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Author: Michael O'Hara   The Write Place

Michael is a Toronto based singer/actor/musician who has extreme faith in the belief that all of the world's problems can be solved through artistic media.

Chuckles, Fine Animal Chimp

The young children squealed with delight as the young chimp rode the unicycle around the centre ring. Of course, being children, they asked questions.

“Mommy, do the monkeys like doing that?”

“Of course, honey. That’s what they were made for.”

The chimp rode and rode and rode until, finally, she stopped. The act was over. The chimp’s owner came into the ring and took the chimp by the hand. He whispered something in her ear, and she took a bow. She was then led outside.

Once they were outside, the man let go of the chimp’s hand. He led her to his trailer and took her inside. She sat down on a small soft chair, and the man gave her a banana. She took it graciously.

“Well, Chuckles, we did great tonight, didn’t we? The kids loved you.”

Chuckles sat and ate her banana hungrily. After all, she deserved it.

“Okay, Chuckles, come with Daddy now.”

The chimp hopped obediently off the chair and followed the man outside. He took her to a small metal cage and opened the door.

“Here, Chuckles. Nice to be home, isn’t it?”

The man left and Chuckles sat alone in her cage. She hated to be living in the little box. She’d rather live in the big box with the man. Chuckles didn’t know what she did to make the people mad, but when she rode her bike, all the people would open their mouths and show their teeth at her. She’d get frightened and she’d ride her bicycle faster, but nothing worked. The people would still be angry. Chuckles had no time to think about it. She needed to sleep. She looked over at the next cage and saw an orangutang who laughed at her and threw his food at her.

“He’s crazy,” thought Chuckles. “I hope I never end up like that.”

The next day, the man came early in the morning and put all the cages together to form one big trailer. He hung a banner on the side that said:

And with that, Chuckles and the rest of the troop were driven to the next town

During the long journey, Chuckles looked beside her and saw a dark creature almost like herself except that it was completely black. She could tell he was a male from the way he jumped aggressively around the cage. Chuckles made a screeching sound and the dark ape stopped. He looked inquisitively at Chuckles. Chuckles made the same sound again, and this time, the dark one moved closer to her cage. When he came close enough, Chuckles poked him in the stomach. Her mother had always done that to her when they played. The dark ape then picked up his fresh apple and handed it to Chuckles. She tried hard to work it through the tight mesh cage, but couldn't do it. The dark ape then took the apple again and broke it in half. Then with ease he passed both pieces through to Chuckles. The dark one then put his hand through the mesh and Chuckles took it with her own. They stayed like that through the night until they reached the next town.

The next stop was even worse for Chuckles. This time the people showed more teeth than usual and Chuckles hid behind a barrel during the show. She was petrified. Her trainer ran towards her and touched Chuckles with something that made her jump. She quickly hurried out to the ring again. She showed her teeth to the people. They made a strange sound when she did it. So she did it again and they too made the sound again, but a little louder. Chuckles got off her unicycle and went to her chair in the ring. Chuckles sat down and people started to throw things. Chuckles went over to a long thin white stick that was smoking. She picked it up and put it in her mouth. AGH! She coughed uncontrollably and felt very sick. Her trainer once again came into the ring and grabbed Chuckles and took her screeching from the ring.

He took her outside where he pelted her with rocks. Big ones too. The other apes in the cages started to scream and howl. Chuckles was chained to a wooden post that night and was left alone without food.

While she was sleeping, she felt small pebbles hitting her hand. She woke up and looked beside her. She saw the dark one in his cage wide awake. She stood up and looked at him intently. He picked something up from the floor of his cage and tossed it through the bars. It was another apple in two pieces. Chuckles took the apple. She blew the dark one a kiss- something she had learned from the people in the audience. Then she slept, and although she was chained to a post, she felt safe knowing the dark one was there.

For the next few months, Chuckles and the dark one went all over the country. They became very close and their trainer would let them sit together on the long rides. They would investigate each other’s faces and wonder why they looked so different. They would make sounds to each other and would huddle together on the bitter cold evenings.

One night, the dark one took Chuckles’ hands and moulded them to make a shape. Chuckles had no idea what it meant. He did it again. He did it all the time, and Chuckles learned to do it too. Chuckles saw the dark one use the sign with her trainer, so she used it.

“Very good, Chuckles. You've learned Ndume’s name. Chuckles, meet Ndume.”

Chuckles learned to associate the word with the dark one. Then they became even closer. Chuckles loved Ndume and he loved her. They were like brother and sister.

One night after a show, Chuckles and Ndume sat together in their cage, and he taught her more signs. They heard some unfamiliar voices. Their trainer came to their cage with two older people. They scrutinized Chuckles closely.

“Well, she's all yours for a thousand big ones.”

“I don't know. She looks a little unhealthy.”

The trainer looked at the woman.

“Madam, she's probably healthier than you.”

“All right then. I trust you. We’ll take her.”

The trainer opened the cage and lifted Chuckles out. He handed her to the woman, and Chuckles began to scream. Ndume got up and started to rattle the bars on his cage and screamed along with Chuckles. He beat his chest and he bit the trainer indiscreetly on the leg. The woman quickly rushed of with Chuckles over her shoulder. Chuckles looked back at Ndume and signed, “Good-bye, good-bye, good-bye. Ndume fine dark one. Chuckles see soon. No worry.”

And with that, Chuckles was gone.

The older people took her to a fancy home with many things Chuckles had never seen before. They had a funny box that showed moving pictures when you pressed a button. They had another box, except this one had sound coming out of it with no pictures. Chuckles liked it here, but she wished Ndume was here with her.

Chuckles was taken to the back yard and put in a huge wire pen. The pen had balls and different toys that Chuckles had never seen. She was put in the pen and left alone for several hours. She picked up the ball and threw it against the mesh. It made a loud noise. She did it again. Chuckles was quite amused at the game.

But Chuckles got bored with the ball after a while. She just sat in the middle of the enormous pen and signed, “Ndume Ndume Ndume.”

Every so often the woman would come to the back and sit with Chuckles. Chuckles would sign “Ndume” to her too. The woman understood that Chuckles was signing, but she didn't know what it meant. Chuckles then signed “Fine animal dark one.” The woman went into the house and brought Chuckles a stuffed gorilla. From a distance, Chuckles thought it was Ndume and started to jump in her cage. Then when the lady put the doll in with Chuckles, Chuckles couldn't seem to understand why Ndume wasn't moving. She threw the doll down in disgust and pouted.

As the years went by, Chuckles got bigger and the pen didn't. Chuckles was becoming more and more indifferent towards the woman, and she didn't come and visit her as much. In fact, the woman stayed in her house and threw food from the window when Chuckles rattled the mesh.

The woman couldn't understand one thing about Chuckles. Whenever she gave her an apple, Chuckles would break it in half and throw one half through the mesh. Chuckles hoped that Ndume would one day smell the apples and he'd come here and live with Chuckles. But the years went by and Ndume never came.

The woman came out from the house one day and put her hand through the mesh. Chuckles rushed toward it and bit it. The woman screamed in horror, and Chuckles ran to the back of pen where she hid.

Later that day, two men came to the pen. They shot Chuckles with a small arrow. Chuckles quickly yanked the arrow out of her side in annoyance and dropped it on the ground. It was too late. Chuckles quickly fell asleep. When she woke up, she wasn't in the pen anymore. She was in the back of a truck going God knows where. She was frightened and rocked back and forth. The truck suddenly stopped and the back was opened. The men came in and shot another dart at Chuckles.

This time when she woke up, she was in an awful cage with bars. It smelled foul, and Chuckles wanted out desperately. She rattled the bars, but nothing happened. These bars didn't make a sound. They were too secure. She couldn't know that fate had brought her to a hell on earth in the form of a roadside menagerie in Florida.

Every day people would come and look at Chuckles, and Chuckles would sit with her back to them. She didn't care what they wanted to see. She was old now and she was bitter. She hated humans. Humans put her in the circus, they put her with that woman and now they had put her in a prison.

One afternoon, Chuckles remembered that she had never gotten up and taken a look at the sides of her cage. When she did, she was startled. In the next cage, a very big dark mass sat against the wall. He disinterestedly brushed flies from his face and continued to sit. Chuckles made a sound, but he didn't care.

Every afternoon, Chuckles would walk to the side of her cage and make a sound at the huge dark creature. He didn't react, and she didn't think he noticed.

One morning while Chuckles was sleeping, she heard something hit the bottom of her cage. She looked at the floor, and there she saw an apple in two pieces lying on the ground. Chuckles looked at it for a long time, and then she went over and picked it up. She smelled it and ran over to the side of her cage. She was startled to find the dark mass sitting right there looking at her. She looked at him closely, and after much thought, she signed, “Ndume”.

The dark one saw the sign, and after a long pause, he signed:
“Chuckles, fine animal chimp. My Chuckles, my Chuckles, my Chuckles.”

Chuckles reached through the bars and touched Ndume’s hand. He grasped it tightly. She signed.

“Ndume here. Chuckles say Ndume no worry. Chuckles see Ndume soon.”

That afternoon, Chuckles and Ndume, two old, unwanted primates both died with one of each of their hands holding on tightly to the other one.

And in the other hand, each one held half of an apple.

 

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Marc With a "C"

..... romantic lyrics to a song written by Vernon Duke in 1934, and recorded by Frank Sinatra, one of thousands of songs glorifying the city that never sleeps. One man sleeps in the "canyons of steel" and feels like he's "home", but his bed is a park bench at 50th and Broadway and it's anything but romantic. His name is Marc, with a "c", Marc Livingstone Harris. He's a native New Yorker, sixtyish, with graying hair and beard, his ready smile revealing a half-moon break in his upper denture, often so drunk he can't speak, but more often just pleasantly dazed. "Got a cigarette?" is his familiar request of those who pass by him every day and he flashes his charming smile that can be irresistible to some, or easily ignored by others, depending on the individual. He's always in the same spot, right outside Duane Reade and across the street from the gentlemen's club where his friend works as the doorman. He generously shares his staked out area with a rat that often benefits from the food donations Marc regularly receives from neighbouring delis and restaurants and kind-hearted security guards who are willing to share half of their packed lunches with him. Noone would believe that this humbled man was once an accomplished song writer and half decent musician who played background for Richie Havens and helped put together hits for the Village people like "In the Navy" and "Y.M.C.A.", rubbed elbows with Phylicia Rashad (the wife on The Bill Cosby Show) at Isaac Hayes' birthday party, was in and out of recording studios singing backup vocals for different groups, and playing lead guitar for others.

Unfortunately, his guitars now lie silent at a buddy's house in New Jersey, as he can't risk their being stolen from his insecure "digs" and any chance he gets these days to handle one, he embraces it like a long lost lover. He, and a lot of his peers, most of whom had no formal music training, began singing doo wop songs a cappella on street corners, then worked in coffee houses in the sixties, and later in clubs, just for the love of making music, most often never receiving payment for their services, and definitely no royalties for their contributions to record successes. Their enthusiasm and innocence allowed people to exploit them without even trying. They never thought of getting managers to handle their finances for them. Marc still dreams about putting out his own album some day and doesn't complain about his present "accommodations". But autumn in New York turns into winter and the "canyons of steel" become frigid bedmates. He, and probably the rat, will descend into the warmer confines of the subway tunnels at night, but during the day he'll be at 50th and Broadway, by Duane Reade, across from the gentlemen's club where his friend is the doorman, and he'll sing Motown songs a cappella on the street corner with his cronies, drink himself into a stupor during the course of the day, successfully dulling the pain of his circumstances by evening when " the glittering crowd" will pass him by, deflecting their eyes from Marc Livingstone Harris, who could hold them spellbound with his stories, if they were only lucky enough to be his friend.

"Autumn in New York
is often mingled with pain."

 

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