coco' big day p-3

8/14/2019 coco' big day p-3

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LIONWORLDBy William E Justin

Cocos Big DayPART THREE

Inside, Buster White didnt notice the boys peering in at him. His dancing eyes were focused exclu-sively on auntie Lucile. Her piercing gaze was aimed straight into his. Her three sisters sitting around

the table hadnt seen it in a long time but they knew what thatmeant. They grew up watching their old-

est sister cast her eyes at men like that.

That was back in The Oak Land nearly thirty years earlier. Lucile had been the princess in that placeand timeThe It Girl. She was bright and witty and had the perfect body to go with the perfect face.

But notthe perfect heart. Everybody agreed there was a craziness in her. A wild energy that family

members recognized again when Maxim began to mature into a man.Lucile went from man to man to man like Max went through lions. No regular boy had any chance

with her. She didnt do regular boys. You had to have money, and money to spend on Lucile and the

expensive tastes she cultivated. You had to spend that money taking her to new and different places thatshe hadnt been before. And in return you had to be willing to take what Lucile wanted to give you

when she wanted to give it to you. Those were her rules and she made men play by those rules. And she

would take a little piece of every man when she was finished with him. Lucile was likethat.

Lynette Le Muffett did not let her daughter Coco have very much to do with her sister Lucile.This was not the kind of influence she wanted for her. She encouraged the relationship with Jean DSole

partly to counter the kind of draw a personality such as Lucile would exact on an impressionable girl.

Jean had a good heart. She was a working women and an educated woman. She would not draw Coco tothe wrong side of the road.


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With her other two sisters, Lynette came away from the table and into the kitchen to check onpreparations. Merle was in there picking snacks off the various trays of food. He listened to the three

women talk about their sister and Buster. I hope she take that old goat down said middle sister May.

Lynette was reflective. I could never quite make out how such a sweet and wonderful boy like Big-E

had come from somethin like that. His mother musta been a fine woman.Merle heard them talking and told them about the bet. He asked them if they wanted in. His Auntie

May did. Im puttin one-hundred on my big sister Lucile! she announced in a loud voice. The

head chef for the catering group was working nearby, with her back away from them. She was tryingto suppress a smile. Merle explained the terms and conditions of the bet. He got out his little pad of

paper and took money from May; then some more from the other two of Luciles sisters.

Buster had barely noticed that the three had left the table. He was moving his eyes back and forthbetween Luciles beautiful face and her perfectly outstretched hand that was placed on the table facing

him. His deep gravelly voice sounded in a softer volume.

Lucile, when you were twenty-two or twenty-three. I mean, when you were just so fresh and

pure. Was there any man your own age that could really appreciate just how fine you were? I meanreally appreciate every part of how you could be? Buster felt chemical lust from deep within him

flow out on his breath through his words. Now, wasnt it the man of thirty-five or forty who really

understood how fine you were?

Well, actually he was very near fifty Lucile remembered with some fondness. That man hadbeen good for a whole year. The old memory of how shed felt a little bad about his wife and teenage

daughter became vivid again.Hmm..was the tiny rumble of sound going through Buster. He let his eyes move around Luciles

still wonderful form. Then he spoke very slowly. With a hypnotic rhythm few wouldve been able to

notice he said; You know Luciletoday, right now, in this placeIm that same man. He let his

hand slide toward hers. It wasnt quivering like usual. In fact, he suddenly felt thirty years younger.When his fingers had touched hers, Buster let feigned sadness fill his eyes as he added; I mean, de-

spite what you many be seeing in front of you.

Lucile smiled with a tiny bit of warmth few wouldve even noticed. Buster was cute she thought.He was a boy that had never stopped being a boy. And she liked boys of all kinds when they were

even a little good at trying to act like men. She had heard the stories about Buster White. She knew

how people talked about him behind his back. And she could see that he wasnt the type to have evercared much at all. She straightened her back.

Oh but Buster, Im a marriedwoman these days.

That rumbling sound began to move through him again. How many times had he heard that? But

she had conveyed the age-old truth so easily behind her wordsthat she liked what she heardand wasdrawn closer.

You know Lucile, when I was a young man, I used to fight those Lions like my son. I killed a few

of them. And every time I got one I would spend that night going from place to place looking forsomebodyjust like you as a reward for having survived. And its been a long, long time since I met

anyone like you.

Oh but Buster she replied meaning to correct him, I dont think you evermet anyone quite like

me! At that moment her black eyes swallowed every bit of the reflected light that was present a mo-

ment earlier. He knew that bottomless pit look. But she was very unique. He pretended to lookaround the room.

Lucile, where is that husband you spoke off?Oh, he back home in Brazil she said, putting on a little look of concern. He had a stroke about

one year ago tonight. She said this as her smile briefly came back on and the natural moisture re-

turned to her eyes. Then she brought her lips together to suppress any hint of a smile. Po olthing.He cant even talkanymo.cant even tell me not to spend his money.

Buster White chuckled deeply for a very long moment. He was romanced.


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At the other end of the room, Bill and Ronnie were still with their crewmen. They were all looking down atthe table, instructed not to look sideways over at Buster and Lucile. Ronnie gave them the play-by-play.

Oooooh, my oafyHIT-TEEN .

She jus laying out Bustas coffin. Thats all. Bill was shaking his head. They were all trying hard not to

burst into laughter again and make another scene. Big-E was with Coco, greeting more guests at the entry.Nooo. Ronnie squealed at low volume, My oafy gonna pre-vail!

Jean dSole had just arrived with sub-commander Robert Casonias Coco had lately been calling herlong-time friend and right-hand man. Accompanying the spunky Casoni was his loverthe honorary oafy

Randi, who entered the room and immediately cast an eye toward the large table where the Le Muffett crew had

settled in. Robert and Randi had driven Jean in from the airport. Soon the five were joined by Sydney whocame running up to hug the Frenchwoman she had last seen only two months earlier when she was a guest at the

Luani home on Maui. She wore a simple outfit that would slightly change color as she moved through different

lights. It featured some fine material that Coco hadnt seen before. As Jean was being introduced for the first

time to Randi, Coco was examining the stitching pattern and strange luster of the cloth. She was playing with aportion of the vest bottom in between her thumb and finger.

Jean brushed Cocos hand off her without a glance and opened her arms to invite her girls in for a hug.

Sydney and Coco, both noticeably taller, fell in against each of her shoulders like oversized babies. You two

can never again fight Jean said with a brief sniffle and soon the three were nearly in tears and making feminineoohh and mmmnn sounds. Big-E heard this from behind and turned around to Robert Casoni who shot a smile

his way. Robert had funny eyes that would dilate in slightly different ways from one another. It made him lookvery smart and a little crazy.

This is how they have always been together, he said. His natural speaking voice was a little excited but

cast in a matter-of-fact manner. It was cut with strange, subtle blends of different accents.

Andyou Robert, our adorable little mighty-man said Sydney, straightening her back from the embrace withJean and Coco and flashing a loving smile at him. Everybody called him the woman-walker she remem-

bered, adding that a businessman once asked him for his card saying he needed his wife walked, five days a

week, rain or shine!. Coco said that Robert still walked her three days a week.Its supposed to befive days he exclaimed, but she sends Little B for two days as a substitute. Big-E

who always had to force her to exerciseadded that if Coco could ever learn to sew and walk at the same

time, she would do her road work everyday.Randi took all of this in with deep interest. He was anxious to get little tidbits about how Robert was before

they met. He was a full four inches taller then Casoni and liked to keep his hand placed delicately on the curve

of Roberts shoulder as they all spoke. He was waiting for Big-E to make eye contact. They hadnt seen each

other since the Little B incident and he wanted to see his expression. He didnt get the chance. After repeat-ing his welcome, Big-E was off to look for Maxim and Jimmy Luani and talk more about the photograph they

were to pose for together once Mary Harris and her assistants arrived.

Jimmy was standing along side Max when Big-E walked up. Dr. Ben Akiyama had slipped in behind him ashe went by. When Big-E stopped to join the others, The Le Muffett martial arts instructor was directly in back

of him hiding in his blind spot. He tapped Big-Es flank and it made him jump a little. This brought boyish

grins to the mouths of Max and Jimmy.

I got all three of you guys together Akiyama said with obvious delight. I cant believe it. Jimmy, Max

said it would be O.K. if I sneak in and get a picture with my camera phone when they take the big portrait. Isthat O.K. with you? Jimmy said he didnt care.

Oh good Dr. Ben said. Im going to sell them in Japan. Youre the favorite there.I think, maybe cause I work with the all-Asia team

Yeah, but its more then that. The people really like you over there. They say you that your fortunate

karma is very auspicious because you are a good boy. They really like your mother a lot as well. She showsup on the TV quite a bit. Jimmys mom was a cholia from the Southern Californias Port City. Many Asian

companies had paid her excellent fees to teach the wives of A Class executives how to do Latin American cook-

ing.


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Nobody there could exactly understand every word she said, but they loved her spirit and mannerisms. Luaninodded. Yeah, my Mom loves them too. Its funny how we sometimes are better thought of among the people

we dont knowwho are of a different culture.

You know what I tell them in Japan about Max? said Dr. Ben. I tell the little kids that he isnt a real

manthat he was built in a secret World Security facility in the California desert! Their eyes get as wide as seadisks. I tell them that we spent years programming him to talk and that I have to sometimes operate him like a

video game character from my cell phone. ooohh, he a robot? they ask me. Yeah, I say. But we got the facefrom a real guy!The three lion-fighters were laughing big. Dr. Ben loved to make up stories and tell jokes about Maxim. The

better the audience, the bigger and crazier the stories would get. In the wide world, he was about the only one

who could successfully use him as a foil. Professional comediansneeding an endless supply of jokes to sur-vivehad tried to play off of Maxims artificial leg but it had never panned out. You couldnt squeeze too

much humor out of an amputation without looking brutal. Especially if the subject of the joke was as well-

regarded as the great Lion-fighter.

Big-E got a lot more of it. Akiyama enjoyed poking fun at him as much as he did with Max. He explainedthat while hosting grandparents for a luncheon at his big martial arts studio in Tokyo, he had told one woman

about how promiscuous Big-E White really was; that he was very faithful to his wife but could not resist Asian

woman past the age of 70. He mimicked some crazy look on the face of the woman. While watching the reac-

tion to his jokes, Merle slipped up from behind and caught Dr. Ben in a body lock. Big-E, Max and Jimmy werewide-eyed. They knew just how slippery-quick and field-aware this unlikely-looking martial arts master had

always been.So now the joker became the target. Dr. Ben! exclaimed Max, as his brother continued to grasp him, I do

believe time is catching up with you! Man, you gonna end up like the guy who take so long to raise up the rifle,

that the rabbits long since hopped away.

Akiyama would have liked to have proved him wrong by dropping out of the hold he was in. But Merle wasever-so-slightly varying his grasp with small, subtle changes in the pressure. He would find no brief window of

opportunity to pass through. Hed taught Merle well. Instead, he rocked his chin back and forth sideways and

made a voice like a cranky old man. My rifle come up good! My rifle come up good! As they laughed at thisantic, Merle released Dr. Ben from his grasp while taking a big, full step backwards to avoid getting tagged with

any quick, backlash movement from the master. In the early days, Dr. Ben would occasionally catch his atten-

tion lagging at a certain point and pull a button off his shirt so fast he often didnt even notice it until it appeared

in the palm of his hand when displayed. Merle wasnt going to lose any buttons today.Ben Akiyama was reflective and spoke slower then before. Its a good thing to be caught and released so

quickly he said. This, I think, is what happens at the end. We spend all our lives avoiding our demise

dancing around it, striking at it with our disciplines. We make our jokes and laugh at it. I used to think I wasthat one-in-a-billion guy who could permanently hold it at bay. But todayI dont know.

He paused and looked for a second like he had frozen-up and retreated deep into the center of his mind. Then

suddenly he blinked and poured out a rapid burst of the trademark buoyancy they had been treated to since theywere kids. Today, I only seventy-five percentsure Im going to live forever!

Not far away, Randi had come up to the table where Bill and Ronnie were sitting with the camera and secu-

rity men from the crew. Most of them had filled the small reception area of his Poodle Care studio that day fol-lowing the final match of the previous season when The Little B Incident had taken place. The Lion-fighters

greeted him like one of their own. An honorary oafy for making sure the secret stayed within their circle.

Since the event, Randi had read up more on what he regarded as this strangest of sports. He couldnt quitefigure out why men would want to fight lions. He understood why a man would want to groom, clip and style

poodle dogsit made you happy to give the dogs the attention required to be healthy and beautiful. And when

the dogs were well cared for they transferred part of this glow to the pet owners. It was win-win-win. But whenmen fought lions there was always a great deal of blood and loss. There was money to be madethat was for

sure. But why would something so naturally repulsive and dangerous actually be an attraction?

It was like asking why certain people in this time enjoyed seeing the real torture videos passed around by

the Fascist youth. That sick form of entertainment wasnt sport but pure depravity where C Class castoffshuman beingswere used in the productions.

coco' big day p-3

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