Fort Lupton

by Christian, Claudia Hall

  “Very funny,” Valerie said.

  He took out the Cap’n Crunch with Crunch Berries. He held up the box to her.

  “Want some?” Jacob asked.

  “No! I do not want some,” Valerie’s voice rose with anger. “You know I’m dieting. I’ve got to get ready for this part! I have to lose five more baby pounds. Jeez, Jacob! Could you be less supportive?”

  “I could.” Jacob nodded. “Sure. You want me to start now?”

  “I can’t believe you, Jacob Marlowe.”

  “I thought you were fired from that film,” Jacob said.

  “Fired?” Valerie gaped at him.

  “That’s what they say on the Internet,” Jacob said. “And that magazine whose editor wants in your pants.”

  He shook the box.

  “Cereal?”

  Valerie picked up a kitchen towel and threw it at him. He laughed. Setting the box down, he got out the milk and a bowl. She went back to pacing, although now it was more like stomping from one end of the kitchen to the other. Jacob watched her for a moment before filling the bowl with cereal. He poured the milk and turned to put it back in the refrigerator. When he turned back, Valerie was mid-bite with his spoon. She smirked and put the cereal in her mouth. He got out another spoon, and they shared the bowl.

  “What’s got your goat?” he asked between bites.

  “Goat?”

  “The tabloids have been saying crap about you for years,” Jacob said. “Why’s this a big deal?”

  “They said that Mike and I are in a big fight,” Valerie said. “They said he won’t go with me to film the movie. They said he’s leaving and taking Jackie.”

  His mouth full, Jacob wobbled his head back and forth to indicate that this was a common theme.

  “I know,” Valerie said, and took a bite of cereal. She chewed for a moment.

  “Did you and Mike get in a big fight?” Jacob asked.

  “No.”

  “Why’s Mike sleeping in his studio?” Jacob asked.

  “He’s not,” Valerie said.

  “So Mike’s not sleeping in his studio,” Jacob said. “You’re getting ready for the big romance movie. ”

  “It’s delayed,” she said.

  “So what?” Jacob asked. “The bigger the movie, the more likely it’s going to be delayed.”

  “Yeah, but the tabloids said it was because of the big fight, you know, the one Mike and I had,” Valerie said.

  “Did you have a big fight?” Jacob asked.

  “No, I just told you that.”

  “Didn’t you take another part while you wait?” Jacob asked.

  “Elizabeth Proctor, The Crucible,” Valerie said. “We’re filming in Salem for the next few months.”

  Jacob refilled the bowl to keep from asking her again what her real problem was. She patted the cereal with her spoon to get it wet in the milk. Unable to stand it anymore, he set his spoon down.

  “Why does this make you so mad?” Jacob asked. “These same websites and magazines have said you were gay, having orgies right here in the Castle, abandoning your family, anorexic, too fat to work . . . Mike’s supposedly left you a thousand times.”

  “At least,” Valerie snorted.

  “So . . .?” Jacob raised his spoon and shrugged.

  She used the opportunity to eat a couple quick bites of cereal.

  “Are you having your period?” Jacob asked the question he knew would make her mad.

  Like she did when they were kids, Valerie knuckle punched him three times fast in the arm.

  “Ow!” Jacob said.

  They ate cereal in guarded silence. After a few minutes, he made a loud sigh.

  “There aren’t a lot of parts for older actresses,” Valerie said. “If I have another baby, I’ll lose my one chance, and I . . .”

  “Another baby?” Jacob asked.

  “I was thinking maybe . . .” Valerie nodded.

  “What about this movie you crammed into your schedule?” Jacob asked. “What about the big romance and the blockbuster and the movie after that?” Jacob asked. “You’re booked out for the next three years!”

  “I know,” Valerie said.

  “But?”

  “But what if I get too old and can’t have babies?” Valerie asked. “I mean, you broke the curse and everything. I could have a son and . . .”

  “Mom wasn’t exactly young when she had me,” Jacob said. “Or you.”

  “I know,” Valerie said. “That’s why I should . . .”

  “Have you talked to Mike?” Jacob cut her off.

  “Yes,” Valerie nodded.

  “About this? Having a baby right now?”

  “No,” Valerie said.

  Jacob gave a slight nod.

  “Want more?” he asked, pointing to the empty bowl with his spoon. She shook her head.

  “I know you’re thinking something and just not saying,” Valerie said. “What are you thinking?”

  Jacob looked at her and sighed. To stall for time, he turned around and put the cereal back into the cupboard. She picked up the bowl so he couldn’t avoid her by putting it into the dishwasher.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I think you’re nervous about leaving,” Jacob said. “It’s been . . .”

  “A long time,” Valerie said.

  “Since you worked,” Jacob said.

  “I did that animated movie,” Valerie said.

  “On camera. Worked on camera,” Jacob said.

  Valerie nodded.

  “Next week, you and Mike will leave for LA again. You’ll stay with Seth, sure, but you won’t be here. You won’t spend all day with Jackie. After a week or so, it’s off to Salem, of all places.”

  Thinking about what he’d said, Valerie tapped her lips with the spoon.

  “Do you want to do this new movie?” Jacob asked.

  Valerie nodded.

  “It’s a good part,” Valerie said. “I’ve never been tapped for this kind of serious acting. It’s the kind of part that, if I’m able to do it, will change my career. I’d never have been asked if the actress they cast hadn’t been in a car accident. They only asked because the romance was delayed and they were desperate. It’s kind of a movie of a lifetime.”

  “And?”

  “I don’t want to leave,” Valerie said.

  “Maybe they’d move the film,” Jacob said.

  “Not a chance,” Valerie said. “Historical accuracy.”

  Jacob held his arms out to hug her. She looked at him.

  “What?” Valerie asked.

  “I love you, too,” Jacob said. “We’ll miss you terribly.”

  “But I’ll miss the boys’ first steps,” Valerie said. “And Charlie — how can I help him if I’m thousands of miles away? And Katy? Keenan and Ivy have been so busy learning to read, buying clothing, and getting settled that I have barely seen them. And Nash? I won’t be able to play video games with him and MJ. And Maggie? She’s so perfect and . . . Sissy’s positively freaked out about going to the ballet company and . . . Mike’s going to miss Noelle. Me too. I mean, my best friend just had her first child! What kind of a friend am I to just leave? And . . . You know, Dad’s not exactly a spring chicken.”

  “We’ll miss you too,” Jacob said. “We’ll Skype every week at the very least, and you can always come home when you have breaks.”

  “But?”

  “Your life is stagnant here,” Jacob said. “You’ve participated in Lipson drama, but that’s not enough for you. You need to do what you love.”

  Jacob shrugged.

  “So do I,” Jacob said. “So do Charlie and Nash and Katy and Keenan and Ivy and Noelle and Sissy. We have to be role models for Maggie and Jackie and even my boys.”

  Valerie stepped close to him, and he hugged her. She pressed her face against Jacob’s shoulder.

  “You can’t live your life as half a person,” Jacob said.

  “It’s the things you are passionate about that make you whole,” Val
erie said. “Thanks Mom.”

  Laughing, Jacob stepped back. He put the bowl in the dishwasher.

  “Will you bring the boys and Katy to see me?” Valerie asked.

  “Sure,” Jacob said. “Depending on finances, of course.”

  Valerie nodded. Mike came through the backdoor. He looked at Valerie and then at Jacob.

  “Hey,” Mike said to Jacob, who raised a hand and left for the loft. “What’s going on?”

  “Tabloid stuff,” Valerie said.

  “Again?” Mike asked. “You should have come to get me.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you,” Valerie said.

  “Thanks,” He gave her a peck on the lips. “Feeling better?”

  She nodded. He grabbed the box of Cap’n Crunch from the cupboard.

  “You wanna head up?” he asked.

  She nodded. He put the cereal down next to Jackie and came around the counter. With ease, he lifted her into his arms. He set the box of cereal on her lap and even managed to grab the handle of Jackie’s car seat.

  “What’s all this?” she asked.

  “Time for bed,” he said.

  He carried her upstairs to their apartment.

  Chapter Three hundred and fourteen

  Special

  Friday morning — 7:25 am

  Katy yanked on Jacob’s hand. They stood at the entrance to the Denver Zoo, and she wanted to go ahead to see the elephants. Jacob pulled her back to him and picked her up. The zoo didn’t open for a couple of hours. They were there for a special viewing.

  “We’re waiting for Ms. Yvonne and Jabari,” Jacob said. “Remember?”

  Katy nodded. She liked being held more than she wanted to run ahead so she didn’t complain about being picked up.

  “What about Keenan and Ivy?” Katy asked.

  “We don’t have to wait for them,” Jacob said. He gestured to where Keenan was standing with Ivy. “They came with us.”

  Katy laughed at her own joke. Ivy rolled her eyes, and Keenan scowled.

  “What is this place again?” Keenan asked. “I know you’ve said, it’s just . . . odd.”

  “It is odd,” Jacob said. “We collect animals so that people can see them.”

  “But animals are living creatures,” Keenan said. “They are not born to entertain people. They belong in their native environment, in the world.”

  “A lot of people feel as you do, Keenan,” Jacob said. “At the same time, many of these animals would no longer exist without zoos.”

  “Why is that?” Keenan asked.

  “Their environments have been polluted or destroyed,” Jacob said. “Some are hunted for their horns, like the rhinoceros, or their tusks, like elephants. If they didn’t live in the zoo, they wouldn’t live anywhere.”

  “Let’s go see the elephants!” Katy said with a kick of her legs.

  Jacob scowled at her, and she laughed. He smiled at her and looked at Keenan.

  “What do you think?” Jacob said.

  “The whole thing seems a little crazy,” Keenan said.

  “It’s a little crazy,” Jacob said. “Sometimes, things change and the animals can go back to their native environment.”

  “But not very often,” Keenan said.

  “Sometimes,” Jacob smiled.

  “There they are!” Ivy pointed.

  Yvonne and Jabari were walking hand in hand toward them from the parking lot. Jabari carried Toto. Even from this distance, they could see that the boy was talking. Yvonne smiled and waved at them.

  “May I?” Ivy asked.

  Jacob gave a quick nod of his head and Ivy took off. She sprinted to welcome Yvonne. For reasons Ivy couldn’t quite explain, the girl felt a connection to Yvonne. In return, whenever Yvonne was at the Castle, she made an effort to spend time with Ivy.

  Ivy caught up with Yvonne. She knelt to hug the girl. Ivy took Jabari’s hand and they ran to where the others waited. Yvonne walked behind them.

  “We are very excited, Jacob,” Yvonne said. “Very excited.”

  Yvonne touched Katy on the arm and said hello to Keenan. The boy blushed at the beautiful woman’s attention. He felt her beauty like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.

  “Can we go now?” Katy asked the question all of the kids wanted to ask.

  “We have to find the man who is going to show us,” Jacob said.

  “Jake?” A friendly looking, elderly man walked toward them with his hand out. “You probably don’t remember me.”

  “Edward,” Jacob said.

  “That’s right.” The man smiled. He glanced at Yvonne and smiled.

  “Thank you for this,” Jacob said.

  “Of course,” Edward said. “Your family has been so generous to the zoo. This is the least we can do.”

  Edward looked down the row of children.

  “Now which one of you is Jabari?” Edward asked.

  The children stared at the man. Yvonne nudged Jabari, and he stepped forward.

  “Would you like to see your namesake?” Edward asked.

  Jabari spun in place and ran back to Yvonne. She picked him up.

  “I’m sorry,” Yvonne said. “We had a very difficult week.”

  “Maybe this will make it all better,” Edward said.

  “He was hoping that his father could be here,” Yvonne said.

  “He’s famous,” Katy said.

  “I have no fame, so I’m filling in,” Jacob said.

  “I see that,” Edward said with a smile. “Why don’t you follow me?”

  Jacob gestured for the kids to go. Ivy took Yvonne’s free hand and Jabari clung to Toto. Keenan stayed close to Jacob. They made slow progress along the wide asphalt path. Ivy, Keenan, and Jabari had never been to the zoo. Katy acted at their tour guide from her perch on Jacob’s hip. They rounded a corner and followed Edward toward a building.

  “They’re keeping the baby in the back,” Jacob said.

  “Until he is self-sufficient,” Edward said. “That’s correct.”

  “That’s where we’re going,” Yvonne said.

  Jabari’s huge eyes took in everything. He hadn’t said a word since they entered the zoo. He nodded.

  “Just this way,” Edward said. He turned to Katy. “You’re a fine tour guide, young lady.”

  “I’ve been here a bunch.” Katy smiled at the man’s praise.

  Edward smiled and held a door open. They shuffled inside a hallway behind an exhibit. Edward stopped to let Jacob past. They went around a corner, and then they were standing next to a large pane of glass looking out into an exhibit.

  Before them was a four-legged animal, six-foot-high at the shoulder, with what looked like zebra legs, a thick horse body, and a beautiful face. There were lighter brown rings around his neck and the underside of his head was white. The okapi had large, dark eyes with long eyelashes. The caramel-brown fur between his eyes met the white under his chin and gave him a delicate look.

  “Wh-what is it?” Jabari asked. He pressed his face against the glass.

  “It’s an okapi,” Edward said. “It’s a native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are endangered. This is the male, Sekele. They look more like zebras, but we know they are more closely related to giraffes.”

  “But it lives here?” Keenan asked. “Not in the Congo?”

  “Yes, it does. His mother was born here,” Edward said. “This guy was born in the San Diego Zoo. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I’ll just let them know that we’re here.”

  They waited a moment before a small okapi came out from the back with a larger, more caramel-brown okapi. Edward returned from the back.

  “The larger one is named Kalispell,” Edward said. “The female okapi is larger than the male.”

  Edward looked at Jabari and smiled.

  “This is Jabari,” Edward said.

  “I’m Jabari,” the child said from his spot on Yvonne’s hip.

  “They named it after you,” Yvonne said.

  “They did?�
�� Jabari asked.

  Edward nodded.

  “How come?” Jabari asked.

  “They heard about you in the paper,” Edward said. “Did you know your name means . . .”

  “Brave,” Jabari said. “I’m very brave.”

  “Yes you are,” Edward said. “This little guy needs to be very brave as well.”

  The baby okapi looked up at Jabari, and the child smiled.

  “Hi Jabari,” the child said through the window. “I’m Jabari too!”

  Jabari laughed.

  “What do you think?” Jacob asked Katy, Keenan, and Ivy.

  “He’s beautiful,” Ivy said.

  “I feel his strength,” Keenan said.

  Ivy hit his arm with the back of her hand, and shook her head.

  “Too weird?” Keenan asked.

  Ivy nodded.

  “Why don’t we try again?” Jacob asked.

  “He is very beautiful,” Keenan said. “Special. Strong.”

  Ivy nodded, and Keenan smiled.

  “May we look around more?” Keenan asked Edward.

  “Of course,” Edward said.

  “We’ll stay here for a moment, if that’s okay,” Yvonne said.

  She pointed, and Jabari the okapi started suckling his mother.

  “Of course,” Edward said. “I need to stay with you if you’re going to be back here. But, Jake, you can take the children to look around.”

  Yvonne and Jabari watched in silence while the little okapi suckled from his mother. When the animal was done, Yvonne thanked Edward. The elderly volunteer helped them find the entrance, where Yvonne called Jacob from her cell phone. He told her where they were and they left to find him.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Yvonne said to Jabari. “Did you like Jabari?”

  The boy nodded.

  “A lot,” Jabari said. “But . . .?”

  “But?” Yvonne asked.

  “Toto really wants to see the elephants,” Jabari said.

  “I’d bet he does,” Yvonne said. “You know where our friends are?”

  Jabari shook his head.

  “With the elephants,” Yvonne said. “They’re helping to feed the elephants right now.”

  “They are?” Jabari asked. “We should help too!”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Yvonne said.

  They turned a corner and hightailed it to the elephant exhibit. They got there just in time to see an elephant take an apple from Katy. The little girl giggled with delight.