Parking Meter Monkey
“Hey, look over there!” I pointed down the street. We were taking a walk in a small, quaint town to stretch our legs after having driven in Aliza's RV for several hours.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It looks like a monkey.”
“What would a monkey be doing here?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go take a look.” We quickened our pace before the monkey got spooked and ran off. To my surprise, however, as we neared the animal, it remained calm, clinging to a parking meter cemented into the sidewalk. “Wow! This is really weird. It looks to me like it’s replacing the parking meters in this section of downtown. Talk about smart monkeys!” I motioned to the row of parking meters that continued down the sidewalk. All of them had the heads removed.
“I guess that goes to show just how smart you need to be to work for the city,” Aliza laughed.
“But these meters are strange. They don’t look like any parking meters I’ve ever seen before.” I looked down at the monkey who seemed to be watching me with mild curiosity. I held out my arms. “Come here girl.” To my surprise, she reached out and hopped right into my arms like a young child might. “She’s sure friendly.”
“Boy, I’ll say,” Aliza said, nodding her head.
“How are you sweet girl?” I asked, smiling at my new friend’s furry, gray-black face.” She looked up at me with soft, brown intelligent eyes. I could feel the warmth of her body against mine. Her body language told me that she was quite content cradled in my arms. “Wow, she’s really sweet.” I glanced over at Aliza who was watching transfixed. “I wonder what she’s doing out here all alone.”
I bent closer to examine the parking meters. Then I looked back at my new little friend again. “I think she’s a she; and I think she’s a bonobo, not a chimp. She’s built more lightly than a chimp, and she seems to have a straighter build.” I tuned back to the parking meter. “What kind of meters are these anyway?” I said, talking mostly to myself. “Hmm… You know what I think? I think these are artificial nests.”
“You do?” Aliza said, sounding as if I’d lost my mind once and for all.
“I’m serious. I think this is a monkey nest.” I pointed to the ‘head’ of the meter, which was divided in half, with top and bottom halves that pivoted in the middle. “See here, she backs up to this hole in the side and has the baby by pushing it directly into this hole.”
“You’re nuts.”
“No, really, I think this is a monkey nest. The baby stays inside where she is safe while the mother goes to eat and then brings back food for the baby or to nurse it. Then when the baby is big enough, the top is opened so that the baby can get out. It’s really quite clever.”
“Uh-huh.” Aliza rolled her eyes.
It was clear to me that she didn’t buy my artificial monkey nest idea. To be honest, I thought it was a little far-fetched myself. But that’s what it looked like to me. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to leave the monkey there by itself. She seemed so content. I felt a strong attachment to her already, like she was already a part of the family. She was so soft and warm, cuddled into my arms like a baby.
“What is it?” she asked.
“It looks like a monkey.”
“What would a monkey be doing here?”
“I don’t know. Let’s go take a look.” We quickened our pace before the monkey got spooked and ran off. To my surprise, however, as we neared the animal, it remained calm, clinging to a parking meter cemented into the sidewalk. “Wow! This is really weird. It looks to me like it’s replacing the parking meters in this section of downtown. Talk about smart monkeys!” I motioned to the row of parking meters that continued down the sidewalk. All of them had the heads removed.
“I guess that goes to show just how smart you need to be to work for the city,” Aliza laughed.
“But these meters are strange. They don’t look like any parking meters I’ve ever seen before.” I looked down at the monkey who seemed to be watching me with mild curiosity. I held out my arms. “Come here girl.” To my surprise, she reached out and hopped right into my arms like a young child might. “She’s sure friendly.”
“Boy, I’ll say,” Aliza said, nodding her head.
“How are you sweet girl?” I asked, smiling at my new friend’s furry, gray-black face.” She looked up at me with soft, brown intelligent eyes. I could feel the warmth of her body against mine. Her body language told me that she was quite content cradled in my arms. “Wow, she’s really sweet.” I glanced over at Aliza who was watching transfixed. “I wonder what she’s doing out here all alone.”
I bent closer to examine the parking meters. Then I looked back at my new little friend again. “I think she’s a she; and I think she’s a bonobo, not a chimp. She’s built more lightly than a chimp, and she seems to have a straighter build.” I tuned back to the parking meter. “What kind of meters are these anyway?” I said, talking mostly to myself. “Hmm… You know what I think? I think these are artificial nests.”
“You do?” Aliza said, sounding as if I’d lost my mind once and for all.
“I’m serious. I think this is a monkey nest.” I pointed to the ‘head’ of the meter, which was divided in half, with top and bottom halves that pivoted in the middle. “See here, she backs up to this hole in the side and has the baby by pushing it directly into this hole.”
“You’re nuts.”
“No, really, I think this is a monkey nest. The baby stays inside where she is safe while the mother goes to eat and then brings back food for the baby or to nurse it. Then when the baby is big enough, the top is opened so that the baby can get out. It’s really quite clever.”
“Uh-huh.” Aliza rolled her eyes.
It was clear to me that she didn’t buy my artificial monkey nest idea. To be honest, I thought it was a little far-fetched myself. But that’s what it looked like to me. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to leave the monkey there by itself. She seemed so content. I felt a strong attachment to her already, like she was already a part of the family. She was so soft and warm, cuddled into my arms like a baby.
posted by elkdreamer at 10:42 AM
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