrombie & Fitch and when I tell him that, he starts tickling my ribs and making monkey sounds. “Stop it!” I say, but when I start to run away, Kyran pulls me back and I fall on the grass, laughing even

What the fuck happened?” Michael says, “Chill, man. The kids were just being kids. Your girlfriend’s a pussy, that’s all.” From not too far away, we hear one of the Howler Monkeys screech. Then Vilgot says, “He pinned her arms!” Bane says, “He told us to tickle her!” Kyran says, “Shut up, kid! Go sit over there.” He points to the café tables. “All you kids go sit over there.” Kyran is shaking, so even though the benches are wet and cold, we all follow Maisie and Indie and sit. Indie says, “You guys are so immature.” But no one responds. We only watch. Kyran pulls Julia up from the ground. Michael is talking quickly, furiously, and Julia’s yelling something, her finger pointed into Michael’s face. Kyran pushes Julia behind him. He says something else to Michael, and then he punches him in the stomach, so that Michael doubles over. Kyran sees me watching. He yells at all of us kids to come back over to where he is, so we do. Kyran has Michael’s head stuffed under his arm, and he sits, forcing Michael to crouch next to him. He tells us to tickle Michael. Indie says, “We don’t want