A Wild Day at the River

Chiquito in banana tree "Before"

Let the games begin!

Four branches down "After"

     Today was Chiquito's wildest - and best - day at the river.  But the most nerve-wracking for me, and probably not much fun for Lolita, because Chiquito didn't want to share.  Food or Mom.  First he reached out and took the peanuts and raisins out of Lolita's mouth.  Then he put his face up to hers and ate them out of her mouth.  Finally, he grabbed her by the tail and tried to yank her off my arm.  Lolita gave up the food without complaint, but she wasn't about to let go of me.  
     I let them squawk it out between themselves, resigned to the fact that I'd be the one in the middle who got bitten. (My mother used to say "someone's going to end up crying" in similar situations.)  But no blood was shed.

Taking the peanut out of Lolita's mouth.

Eating the peanut out of Lolita's mouth.

Trying to yank Lolita off me by her tail.

     The thing about interacting with monkeys is that you know your time is coming.  Monkeys bite.
     And Chiquito was wired.  He moved through the trees like he never has before.  Like a monkey should.  But he didn't want to play alone and Lolita was having nothing to do with him.   
     Chiquito swung at me from behind.  Hard.  And I took a header. During the rainy season the "path" is wet red mud, littered with slippery leaves.  
    Paul wasn't there to help, or to capture the moment on film.  Because ironically, I had just said, "let's leave now and end this outing on a high note" and he'd gone back to the river to retrieve Chiquito's leash, which had been left behind.
     As I fell forward Chiquito somersaulted over my head and landed beneath me on his back .  We were face to face when I  reached out to catch myself  (Lolita still clinging to my left arm)  and planted my right hand on Chiquito's chest,  pinning him to the ground.  I had broken the cardinal monkey rule.
     The only other thing I remember is closing my eyes.     
      When Paul returned he asked why there was mud all over Chiquito's back.  He didn't notice the red mud on the knee of my pale green pants.  Or that my hair was unusually disheveled.
     But Chiquito had played fair.  Since he was the one who knocked me down, perhaps he accepted the consequences?  We were both just a little muddier for the experience.     
    

Chiquito makes us feel so earthbound.

Airwalking...a variation on moonwalking.