Zamba by Ralph Helfer

Author:Ralph Helfer
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins

18

The next week passed in a blur. I couldn’t believe that Zamba and I were going to Africa together. But I should learn not to count my chickens before they hatch; we almost didn’t make it there.

The Sunday after I signed the papers, I woke up slowly, aware of a heavy weight pressing me into the mattress. It felt as though a car had slipped off its jack, pinning me to the ground. I didn’t panic. Zamba never could sleep on his side of the bed.

I managed to slip myself out from under his massive frame, making a mental note to give him a bath later—he needed it. After a quick shower, I dressed. Zamba, now lying diagonally across the bed, was still asleep. The snoring was serious.

I kicked the bed. “Zam! Come on! Up and out!”

He opened one eye, his huge mane matted to the back of his head. He looked as though he’d been out for a wild night on the town. I headed for the kitchen, enjoying a brief moment of appreciation for my life. Isn’t this great? I thought. True, I didn’t have a lot of money—in fact, very little. But I had the animals, and a unique way of life.

I heard a thud from upstairs—Zamba getting out of bed. He dragged himself sleepily into the kitchen, ignoring the yapping of the dog. He tripped over Speedy the tortoise, banged the back door screen open with his head, and headed for his favorite tree, which was starting to show the use.

I had recently fastened a steel cable about eight feet off the ground between two oak trees. The ground there had been raked and cleaned, and covered with fresh heavy cedar chips. I fastened Zamba’s chain to a clip and then attached the clip to a ring that slid the length of the cable. This allowed Zamba to exercise the full length of the cable. If he decided to rest, the cedar chips would absorb any dampness, as well as keep him clean. Once on the cable, he shook himself again. Then, feeling as cocky as a puppy, he proceeded to race up and down the run, grunting and cavorting and just plain feeling good. I left him to warm himself and relax in the sun.

I wasn’t alone. A few months before, a beautiful blond former model named Toni had shown up on my doorstep with two bear cubs tearing up the inside of her car. A ranger had killed their mother after she had menaced some tourists, and Toni, a real animal lover, had saved the cubs. But they were proving a little more than she could handle, and she wanted to know if I could help. I could, and did—and the sparks had flown between the two of us. She was fascinated by my life on the ranch, and insisted that I teach her everything I could. She was incredibly nurturing and warm, and the animals—especially Zamba—had taken to her immediately. It was as if she had been there forever.

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